Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Bring your sled, beach chairs and shade umbrella to explore the tallest sand dunes in North America near Alamosa, Colorado.
Break out the beach chairs and settle into white sands.
Bring your sled and your beach umbrella to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve 37 miles from Alamosa, Colo, and explore the tallest sand dunes in North America.
Hike the striking High Dune on First Ridge, a 2-hour, 2.5-mile round trip walk up 699 feet of sand to the top. Then sled down with a sand sled rented at Kristi Mountain Sports in Alamosa for extreme speed. Or beach it along Medano Creek, which flows April through June. Having water is critical to cooling down, so track the current and forecast flow at nps.gov/grsa.
With so much fun to be had, don’t leave your common sense behind. The sand’s surface can reach 150F mid-day in summer, which may be hard to conceive of when it’s cooler in the morning. Wear closed-toe shoes and avoid lightning strikes by getting out early in the morning. Blowing sand can be an extremely painful hazard if the wind picks up, so dress in layers. Lastly, the park’s elevation ranges from 7,515 to 13,604. Drink a lot of water.
From Alamosa, take either U.S. Highway 160 east and State Highway 150 north, or State Highway 17 north and County Lane 6 east from Mosca. Great Sand Dunes National Park officials urge visitors to rely on Colorado printed maps rather than computer mapping programs as travelers have ended up trying to drive on hiking paths or stranded at remote trailheads.
Great Sand Dunes National Park by the Numbers
| 149,137 | acres |
| 8,200 | foot-elevation of the dune fields |
| 7 | summits of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains streatch over 13,000 feet. |
| 5 billion | cubic meters of sand |
| 750 | foot Star Dune is the tallest sand dune in North America. |
| 40 | mile-per-hour winds are not uncommon. |
| 150 | degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature the sand can reach on a summer day. |
Source: National Park Service
Pets in Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is one of only a few national parks that permits pets in many areas. Pets are permitted in most commonly used areas of the park and all of the preserve. Download the Great Sand Dunes Pet Guide.
Medano Creek
Medano Creek flows from the mountains and around the dunes. This fascinating creek is one of two waters in the world that “surge.” Due to the sand features, it comes down in waves, sometimes big enough to surf on! The creek flows from April through May depending on seasonal precipitation.
Slip Face Dune
The “slip face” dune is the steepest dune in North America. At nearly 500 feet of vertical fun, sand boarders come from around the world to hit the sand slopes. Six species of insects at the national park are found nowhere else on earth, and other wildlife abounds.
Birders can spend weeks at the dunes and still not track down all of the species found there.
A Really, Really Quiet Place
A study recently found that the park, since it is so remote, is one of the darkest and quietest places on earth! That makes the park an excellent place for stargazing … and UFO sightings! (Nearby attractions include a UFO Watchtower and Colorado Gators Reptile Park.)
For more information:
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
www.nps.gov/Grsa/
Colorado Visitors Center
(800) 258-7597
610 State Ave, Alamosa, Colorado
alamosa.org
San Luis Valley
sanluisvalley.org