The 2nd big holiday weekend of the season, Thanksgiving, is right around the corner. Thanksgiving is usually pretty chill but semi-crowded. It's a weekend (or week for some) to gather with friends and family out in the sandbox and spend time with each other. Most people will deep fry a turkey or make a feast for camp.
A tradition that has been happening for 52 years is taking place again. The annual "waterpumper" hill climbs and drag races will be happening Friday and Saturday. The Dune Masters and Sandpipers clubs will be meeting again for another year! The schedule is as follows...
The following events are only open to members of the club, but you are welcome to watch!
Friday 10AM: Drags on the back stretch of the sand highway heading towards North Pole.
Saturday 10AM: Hill Climbs on the left, steep side of Comp Hill
Calling all sandcars! Come join us at Dumont Dunes for our 9th Annual Buggy Roundup. The Buggy Roundup is an annual Dumont trip when all the sandcar people are invited to come out and camp together as a group. We'll be camped together across from bathroom 10, just off the right side of the entrance road. This trip gives the buggy guys and girls of Dumont a chance to meet each other and run the dunes together for a full weekend without the crowds. So don't be a stranger. Every year we have new people join the camp and end up leaving as friends.
Looking for something fun and educational to get your kids involved? Stop by the Junior Ranger tent on vendor row over Halloween weekend. Heather and a couple junior rangers are there to hand out Jr Ranger activity guides for kids 6-12 yrs old. They have maps of the entire area as well as items that help teach them about staying safe!
Get those toys prepped and ready because Halloween is the official kickoff to the 20-21 dune season and it's right around the corner! Halloween (official) lands on lands on a Sunday, but the Dumont festivities will take place, as usual, on Saturday night of Halloween weekend. Be sure you decorate your camp and have plenty of candy to hand out as trick-or-treaters will show up in their best-dressed costumes. Friends of Dumont Dunes will also be hosting their annual truck or treat at vendor row Saturday night from 6-8 PM.
As far as the rest of the weekend, get geared up to shred dune rides, shoot Comp or Banshee Hill, or swing by the North Pole to see everyone else out and about enjoying the start of dune season. Just keep in mind those razorbacks will be sharp. So do a couple of slow runs before hammering down and going big!
Being a holiday weekend, vendor row will have a little of everything such as Dumont Halloween apparel, flags, food, ice, and firewood. You will need your holiday weekend pass so be sure to grab one at a participating vendor before you get there, otherwise it'll be $40 for a 7-day pass at the entrance pay machine (credit card only).
The most important thing to remember is to stay safe and watch out for each other. Keep your head on a swivel as there are thousands of others out there doing the same thing as you. Brush up on your ways to stay alive. Don't become a statistic. We're not trying to scare you, but the main reasons fatalities or major accidents happen out there are 1) lack of experience, 2) drinking or using drugs while driving or riding, 3) not using safety equipment (belts, harnesses, or wearing a helmet) or 4) making a poor judgment call such as staying on the gas when you can't read the dunes (either midday & super bright when there are no shadows or at night).
Most importantly: have fun, make some epic memories, and share them with the rest of the DDR community on our forum or social media.
The 20/21 dune season has finally come to a close. It was an interesting season for sure with the COVID and all. More so this season than ever were the dunes the perfect escape to normal for many people. It was one of the only outlets for recreation or getting out of the house and not feeling the pressures from the pandemic. No matter what is going on in the world, pandemic or not, Dumont always offers solitude and the perfect setting to turn your brain off. If that's not what your after, it's also the perfect place to party and go nuts with limited impact on others. Regardless of the type of dune trip you are after, I think we can all admit Dumont is great "reset" that all of our brains need from time to time. I hope everyone found that reset on every trip you managed to squeeze in this season. Although the season is over, we all still manage to get out and enjoy some part of the outdoors. So don't be a stranger. Pop in on the forum and let us know what you are up to. We don't shut the site down during the off-season, so please utilize it to keep it alive and fresh. Many people have turned to social media these days and we get it. It's easy and convenient, but please keep in mind we do this for the community and love you guys. Show us some support and we'll see you in the sand in October!
The 20/21 season is slowly coming to a close. Easter Weekend is the last official holiday of the season. It's never a super busy one, but it's a tradition for duners that haven't hung it up yet. Usually the temperatures are tipping into the 90's by this weekend, but the weather has been unseasonably cool this year. It's looking like we'll see low 80's for a daytime high. Daylight savings time has already kicked in so that means an extra hour of daylight to rip around those dunes!
