Samalayuca Dunes - Location of The Dune Fields, and The Most Noticeable and Dramatic Portion at Salamayuca Village

Location of The Dune Fields, and The Most Noticeable and Dramatic Portion At Salamayuca Village

The most dramatic portion of the Samalayuca dune fields lie east and west of Mexican Federal Highway 45 and the parallel Mexican Railway in an area 30 to 60 miles south of Juarez. This major north south highway and railroad, between Ciudad Juarez and the city of Chihuahua crosses through this dune area, and low dunes are visible for many kilometers on each side of the highway.

The dramatic high dunes that exist close to the village of Samalayuca may be seen in the distance from Federal Highway 45. These dune fields are formed by the prevailing wind from the northwest dropping sand particles in the lee of the Sierra Salamayuca (Salamayuca Mountains).

Besides the high dunes appearing in the area of the village of Salamayuca, the dune fields lie in several other areas of the Samalayuca desert to the southwest and southeast of Ciudad Juarez. A lesser known part of the Salamayuca dune field extends to the west from Samalayuca into the area southwest from Ciudad Juárez. This area (lying west of Mexico Federal Highway 45) is larger than the more dramatic high dune area near Samalayuca, and comprise the bulk of the Samalayuca desert area. These dune fields extend to the north where they lie across the (now abandoned) right of way of the defunct Mexico North Western Railway (Compañía del Ferrocarril Nor-Oeste de México) and extend into the Chihuahua municipality of Ascension. Smaller dune fields also extends to the east from the town of Salamayuca, into the municipality of Guadalupe.