Red Sands doesn't officially exist...and yet...it does exist. Go ahead, try Googling "Red Sands". Try "Red Sands in El Paso". You probably found a couple of Youtube videos and maybe if you're lucky, Rent an ATV popped up. This is one of El Paso's best kept secrets (I mean I only found out about it a year ago and I've lived here for over 10 years). You might also hear it referred to as "The Dunes" or if even "Red Sands Dunes", they're all the same place...I promise.
So you have a 4-wheeler or a dirt bike, but you don't want to go to one of the race courses...you just want to ride? This is the place for you. You want to go camping, but don't feel like driving to Elephant Butte, this is the place for you. You don't own a 4-wheeler, but you wish you could go out and ride one...THIS is the place for you.
Officially there are no trails here, but you'll find the paths taken most by riders. The dune's sizes and shapes are constantly changing because we have those hard winds here in El Paso so it's always a little different every time you go out. I love coming out here because you can definitely spend hours out here. From high enough points you can actually see parts of El Paso which is kind of cool. It really reminds me of White Sands in New Mexico except you won't find anyone on sleds, just ATV's, bikes, sometimes even Jeeps. If you don't own a 4-wheeler you can rent one hourly at Rent an ATV that's at this location as well...it's the building right as you drive up.
Certain parts of Red Sands are fenced off (I've heard a rumor of a lake being out there), but there's so much of it not fenced off that it's rare to run into one of these sections. Make sure you bring a ton of water, something to eat, and lot of sunblock. If you forget something, don't rush back to the city...check out the Snack Shack (a.k.a. the Rent an ATV building) first because they do carry enough snacks, drinks, and other things that they may have what you need.
You can also camp out at Red Sands, which is always fun and unique to El Paso because I can't really think of anywhere else that you can actually camp out in a tent in El Paso. Maybe somewhere near Hueco Tanks.
I would've given Red Sands a 5 star rating, but there is one thing. The parking/camping area (really you can park or camp anywhere, but these are where most people convene) tends to get a lot of litter. Don't get me wrong a lot of people are very vigilant with throwing away their own trash and any trash they find, but there are a few jerks out there that don't care. It's not awful, but its worth mentioning. read more