According to old timers, Barking Sands is so named because when you walk or slide down the hot sand, it makes a sound that literally barks back at you.  One can also access Polihale State Park by driving on... Kaumuali'i Highway (Highway 50) past Kekaha plantation town and the Navy's Barking Sands Missile Range.  After the highway ends, you'll have to drive carefully down a dirt road through cane fields to find the public access.