Exploring Great Sand Dunes National Park: Best Tips + Activities

Listen to the Full Podcast Episode:

Podcast Episode Overview

Picture this: you’re standing at the foot of the tallest dunes in North America, a snow-capped mountain towering behind you, and nature singing all around you. If it sounds awe-inspiring, that’s because it is! And it’s exactly why Great Sand Dunes National Park needs to be next on your national park bucket list.

It may not be the country’s most well-known park, but it’s a gem in and of itself! Today, we are exploring Great Sand Dunes and walking you through everything you need to know to plan a perfect day in one of Colorado’s most underrated parks.

In this episode, we cover:

The geography that makes this place so amazing
Where to stay near the park
The quiet little nature trail that will soothe your soul
The full Medano Creek experience, including when to come for “Colorado’s beach” (yes…it is as interesting as it sounds!)
Sand sledding tips (and why it is so much better here than at White Sands)
Everything you need to know about hiking High Dune
Our perfect day at Great Sand Dunes from sunrise to sunset

Your task for today: Have you been to Great Sand Dunes National Park? Tell us your best (or most sand-blasted) memory over on the @DirtInMyShoes Facebook or Instagram pages — and bonus points if you have a video of yourself sand sledding (gracefully…or ungracefully, no shame)!

Planning your own Great Sand Dunes National Park adventure?

5 Things You Can’t Miss On Your First Visit to Great Sand Dunes: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/5-things-cant-miss-first-visit-great-sand-dunes-national-park/
Episode 35: Swimming Holes in the Parks: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/swimming-holes-in-the-parks-olympic-great-sand-dunes-and-dry-tortugas/
Episode 110: Colorado National Parks Road Trip!: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/colorado-national-parks-road-trip/
Master Reservation List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/list/
National Parks Checklist: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/national-parks-checklist/
Trip Packing List: https://www.dirtinmyshoes.com/pack/

Exploring Great Sand Dunes National Park: Prepare To Be Wowed!

If there’s one national park that we’d consider a hidden gem, it’s Great Sand Dunes. You see giant peaks. You see a wide-open valley. You see a massive sea of golden sand piled up against the mountains. You have to pinch yourself to make sure you aren’t dreaming — it’s THAT amazing!

The park itself is small, but don’t let that fool you. There is more than enough to see!

Where to Stay Near Great Sand Dunes

The official gateway town is Alamosa, which has most of the area’s restaurants and amenities. But Alamosa is still a decent drive from the park, and since Great Sand Dunes is smaller, we prefer staying as close to the entrance as possible.

Here are our go-to options:

Piñon Flats Campground (inside the park): The only campground in the park. You can see the dunes from almost every site.
Great Sand Dunes Lodge (just outside the park): It’s really more of a small motel, but the location is unbeatable — you can see the dunes from some of the rooms. This is also where you rent your sand sleds.
The Oasis RV Park: Basic, but again, the location does the heavy lifting. We have pulled our RV in here and been perfectly happy.

Great Sand Dunes Must-See Places

The Dunes are the main event. They’re what everyone comes to the park for. But after making our own family trip here, we recommend adding in a few more sights to maximize your trip!

The Visitor Center

The visitor center is your first real stop after the entrance station, and it is genuinely worth a quick visit. A huge portion of the Great Sand Dunes is wilderness, which means it is undeveloped.

There are almost no amenities once you leave the visitor center, so come prepared with water, snacks, and everything you need for the day. Use the bathroom here, fill up water, and then head in.

Montville Nature Trail

Right past the visitor center, you’ll see the Montville Nature Trail — and almost everyone breezes past it because they are laser-focused on the dunes. But it’s a short, easy hike that takes you up into the mountainside of the park.

If you’re looking for a peaceful break from the crowds, add this one in.

Run the Mosquito Gauntlet First

Heads up: you have to walk through a stretch of bushes between the parking lot and the sand, and during the warmer months, those bushes are full of mosquitoes. Bring bug spray and apply it in the parking lot before you walk out. We’re talking Alaska-level swarms here!

Medano Creek — Colorado’s Beach!

This shallow, braided creek comes down from the mountains, creating a wide, sandy beach with just a couple of inches of water. You can actually hear it surge forward and back about every 20–25 seconds like a tiny ocean!

Medano Creek typically peaks around the end of May, and it’s by far the busiest stretch of the year at the park, but it is so worth it. Bring snacks, bring chairs, eat your lunch by the creek (the sand-in-your-sandwich situation is real if you eat in the dunes), and let the kids play.

Sand Sledding

Would you believe us if we told you the sand sledding here is better than at White Sands? The dunes are taller and steeper, the sleds are sturdier, and you can absolutely fly down. If you have never tried sand sledding before, this is the park to do it in!

Rent your sled or board from the Great Sand Dunes Lodge before you head into the park. Unfortunately, you can’t rent them inside.

Hiking High Dune

High Dune is not technically the tallest dune in the park (that title goes to Star Dune, way out in the dune field), but it is the most popular because you can see it from the parking lot. It is, however, much harder than it looks. Climbing up loose sand is no joke!

A few things to know before you go:

There is no set trail. You just pick a line through the dunes and start climbing. It’s a fully choose-your-own-adventure situation!
Time it carefully. Start early in the morning — like, first-light early — to beat the heat on the sand and the afternoon winds.
Dress for sandblasting. When the wind kicks up, the sand can feel like it is exfoliating every layer of your skin. Bring protective gear like sunglasses and a bandana to cover your face!

Once you reach the top, standing on one of the tallest dunes in North America with the Sangre de Cristos behind you, it’s truly one of those “I am a tiny speck in this enormous world” moments.

Medano Pass Primitive Road and Point of No Return

If you have an extra day and want to explore this section, you can rent a Jeep locally. We don’t recommend driving your own car there – you’re bound to get stuck in the sand!

If you don’t have a 4WD vehicle, you can also hike out to the Point of No Return parking lot for a different perspective of the dunes that most visitors never see.

Zapata Falls (Just Outside the Park)

You’ll see Zapata Falls recommended all over the place as a Great Sand Dunes add-on. It’s lovely — a small waterfall tucked into a slot canyon, with a short and pretty easy hike once you get to the trailhead.

But the road to the trailhead is a bumpy one. It’s worth doing if you have a half day to spare, though we wouldn’t recommend skipping the dunes, Medano Creek, or sand sledding to fit it in.

Our Perfect Day at Great Sand Dunes

Here is exactly how we structure a day at this park when we want to do everything well:

Get up early. Pack your food and water for the whole day — there are no concessions inside the park.
Rent your sand sled at the Great Sand Dunes Lodge on your way in.
Hike High Dune first, while it’s still cool and the winds haven’t picked up.
Sled to your heart’s content.
Spend the afternoon at Medano Creek.
Stay for sunset somewhere in the park — they’re absolutely phenomenal!

If you have an extra day, add in Zapata Falls or the Medano Pass road. But the perfect day above is plenty to fall in love with this park.

Links mentioned in this podcast episode:

While You’re in the Area:

Are you hoping to visit all of the national parks? Sign up for your FREE NATIONAL PARKS CHECKLIST so you can easily see where you’ve been and where you still need to go!

Don’t Miss the Next Episode of the Exploring the National Parks Podcast

Join in the fun every other week! We are always sharing new stories and fun facts about the incredible national parks. Please subscribe on your favorite platform:

If you enjoy the podcast, we would be so grateful if you could leave us a rating or review wherever you listen to the podcast!

Connect with Ash and John

Looking for more podcast episodes? Click here to browse all episodes of the Exploring the National Parks podcast.