Dumont Dune Riders

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.

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. Don't forget to show your patriotism!

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

This year's Halloween Trunk or Treat, presented by the Friends of Dumont Dunes, will take place at the south end of Vendor Row on Saturday, October 31, 2020 from 6 to 8pm. Arrive at 5pm to setup your OHV and get the best parking spot. Everyone is encouraged to come in a costume and to decorate their ride. Bring extra candy to hand out as well as a bucket or bag for the kid's to trick-or-treat with. Social distancing is extremely important so please abide by the CDC guidelines so the event and DUMONT doesn't get closed down. A note from FoDD... Friends of Dumont Dunes is always thankful for your donations that allow them to put these events on. Please take a moment to contribute anything you can via the PayPal link below. Thank you for your support! Jason Ardenski - President Friends of Dumont Dunes https://www.paypal.me/impactsignsonline https://www.facebook.com/groups/dumontduneriders

On March 12th, 2019, President Trump signed a bill that protects OHV users and ensures that Johnson Valley, Spangler Hills, El Mirage, Rasor, Dumont Dunes, and Stoddard Valley OHV areas can not be shut down by a future administration. This is great news for every OHV user of Dumont, especially those younger and future generations. "The California Desert Protection and Recreation Act is the culmination of over five years of work in Congress by Rep. Cook, as well as over a decade of work by supporters on the ground. This landmark legislation creates the first national system of Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation areas and designates or expands six Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Recreation Areas in the California desert. These are Johnson Valley, Spangler Hills, El Mirage, Rasor, Dumont Dunes, and Stoddard Valley. " Read More Source: https://cook.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/president-trump-signs-rep-cooks-public-lands-legislation

Friday morning update: chilly and cloudy. There's some W with high gusts. Here it comes. It's supposed to calm down later after about 6pm. Friday morning views from @goon_rider_69 Camp area from @bstecki 👍

President's weekend is starting out a bit wet, but the weekend should be nice. Current weather update and forecast: ☔Thursday: Dumont received some overnight rainfall & "W" last night and drizzle much into Thursday. There are flash flood warnings in effect so expect more rain and W. 🌬️Friday: There is no rain predicted but there will definitely be some W most of the day 10-30 mph. High of 62°! ☀️Saturday and 🌞Sunday: no rain and no W. Highs in the 50's and overnight lows in the upper 30's. The weekend is looking sunny and beautiful. Thursday afternoon entrance road & river crossing (submitted by Scott Mazick) Sand conditions submitted by @bs247365 via IG "Had rain last night. Sand is wet and hard. Going to make for some fast riding this weekend. .....that’s what she said. 😄😄 I know it was coming from someone. 😂 "

Dumont was empty this weekend. The only visitors were a few duners and a little bit of rain.

Windy last night but it has calmed down today some. Submitted via @dreaminlow54

Update: Due to the government shutdown, the 4 Stroke Wars & Banshee Wars have been cancelled. There isn't enough BLM staff to oversee the event. Test n Tune: Friday Jan 18th 4 Stroke Wars: Saturday, Jan 19th, 10 AM at Banshee HIll

According to a CHP news release, around 1:00 AM on Tuesday morning, two men from Sacramento were traveling up a dune south of Banshee Hill when the vehicle "rapidly approached the top of the sand dune and became airborne. When the Polaris landed on the back side of the sand dune, it began to overturn." The driver, 44 years old, was air-lifted with neck injuries while the passenger, a 40-year-old, was pronounced deceased at the scene. CHP believes alcohol was involved and the incident is under investigation. A second RZR accident resulted in another fatality late Wed night/ early Thursday morning...

The dunes have a crusty top layer from some recent rain. Camp is empty of course and the sun is shining!

