Year Established: 1932
Annual Visitors: 602,600
Size: 149,137 Acres
State: Colorado
Best Time to Visit Great Sand Dunes National Park
March to May, September to November
Check out other national parks in Colorado:
If you are planning to visit more national parks, check out our complete list of all US National Parks here.
Best Experiences in Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Dunes Overlook
- High Dune
- Star Dune
- Head out at night to stargaze
- Go Sand Surfing!
- Visit the seasonal stream at Medano Creek
There are a great deal of activities to choose from at the Great Sand Dunes. Consider riding fat bikes, which are bicycles that have broad tires, or saddle up and go horseback riding instead. Or renting a four-wheel drive car and driving the 22-mile Medano Pass Road, which features nine creek crossings and brings you across sand for one-fourth of the journey.
Take a hike on one of the woodland or alpine paths if you’d prefer not use any of the other modes of transportation available. Or you could just go camping and gaze up at the stars in the Great Sand Dunes, which offer an ideal viewing environment for this activity.
A Brief History
The dune field is like a giant sandbox. It covers 30 square miles, and the tallest dune is 750 feet tall. You won’t be able to stop yourself from sledding down the sand and jumping into the soft sand tracks left by those who came before you.
Aside from the dunes, there are places to picnic, hike, and camp, take a scenic drive, horseback-ride, and a couple of 14,000- and 13,000-foot peaks to climb (Crestone Needle, Crestone Peak, Cleveland Peak and Mount Herard).
The park’s high elevation (8,200 feet) and remote area make it a great spot for stargazers. From May to September, the park even has special astronomy programs on many evenings.
About Great Sand Dunes National Park
The Great Sand Dunes look like a huge, wavy sandbox in the middle of forests, lakes, grasslands, and wetlands. Their size and beauty will blow you away. In south-central Colorado, they cover a large area, and the tallest one, Star Dune, is an amazing 230 meters (750 feet) high. The wind patterns in San Luis Valley created the dunes. You can have a lot of fun sand boarding, sledding, or just walking up and down the dunes, leaving footprints for other people to follow.
If you go at dusk, you can also watch the sun go down over the Rocky Mountains and see the sand turn a beautiful golden color. If you spend some time at the visitor center, you can get great views of the dunes and learn more about them, including through a 20-minute film. Once you get to the dunes, you’re on your own. You could try to climb to the top of Star Dune, though. It will take about 5 hours, but every step will be worth it.
Medano Creek
Medano Creek is a popular seasonal stream that may or may not be available during your visit to the Great Sand Dunes. At its peak between April and June, melting snow from the mountains fills the stream with water and forms rhythmic waves along the sand- a rare, natural phenomena called surge flow. When this happens, the region suddenly bursts into life. People go to it with picnics, while children take to the water on inflatables and skimboards. It’s suddenly transformed into Colorado’s version of a beach.
Great Sand Dunes RV Camping
If you are looking for nearby RV camping options consider checking out our other post:
Visitor Information
Fees
Individuals 15 years old and younger are admitted free of charge.
Weekly Park Passes
$15.00 per person
$25.00 per vehicle
$20.00 per motorcycle
All passes are valid for up to 7 days.
Annual Park Passes
Great Sand Dunes Annual Pass – $45
Contacting Great Sand Dunes National Park
Visitor Centers
Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center
The visitor center is relatively small, but has a park store with information about the park. Equally, park rangers are on hand to help you plan your hikes and answer your questions. You will also find bathrooms and drinking water at this location.
Address
11999 CO-150,
Mosca, CO 81146
Phone Number
(719) 378-6395
Hours of Operation
- Sunday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
- Monday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
- Tuesday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
- Wednesday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
- Thursday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
- Friday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
- Saturday 9:00 AM–4:30 PM
Be sure to check for seasonal closures.