Mariah Adventures

By Mariah Cannon

Save

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a relatively small park in terms of area to explore, but it is so much fun and super stunning! A true must visit if you’re in the great state of Colorado. It will make you say “wow” about 50 times… Give or take.

It was established as a National Park and Preserve fairly recently compared to most parks, in 2004. However it had been a National Monument before then since 1932. It was one of five out of the ninety that applied to get Monument status in 1932, that’s pretty neat!

Where is Great Sand Dunes?

The Great Sand Dunes National Park is kind of out by its lonesome, in South-Central Colorado. The nearest towns are:

• Alamosa, CO – 37 miles
• Del Norte, CO – 66 miles
• Colorado Springs, CO – 167 miles
• Albuquerque, NM – 246 miles

Getting Around the Park

As I mentioned above, the park is relatively small and easy to navigate. It is out in the middle of Colorado. I highly recommend driving/road-tripping through the area to make this stop on your bucket list travels. Getting a rental car is the easiest if you’re flying into any of these nearby airports:

• San Luis Valley Regional Airport – 40 miles away
• Colorado Springs Airport – 110 miles away
• Denver International Airport – 130 miles away

Hiking in the Park

Save

There aren’t a ton of large options within the park as far as hiking goes, the majority of them are Dune hikes, so I’m going to include some trails that surround the park in case you’re wanting to get some additional trails in!

• The High Dune Loop is a moderately rated 2.8 mile loop that takes you to the parks “high point” A.K.A the tallest dune in the park. It gains just over 603 feet and offers sweeping views of the dunes, surrounding valley, and southern most Rocky Mountains.
• Montville Nature Trail is a half mile trail that winds through the canyon and aspen trees and offers incredible views and a good family friendly, easier trail.
• Getting out of the actual dunes, and going somewhere to look over them all, is the Dunes Overlook Trail. This trail starts from the Pinyon Flats Campground and is 2.7 miles round-trip and gains 473 feet.
• If you’re looking for something a little more challenging with some more mileage, the Mosca Pass Trail is a 6.2 mile trail with a 1,407 feet elevation gain.
• Across the way from the sand dunes themselves, the Wellington Ditch Trail is a 2.3 mile trail that takes you through the a desert like scene. If you visit in the Spring/early Summer, you’ll find wildflowers amongst the trail.
• Moving farther outside of the park, Zapata Falls was one of my favorite trails in all of Colorado and it’s under a mile round-trip! You walk up some large rive rocks to a beautiful creek and bench area, from the bench you actually trek through the creek. I visited in late May of 2023 and the water was frigid, but ultimately so worth it. The waterfall was still half frozen, making for a unique experience. During the Winter months, it is typically completely frozen and you can use Microspikes to hike on top of it.

Other Things to do Within the Park

Great Sand Dunes are blast for many reasons, here are some of the best ways to really explore the park.

• Sand-boarding is something everyone who visits Great Sand Dunes needs to experience at least once! The feeling of flying down the sand dunes is unmatched! The park visitor center does not offer rentals for sand-boarding. However, 4 miles outside of the park is the Great Dunes Oasis store and they’ve got a little bit of everything you might need for your adventures in the park! They’re open 7 days a week, 9am-4pm.
• Looking for a scenic and adventurous drive? A popular thing to do in the park, is drive the Medano Pass Primitive Road – a 20 mile point to point road that is recommended for 4WD high clearance vehicles only.
• Backpacking is an option in this park, mainly on the Sand Ramp Trail – a 6.7 mile trail where you’ll find quite a few campsites throughout the holler. This trail is beautiful all around and isn’t necessarily a “end point” backpacking trip. It’s a great one for a first trip or an ease back into backpacking season!
• Explore the night sky and star gaze. This area has very little light pollution, dryer air, and offers stunning night time views! If you’re into Astro photography, you must visit this park to capture some incredible shots!

Save

Enjoy this Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park? Be sure to save it for future travels!

Let’s get adventuring!

Mariah