We were camping at Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park and decided to hike to the top of the highest dune, which is a real peak. Being a peak bagger, I naturally had to add a peak to the list ;-)

We left the Dunes Lake Parking lot as a group of 5, but we lost 3 early on, as they were not thrilled with the sand, wind, mosquitos, and other fun things mother nature threw at us en route to the dunes. So my niece Hanna and I pushed up the dunes by ourselves. It is only a few mile hike roundtrip with 356 feet of gain, but the lose sand is certainly a challenge. Despite having been to 13,000 feet the weekend before, I was huffing and puffing and feeling my legs at the top.

We made quick work of the way down and re-joined our hiking party to return to the trailhead.

Fun little trip within an hour of Boise and I was actually surprised how great the views were from the top!

Make your way to Bruneau Sand Dunes SP. Follow the road as far as it will take you from the park entrance (past both campgrounds, past the observatory, etc...

Follow the signs from the Big Dune Lake parking lot. Basically the trail heads south from the parking lot, then turns slightly east and climbs up the dune. Once on the ridge, the hiking is much easier.