Easter Weekend
no holiday pass is required, but you need at least a non-holiday season or weekly pass
there usually aren't many vendors who show up this late in the season, but keep an eye on the forum.
Drags at 3PM each day on the back stretch
The Barstow BLM, in cooperation with Friends of Dumont Dunes, is hosting the 19th annual Dumont Dunes cleanup on March 13th, 2021.
The cleanup signup starts at 8AM and usually goes until about noon/ 2PM. Get your friends together and bring a hat, gloves, sunscreen, sunglasses and either your OHV or pickup to haul trash to the dumpster that BLM will be providing. Friends of Dumont Dunes will be providing a BBQ lunch for volunteers as well as quickdraw prizes. All volunteers will also get free admission to Dumont Dunes for the weekend (March 12-15) by showing your wristband on the way out.
Together we can keep Dumont clean and a place we are proud to call our 2nd home.
Donations
Jason at Friends of Dumont Dunes is seeking donations to make sure everyone has a great time. Donations can be made one of three ways:
Monetarily- via Paypal, Venmo, Zelle or checks can be mailed to my office as well (contact Jason). These funds will be used to support the costs involved with the BBQ lunch and quickdraw prizes.
https://www.paypal.me/impactsignsonline
https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3012174037385216996
jason@impactsignsonline.com (760)792-0821
Prizes- These can be of anything off-road or camping related! If you own or work for a business and are looking for a way to get some great advertising (and a tax write off!) this is it! I am willing to travel to the Vegas Area to pick up donations should you not be able to make the event but want to help support it.
Plaque sponsor- We have four categories that you can sponsor the winning plaque for $125 each. This gets you extra advertising and your business name engraved on the plaque for all to admire!
Thank you so much for your continued support and I can't wait to see you all on March 13th!!!
- Jason Ardenski, Friends of Dumont Dunes
It's the last big holiday of the season! Although President's Day weekend has long been known for the Jeep Jamboree drags and hill climbs, they will not be holding the races this year. It's unsure at this time if they will even continue due to lack of participants. Many duners look forward to the races every year, but that won't change the Dumont tradition of playing in the sandbox that weekend. You'll still see the crowds of duners, some of your favorite vendors, and action on Comp Hill. Don't forget to swing by the sand highway (between comp and North Pole) at 3PM for the daily drags. It's nothing more than duners lining up and racing, but it's a new trend at Dumont that everyone seems to love. Stay safe and pack out what you pack in. There is no trash collection at Dumont so we must keep our playground clean if we want to enjoy it for years to come.
Over the last two decades, there has been talk of getting some daily drags going at Dumont similar to what Glamis does. For those of you that aren't familiar with the Glamis drags, every day (usually Friday or Saturday late afternoon or just before sunset) hundreds of duners line up to mostly watch, but also participate in a rolling start style drag race near Gecko Road. It's completely informal but the turnout hasn't skipped a beat for decades. There's no flyer. There's no schedule. There's no post on the internet. It's just what happens.
Glamis Drags near Gecko Road
So as of New Years weekend, Dumont has attempted to revive a tradition that has never quite stuck. It's small, but it's a start... or another beginning we might say. Duners who have an itch to line up and give it their all are starting to line up on the back stretch of the sand highway between Comp and the North Pole. So far it's a small turnout, but it has happened more than once and it's been successful. The fastest sandcars, side x sides, bikes, or whatever it is, might be back there ready to claim some bragging rights. The next time you are at Dumont, especially on a holiday weekend, cruise back there to see if it's going on. Line up and hang out. That's what most people do at Dumont lately right? It's has started around 3PM and goes until sun down. Just don't forget to play it safe and be aware of those around you in the dunes. This is a new thing to most duners at Dumont so keep that in mind when reaching fast speeds in an area where there's usually nothing happening. Have fun and be safe.
article feature image/ capture from Lindsay Stewart/ Facebook- Dumont Dune Riders Group
The first holiday weekend of the new year is right around the corner, Martin Luther King Weekend. What better way to start the new year than to get out to the sandbox and enjoy some good ole outdoors? MLK weekend is one of the 5 official holiday weekends when you need a holiday season pass (or buy a $40 holiday weekly pass at the entrance). Even though it is a holiday weekend, it is never super busy and many of us consider this a "duners holiday". Don't expect huge comp hill parties or rookies leaving their trash everywhere, just duners who like to dune!
If you've been keeping an eye on the weather, it looks as though Dumont will already see highs in the 70's for MLK. Get out, be safe, and have some fun!
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