Permit required — $30 non-holiday / $40 with holidays.
Fire danger is extreme during most of the year. Campfire permits are required and campfires are often restricted May through October.
Guide
About this area
• 7,620 acres of open public land, a BLM Special Recreation Management Area • About 31 miles north of Baker, south of the Amargosa River and east of Highway 127 • Big sand — ATVs, motorcycles, dune buggies, sand rails and UTVs • Scenic touring through the Kingston Range Wilderness corridor • Access to the Amargosa Wild…
Camping
• Camping is permitted anywhere within the open area
• 14 consecutive days maximum
• Little Dunes staging and camping area is directly off Highway 127
• 🔥 Campfire permits required May–October — free at preventwildfireca.org
Facilities
• Staging and camping area at Little Dunes, directly off Highway 127
• BLM lists no toilets or potable water — bring everything you need
• ⚠️ Cellular service is unreliable
Full agency description
Dumont Dunes is 7,620 acres of open public land about 31 miles north of Baker, off Highway 127 — a Special Recreation Management Area of big sand for ATVs, motorcycles, dune buggies, sand rails and UTVs. Beyond the dune field it opens onto scenic touring through the Kingston Range Wilderness corridor and access to the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River. It runs on a paid pass system, and unlike most BLM open areas the price changes on holiday weekends.
At a glance
Quick facts
Best season
Thanksgiving through Easter. New Years and Presidents Day are the big bowls weekends.
Camping limit
Camping is permitted anywhere within the open area, limited to a maximum of 14 consecutive days. Campsites must be kept free of trash and pets must be leashed.
Managing agency
BLM Barstow Field Office
Access
Getting there
Dumont Dunes Rd entranceEntrance
Dumont Dunes Rd off HWY 127. Pay station approx 3-4 miles in, past the Amargosa River crossing (cement slab). Pin confirmed by Scott 2026-08-14 against the Dumont Dunes Rd entrance.
Maximum speed is 15 mph within 50 feet of a campsite, animal or pedestrian.
Shooting is prohibited within the recreation area.
Pets must be leashed.
Wilderness areas are closed to motorized vehicles.
Show all 10 area-specific rules
The dunes never close, open 24/7 year-round. But the managing BLM office is in Barstow, Mon-Fri only; there are no staff at the dunes, so sort permits and questions before you tow.
Flags required on all OHVs, not just ATVs.
Campfire permit required for any open flame, including propane stoves and lanterns.
ATV riders must wear protective helmets.
OHVs must be equipped with an approved muffler and spark arrester.
Source: California Vehicle Code §500, §38505, §38601–38602, CVC 27802. Checked Aug 2026. ohv.parks.ca.govwww.blm.gov
Standard OHV rules (10)
Common equipment, registration and trail-use rules still apply.
Ride to the highest safety standard, not the legal minimum. A helmet, eye protection, a flag and proper gear are what get you home.
All vehicles must be registered or permitted to operate in the State of California, with a green sticker or license plate clearly displayed.
No fireworks, no glass containers, and no firewood containing nails or screws.
🪖 Side-by-side / UTV (factory-built, steering wheel, bucket seats, under 1,000cc, does over 30 mph): helmets on the driver and every passenger, and seat belts or a harness fastened whenever it is moving.
🪖 Sand car, sand rail, dune buggy, Jeep, or anything home-built or over 1,000cc: no helmet or seat-belt law applies. Wear them anyway.
🪖 Quads and ATVs: helmet on every rider, any age. Dirt bikes: helmet required under 18.
⚠️ Tuned it past 30 mph? A machine built for 30 or under that now goes faster is treated like a side-by-side, helmet and belt rules apply.
👶 A child seat does not replace a helmet. In a side-by-side, a child in a car seat still wears one.
🪖 Any helmet the law requires must meet FMVSS 218 and carry a DOT label.
🗺️ No signal? Take an offline map. BLM publish free georeferenced PDF maps that show your live GPS position with no cell service. Download the map for this area before you leave tarmac.
A pass is required to ride Dumont. Season pass (Oct 1 – Sept 30) is $90 non-holiday or $120 if it includes holidays; a weekly pass is $30 non-holiday or $40 with holidays. The holiday rate is the thing people get caught by, check which weekend you are going. A separate campfire permit is required and is free online at preventwildfireca.org; campfires may be restricted during fire season, roughly May through October.
State residents
California residents: OHV must display a current Green Sticker or Red Sticker registration from the CA DMV.
Out-of-state riders
Out-of-state riders: a California Nonresident OHV Use Permit is required unless your OHV carries current registration from your home state. $30 ($31.95 online), valid from purchase through December 31 of that year.
Permit and registration rules change. Confirm current requirements with the managing agency before you ride, you are responsible for compliance.
Trip support
Fuel, food & local help
Local fuel notes (12)
🎰 FROM LAS VEGAS — you do NOT come through Baker.
NV-160 west to Pahrump, across to Shoshone, then south on 127.
Fuel is everywhere in Vegas and cheap, so fill before you leave.
🚚 Towing? Blue Diamond Travel Center on NV-160 has diesel and pull-through room, and it is genuinely the last fuel for about 40 miles over Mountain Springs pass.
After Pahrump, Shoshone is a very small town — do not count on it.
🏜️ FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — fill in Barstow.
Baker is then the ONLY stop, 31 miles south of the dunes.
💰 Baker prices like the monopoly it is:–in August 2026, against aboutin Las Vegas.
Top off there, do not fill there.
��️ Early start out of Baker? Country Store 76, ARCO and the Chevrons run 24 hours; the Travel Plaza closes at 9:30PM.
There is no fuel at the dunes.
Carry what the machines need plus a reserve to get back out.
Pump gas & diesel
Blue Diamond Travel CenterfuelfoodGasolineDiesel
LAS VEGAS approach — last fuel before Mountain Springs pass on NV-160 · 12325 NV-160 · open 24 hours · travel center with diesel and pull-through room. Riders leaving it in reviews: "It's the last Fuel for 40 miles, so if you need some, get some." That is the climb over Mountain Springs to Pahrump. Travel center — hot food as well as fuel, and room to park a rig.More
LAS VEGAS approach — last fuel before Mountain Springs pass on NV-160 · 12325 NV-160 · open 24 hours · travel center with diesel and pull-through room. Riders leaving it in reviews: "It's the last Fuel for 40 miles, so if you need some, get some." That is the climb over Mountain Springs to Pahrump. Travel center — hot food as well as fuel, and room to park a rig.
Area information is informational only and may be inaccurate or out of date. Verify access, weather, closures, permits and hazards before and during any trip. See Terms.
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