Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve

Trying to get to all the National parks and monuments in Colorado and the Great Sand Dunes National park exceeded expectations. 30 square miles of sand, some of the dunes are over 750 feet tall. Its a quirk of nature that all this sand is trapped in a triangle by the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The water flowing in the rivers/creeks is essential for the sand and sand dunes. It was winter, and so picturesque with the snow capped mountain peaks and all that sand. If you visit here, you had to want to be here, as this park is not near much else. Go up on the dunes-- must experience first hand. Consider a night visit -- dark skies mean magnificent views of our Milky Way.

It was a long drive, but we did this as a day trip. It had been on my list for a long time and I wanted to compare it to the sand dunes along the West coast of Michigan. The visitor center here was really informative and had great souvenirs. Once we got to the parking lot closer to the dunes, their full scale started to sink in. I ran around for like 2.5 hours and made sure to ascend the tallest dune I could (I forget the name off-hand). Climbing the dunes can get challenging with some of the grades. This was not a windy day and it wasn't scorching hot, so those elements didn't impact this hike. People wore all sorts of footwear ranging from Tevas with or without socks to barefoot, hiking boots, sneakers...I think I even saw a pair of Crocs. The sand is inconsistent also: I ran across well-traveled areas and the sand was soft, but on unmolested areas at the top of the dunes it would sometimes be packed hard (maybe I'd leave a half-inch depression walking) and then loose (maybe 5 inches of compression for a step).

We did miss out on renting the sand boards and sleds. Poor research on our end showed the closest places to rent were 30 min away in Alamosa, but it turned out that you could rent them on the road that takes you into the park at what looked like a store/camping grounds on the right. I recommend renting the sleds and also hitting up Zapata Falls on this trip (do the falls after so you can earn that refreshing feeling there).

Welcome to the tallest sand dunes in North America! The tallest dune supposedly reaches almost 750 feet.

For a 7-day pass at Great Sand Dunes National Park near Alamosa, CO, it costs $25 per vehicle.

The sand arrived & still arrives here in a fascinating way -- blowing as tiny grains from a mountain range over 60 miles away with smaller pebbles from yet another nearby mountain range.

There were tons of people from all over the world on 10/8/2023.

I played photographer for a couple different groups. I guess I look approachable. Lol.

My significant other came with us, but it was an old hat for him almost immediately. Alas, he grew up around here. My kids did not nor did they grow up in the desert.

It was an amazing sight to see how high the dunes were.

The runoff from the springs and surrounding mountains was long gone in the fall. At least I never saw any water whatsoever to wade around in... my family has been there in the spring when it was above their knees!

I'll rent some sand boards next time for my girls. We kind of ran out of time for that. Or maybe I'll just bring large cooking pans like they did in the 1940s. Lol.

A nice ranger gave my girls some Junior Ranger booklets per my request. Because he knew I was leaving the state soon, he asked if I'd like to be deputized to give them not just a badge but a patch too.

Nice visitor's center with ample parking. Clean women's restroom with a baby changing station. Clean park over all too. Park rangers were pulling folks over - for what I have no idea.

Pack it in, pack it out - leave no trace so future generations can enjoy this place - and especially all of the beautiful wildlife!

Very cool. Great views. Fun times.
We will for sure be returning when our 1 year old twins will be able to enjoy it more.

What is all that sand doing there? Very suspicious ...

But actually though, the Great Sand Dunes were incredible. Another total knockout on our self-led National Parks tour.

- BRING WATER
- Sand wheelchairs available for those who need them
- Prepare for sand in your shoes ... & everywhere else, also
- Even in January, we broke a major sweat on our hike - dress in layers
- Each peak is deceiving - you may think you're about to finally reach the top, until you're faced with yet another sandy peak

Good luck (:

First review of 2023!

My boyfriend and I spent New Year's Day here! What a great way to start the new year by visiting our first National Park of the Year! In addition to New Year's Day, it was also free to visit! Downside...no one at the visitor center for me to buy my Great Sand Dunes magnet. :(

Our week visiting Colorado was GO GO GO, so our last stop was Great Sand Dunes National Park. And let me tell you, my legs said "no ma'am, we ain't walkin no more".

Imagine being Aladdin and making that trek in the desert getting that damn Genie lamp. You're literally sinking and dragging your feet to get it up. It's no joke. Getting to the hills is a journey in itself.

But hey, the great views kept me going.

You'll even bring a piece of Great Sands home. You'll never get the sand out of your car once you empty out your shoes. It's forever embedded.

The weather was great, the views were immaculate. Check.

What a great national park!!! Definitely must see. We stopped here today and had a wonderful time viewing the dunes with our babies and played in the sand a while. We did not go and wander up the dunes as the stroller would not have made it. Yet all the other visitors that did seemed to have loved the excursion and hiking up the dunes very much. We toured the campground inside the state park as well, and it looked like a wonderful place to spend a few days.

This place is a little out of the way, but totally worth a trip. The dunes look like a painting. We had some storms rolling in while we were there, so we couldn't stay too long, but what we did see was breathtaking.

Definitely not your "typical" national park, but a beautiful and unique one nonetheless. We had no issues getting in and finding the trails. If we had more time, I would have loved to be at the park for sunrise and sunset. It is breathtaking and there's truly nothing like it.

Also-there's a temporary visitors center currently in the parking lot of the permanent visitor's center while it is being remodeled. By the dune parking lot, there are restrooms as well as showers for getting the sand off. Unfortunately, the showers were off for the season, but I assume they will be up in running soon with the warm weather near.

We traveled here in September on our quest to visit all the National Parks. It is a smaller park. Very interesting that the sand is in the huge sand dunes brought in by wind and water and settle at the bottom of the mountains. The visitor center is very nice. They have lots of things to look at and also a very interesting movie to watch and learn about the dunes.