On a recent road trip to Ft. Davis I made an unplanned stop off at Monahans Sandhills State Park. This was my second road trip out west and I'd never heard of Monahans and it's only 15 minutes from Odessa, Texas, a major city in that area. The point is if you didn't know about Monahans you'd surely pass it by and that would be a shame.

Monahans is a truly unique environment, beautiful in its' starkness. It's also just plain fun to go slipping and sliding on the sand dunes. You'd never guess from the highway that the park consists of over 3,000 acres of sand dunes. Or that it's home to deer, coyote, bob cat, possum and other wild life. You can camp, ride horses and sand tobbogan.

The best time to see the wildlife in this desert  environment is sunrise or sunset at one of the park viewing stations. Sunrise or sunset is also prime time to enjoy the beautiful light and capture some great photographs.
I would go so far as to say Monahans Sandhills State Park is a must on any west Texas itinerary.

A fun and magical place for the whole family, I plan another stop on my next road trip "way out west."

Penny Sadler is the Style/Travel Editor for Wandering Educators. For more information on traveling in style, please see www.pennysadler.com

Photo courtesy and copyright Penny Sadler