Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is in Southern Colorado. It's about a 4 hour drive from Denver and 3 ½ hours from Aspen, so tourists and out-of-staters often miss seeing it. Which is such a shame, because it's gorgeous! Especially at sunset (peep the pics below below).

Visitors that do come, usually think that all there is to see are the dunes. But this park has so much more to offer! Yes, the sand dunes — which are the tallest in North America! — are the main attraction. But there are also conifer and aspen-filled mountains, hiking trails to alpine lakes, and excellent night sky and nocturnal wildlife-viewing. Not to mention you can go sand boarding or sand sledding, horseback riding, and 4 x 4ing!

My boyfriend is (or was, if you're reading this after November 2019) a seasonal park ranger at Great Sand Dunes for 2 seasons in a row. I got to visit him here for 10 days in September 2018 and 5 days in July 2019. If you're just visiting the park as a "normal" visitor, 1-3 days is perfect.

I hope these photos and tips from my time visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park will inspire a fun trip for you!

Best Time To Go

As I said above, I visited this park for 10 days in the middle of September and 5 days in the middle of July. Fall is definitely the best time to go! The weather is pretty mild — there were a lot of Indian summer days, where mornings and evenings were cooled down, and afternoons were warm 70's. It's also less crowded than in the summer, and you'll see some fall foliage from the aspen trees in the mountain range.

Summer can bring weather in the 70's to low 90's, but the sand on the dunes can reach over 150º F! It cools down a lot at night due to the parks elevation, so you should still dress in layers and bring a cozy blanket or sweater. July and August typically bring afternoon thunderstorms, so a light rain jacket would also be good to pack. When I went in July, the Medano Creek was running so the park was packed with locals and tourists, playing in the water. It also brought a TON of mosquitos out.

Spring brings higher winds and sporadic weather. There may be snow and wind chill, or it may be sunny and warm! Medano Creek is usually flowing in late spring, and many visitors like to splash around in the creek on those warmer days.

Visiting Great Sand Dunes in the winter is cold. Temperatures range from the teens to the 30's, and nightfall temps are around -15º F. The dunes do look really pretty with all the snow on them though! And there are tons of hot springs around the park as well!

Best Activities For Day-Trippers

Sand Boarding & Sand Sledding

This is the #1 activity in the park! You can rent a sand board or sand sled from 3 different locations. The Oasis Store is the closest rental shop, just outside the park entrance. You can rent here for $20/day from April through October. You can also rent from Sand Dunes Recreation Swimming Pool ($19/day, 30 mins away) or from Kristi Mountain Sports in Alamosa ($18/day, 40 mins away).

You'll get a puck of special wax when renting, to rub along the bottom of your board. This is the key to actually moving and sliding down the dunes! When my boyfriend was on patrol in the park one day, he found a sand sled on the side of the road and grabbed it to return it. But first, we had to test it out, right?! So we hiked all the way up to the top of the tallest dune to sled down. And as soon as we tried to ride it, we didn't move at all! Throwback to our disappointing volcano boarding experience in Nicaragua.

Some sand boarders saw our struggle and waxed the bottom of our sled for us, and then we went flying down...but the wax didn't last very long so it was kind of an epic fail. You shouldn't have this problem if you actually rent a board the right way (hehe).

Hiking

If you're eager, try hiking Star Dune, the tallest at around 750 feet high, or High Dune, the second tallest. For a much easier and shorter hike, walk along the Sand Sheet Loop Trail at the Visitor's Center, or take the easy path from this trail toward the dunes to the picnic area and dunes parking lot.

A good forested hike is the Mosca Pass Trail. It runs along a small creek through evergreens and aspen groves. It's 3½ miles one way, so allow about 2-3 hours each way, depending on your skill level. For alpine lake hikes, Medano Lake and Music Pass to Sand Creek Lakes are popular trails. These hikes will take longer and are more strenuous. Read more about hiking opportunities here.

Medano Pass Road and 4x4-ing

If you've got a 4WD vehicle, you can drive down the one-way Medano Pass Road! This road is bumpy and has some shallow water crossings you'll have to drive through, so use caution! If you pop a tire or get stuck, it's a real pain in the booty to get help. Cell service is touch-and-go and not many tow trucks can or will drive here to get you — IF one does, you can expect to pay a lot of money!

That aside, my boyfriend drove this road in his park vehicle all the time, so he knew it well. We took our new truck down this pass when I came to visit and it was SO pretty with all the fall foliage! We saw a ton of mule deer and a beaver, and he's seen bighorn sheep here as well. His coworker was also run into by a black bear here. Yes, run into. So there's that.

