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| The
Trip:
Dennis and his company specialize in safe, environmentally conscious, and fun ATV tours of some of the attractions of the Logandale trails. The “Quads” or ATVs that he has us riding are easy to operate automatics. And though we have the chance to test our driving skills on a few rocky sections as which some sandy, undulating moguls, for the most part we are able to concentrate more on the scenery than on our machines. We have the opportunity to see an incredible panel of Anasazi petroglyphs before Dennis guides us a a hill that gives us a few of three different states — Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.
Just east of the interstate and north of Nellis Air Force Base is the parking area for the recreation area where we meet Gary and Sallie Clinard, the founders of the Dunes and Trails ATV Club. Both on their own and members of the ATV club, they’ve explored countless miles of Nevada off-road. This time, the ATVs are very different vehicles from those we used in Logandale. We are on Banshees with two-strokes engine and paddle tires that are truly built for sandy fun. The manual transmissions require us to shift gears as we drive, which means as novice ATV-ers we’ll have to concentrate a little more on the logistics of driving. The dried, sandy washes and small dunes of the Las Vegas Dunes Recreation Area are good places to speed up and practice changing gears. Gary leads us to what looks like a racecourse consisting of a series of S turns. Gary really turns it on around these corners.
By the time the day draws to a close, we’ve had an afternoon’s practice on the Banshees and our off-road driving skills much improved. As we head back to the staging area, we’re grateful to Gary and Sallie for showing us the dunes and a lot of fun. We make the short drive into Las Vegas for the night, ready for a rest and knowing the second day of the trip promises more adventure. To reach Big Dune from Las Vegas, we take Highway 95 north. About 60 miles outside Las Vegas, however, is an area of unique interest. It is the community of Mecury, the main base camp for the Nevada Test Site. The test site encompasses approximately 1,375 square miles, making this one of the largest restricted access areas in the United States. Visitors are only permitted by prior arrangement. The U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office provides free general interest tours on a monthly basis. (Click HERE for more information.) Back on Highway 95, the dunes are only 40 more miles away. We turn left on Valleyview Road and a couple of posts with yellow flags signal the way to the Big Dune. The road gets sandy fairly quickly, so you may need to park and walk before the sand becomes too much. Nick Lancaster of the Desert Research Institute is one of the world’s leading dune experts and we are fortunate enough to have him join us at Big Dune. He’s spent years in Africa studying and teaching in the Kalahari Desert, Malawi, Johannesburg and Namibia before coming to Nevada. As we begin climbing the dune we soon realize that it’s quite a hike! Because of the slipping sand it feels like we’re barely moving forward with each step. After a while, though, our progress becomes obvious. Big Dune is located in the Amargosa Desert, and the elevation of the dune crest above surrounding terrain is approximately 300 feet. Like most sand dunes, Big Dune’s formation and very existence is a fascinating natural phenomenon. There is a complex set of geological factors involved in its formation and wind-driven existence. Big Dune is a special type of dune that is characterized as “singing dune” because of its acoustical properties. As
we end the trip, we are a bit sandy but thrilled to have the chance
to hear the song of a sand dune. We can’t thank Nick enough for
sharing his knowledge with us. Thanks to the advisors and contributors of Wild Nevada Program #203:
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We
turn left on Liston Road and a few hundred yards later we meet Dennis
Freeman, who is the General Manager of Logandale’s 
After
such an incredible adventure it is hard to believe there’s more,
but after catching our breathe we are off to the Las Vegas Dunes Recreation
Area for a slightly different sort of ATV ride. From Logandale, we drive
back to Moapa Valley Boulevard and continue north to Interstate Fifteen.
From there we head south for about 30 miles until the Apex exit. 
Riding
this area is a lot of fun, but we’re lucky to be able to play
on the sand at all. At one time there were many dunes in the Las Vegas
Valley, but with development over the years, most of them are gone.
Fortunately, Las Vegas Dunes Recreational Area has been put aside for
just this sort of fun, and it remains as a popular spot for locals to
bring their dirt bikes, quads, and dune buggies.