For years, Dumont Dunes has had little to no cell reception. The closest cell tower is 10 miles away at Ibex Pass, which is not capable of handling the crowds that Dumont sees on a busy holiday weekend. The tower gets overloaded and even if you have full bars, your call most likely won't go through. On the non-holiday weekends, you can get decent service, but you have to be in just the right spot and have Verizon. If you have AT&T, the top of Comp Hill sometimes works. If you have any other service, you can't even make a call. This poses a serious problem for emergency situations. If someone needs help, the amount of time it takes to drive down to where there is good service may mean the difference between life or death. Well, all of that is going to change for the users and emergency personnel of Dumont. On September 5th, Katrina Symons, the Barstow BLM Field Office manager, signed the approval of a proposal that has been in the works for the last 6 years for the construction of a cellular tower to be constructed out at Dumont. We were thrilled when The Friends of Dumont Dunes had this exciting news to share today. Tom Gammon, Founder/President of InterConnect Towers, confirmed the project's approval and also stated that this is the largest and most complex cellular tower he has ever seen in his career! It will be located between the Southern point of the dunes Southeast of the Area of Critical Environmental Concern. It will be a shared AT&T and Verizon tower holding a complex network of SIXTEEN antennas! With an overall height of 195', it will provide much-needed coverage for the highway corridor along with the Dumont Dunes OHV recreation area for visitor entertainment and will be crucial to public safety. Groundbreaking starts in only 10 days and the project is scheduled to be completed by November 20th of this year. Many thanks to the Barstow BLM for getting this approved! Follow construction updates here,

Halloween Weekend kicks off the 18/19 dune season at Dumont Dunes. With the cooler fall weather arriving, thousands of duners will be heading out to the dunes to celebrate the first big holiday weekend on Oct 27/28th. Trick-Or-Treating Although Halloween is officially Oct 31st (Wednesday), trick or treating is a Saturday night tradition at Dumont. So be prepared with a bucket of candy to hand out to the little duners and get into the Halloween spirit with your costumes and decorations. It's probably one of the most festive weekends of the season. The last two years have been some of the biggest turnouts in years. With all the extra excitement it's easy to get carried away out there so don't forget about the 15mph camp speed limit and general rules of Dumont. Look out for each other, keep your head on a swivel, and practice safe duning! We want everyone to have a fun weekend out there without anyone getting hurt. Trunk or Treat Friends of Dumont Dunes plans on doing their Truck or Treat again. Stay tuned for more details as it gets closer! Light up the Halloween Spirit Whether you are partying at comp hill, trick-or-treating from camp to camp, or cruising down vendor row or through the dunes, it's always fun to light up your ride! 1) LED whips are a must have these days! 2) You can use battery-powered lights to decorate your UTV, buggy or ATV. Go with orange, purple, or both! 3) Hang some Halloween colored lights on your RV or toyhauler. Season and Weekly Halloween passes If you plan on visiting Dumont any time between Oct 23 thru Oct 29th, you will need a holiday pass. 1. You can purchase a season pass with holidays ($120) or a weekly holiday pass ($40) good for the Halloween weekend dates from a participating off-site vendor. See a full list of vendors on our passes page. 2. You can also purchase a weekly pass from the self-serve machine at the Dumont entrance. Join the Halloween Discussion Share your Camp Coordinates with Your Friends Find where you'll be camped on the map and send this map with the coordinates to your friends so it's easier to find each other when headed out.

2018/2019 Dumont Dunes season passes are available through the BLM. To order a season pass from the BLM, call and order by phone 760-252-6000 or in person at BLM Barstow Field Office, 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311 Passes will also be available through participating businesses. Call for availability. A complete business list is on the Dumont passes page. prices $90 for a season pass with holiday black-out dates $120 for a season pass that includes holidays A Holiday Pass Is Required on These Dates Oct 23 thru Oct 29, 2018 (Halloween) Nov 20 thru Nov 26, 2018 (Thanksgiving) Dec 25, 2018, thru Dec 31, 2018 (President's Day) Jan 15 thru Jan 21, 2019 (New Years)