Don't have a 4WD vehicle? Rent a jeep or leave the driving up to someone else by going on a tour through Pathfinders 4x4! They're the only authorized 4WD outfitter in the park.

Horseback Riding

Most of the national park and all of the national preserve is open for horseback riding and pack animal use. For closed sections of the park and more information, refer to this page. If you don't have your own horses, the only other way to horseback ride in the park is to stay at the historic Zapata Ranch. Zapata Partners is the only licensed horseback ride provider here, and tours are only available to overnight guests on an all-inclusive stay at the Ranch.

Nighttime Activities

This park is excellent for night sky photography and nocturnal wildlife viewing! Plan your visit for star constellation views on a moonless night, or wander the dunes in search of animals during a full moon. You can find camel crickets, kangaroo rats, salamanders, toads, coyotes, bobcats, and owls. You can also join a summer night program with a ranger!

Zapata Falls

Off of Highway 150, just south of the park, is Zapata Falls. The quick hike to the waterfall is easy, although driving the road up to the falls parking lot is bumpy and rocky. You'll have to hop from rock to rock in the creek to get close to the falls to view it, as it's tucked away behind a rock wall. Bring shoes with traction that you don't mind getting wet.

Best Lodging Options

Budget & Mid-Range

Most overnight park visitors are tent or RV campers. Piñon Flats Campground is on-site and open from April to October. You can reserve individual tent sites for $20/night or a large group tent site for between $65-80/night. Some RV and trailer sites are also in this area, and a camp store and restrooms are available. Pets are welcome as long as they are leashed. Also note that black bears are potential visitors, so make sure you're storing your food and supplies in the bear-proof lockers! Zapata Falls Campground is just outside of the park and open year round on a first come first serve basis. It's $11/night and more primitive with pit toilets and no water.

For a more unique camping experience, check out the UFO Watchtower and Campground 32 miles west of the parks visitor center. This primitive campground is on the desert valley floor, next to a watchtower and a store that promotes alien encounters! It's also open year round.

Not camping? Stay in the nearby Great Sand Dunes Lodge, a modern motel with a pool. Current room rates for 2018 are between $130-200. Another midrange option (although about 30 minutes from the park) is at the Sand Dunes Recreation Swimming Pool. Not only are the hot springs here, but they have cabin rentals for $70-80/night, or a family of 10+ people can book the Hooper Hacienda for $399 for 2 nights. The Hacienda has a minimum stay of 2 nights and has 4 bedrooms and many amenities. (Camping and RV sites are also available here at the hot springs).

Luxury & All Inclusive

The rustic but elegant and historic Zapata Ranch is the best luxury and all-inclusive lodging option for park access. Pricing and packages start at around $1,530/person for 3 nights — but all of your meals are included, as well as activities and programming. These activities include horseback riding, bison and cattle herding, hikes and nature walks, birding tours, and more! Additional costs come in if you want to add activities like fly fishing, photography tours, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, and massage or wellness services.

Other Tips

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is working to improve its accessibility. Because of this, you can freely loan an adult or a child's sand wheelchair at the Visitor's Center!

This park may have high winds, lightning storms, and hot summer sand. Pack warm clothing and wear closed toed shoes on the dunes on hot summer days. The park is around 8700 feet in elevation, and some people can experience mild altitude sickness. The park is also in bear and mountain lion territory, so store your camp food in bear-proof containers and ask a ranger about recent lion sightings (although really rare).

And since my boyfriend's park ranger position is in law enforcement, I feel I should also mention a few things that most park visitors are not aware of (and often get fined for)!

Drones are not allowed in any National Park and the fine is hefty. You won't get away with a simple "Oh, I didn't know." As a drone pilot, you're responsible to do your research on any regulations and restrictions for where you're flying. Not sure what the rules are for your destination? Check this website or this one!

Also, although Colorado has a major reputation for legalizing recreational weed, it's still illegal to smoke it or have in your possession on federal lands. So don't bring pot into the park!

On a more exciting note, my last tip is to check out the hot springs that are just outside of the park! The closest one is the Sand Dunes Recreation Swimming Pool, about 30 minutes away. If you're 21+ years old, pay the extra $5/person to access the adults-only Greenhouse! There's a steel box bar and sauna inside, tons of plants, and 4 different hot pools/tubs. The regular swimming area has a large outdoor pool, a smaller one, and one for kids/babies.

Plan the rest of your visit here!

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