A state park crosses into Winkler County

The county line disappears beneath the dunes. Monahans Sandhills State Park covers 4,717 acres in both Ward and Winkler counties. Its entrance is near Monahans, but part of the park lies across the line in Winkler County. No marked trails cross the dune field; people are free to choose their own route.

The park opened in 1957 on land leased from Ward County, the Sealy-Smith Foundation, and the Williams family of Monahans. Its human story reaches much farther back. People were present here as far back as 12,000 years ago. Apache and Comanche groups later used the area for temporary camps and meetings, with game, fresh water beneath the sand, acorns, and mesquite beans nearby.

The dunes shift with the wind, but this was never empty ground. Water and food beneath and around the sand made it a stopping place long before it became a state park.