[3] Little Sahara was founded in the early 1950s as a city park by Grace Ward Smith, head of Alva's Chamber of Commerce.

Smith named the park to lure visitors, hired locals to guide and act as outlaws, and in 1958 purchased a pair of camels.

That spring, a local auto dealer rode the dunes in a "makeshift steampunk vehicle with wide rims and balloon tires, topped by hay-rake wheels serving as roll bars."

The park offers over 1600 acres of rideable sand dunes ranging in height from 25 feet (7.6 m) to 75 ft (23 m).

[2] Vehicles allowed include motorcycles, dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs and SXS, SUVs and Jeeps.