One Day at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado

As you know, we’re on a mission to explore all the National Parks, and hiking through these natural wonders is a top priority on our bucket list. On our recent Colorado trip, we couldn’t pass up the chance to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park.

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Read all about the hikes that we’ve conquered!

Table of Contents

Getting Started at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado

Great Sand Dunes is located in Mosca, Colorado. We stayed in Colorado Springs (visit Garden of the Gods!) and it was about 3 hours away. The roads were a bit snowy from the day before, so our driving time was a bit longer.

Tip: If you’d like to be closer to the park, the town of Alamosa has a few hotels.

Before entering, don’t forget to snap a photo with the park sign!

Shortly after the sign is the gate. Admission is $25 per vehicle, but if you plan to visit multiple National Parks, consider the America the Beautiful Pass for $80—it covers entry to all National Parks for a year.

ACQUAINT YOURSELF AT THE VISITORS CENTER

As with all National Parks, I think it’s best to start at the Visitor Center. After paying your entrance fee, stop at the Visitor Center located to your left. Stop by and view the exhibits and/or stop by the gift shop. While here make sure to go ahead and get a Junior Ranger Booklet. Feel free to work on it before or after your dune hike, then stop by again to turn it in.

Tip: Don’t forget to get your National Park Passport Book stamped here and be sure to use the bathrooms!

Head up the Dunes

After stopping at the Visitor Center, we made our way to the Dunes Parking Area where the real adventure began! One of the best things about Great Sand Dunes National Park is that once you step onto the sand, it’s truly a choose your own adventure experience.

With such gusty winds (ranger guessed it was about 40 mph), I made sure everyone had gaiters and eye protection. Note to self: bring ski goggles next time! Although our outfits helped immensely but we still had sand in our mouths and eyes!

Since the sand was a little wet, it actually made walking up the dunes a little bit easier. We tried to go as far as we could, but the wind was fierce and hard to see as we got higher. Towards the end of our dune climb, snow was coming down again. It was definitely quite an adventure!

We had hoped to rent sandboards and sleds, but due to wet conditions from the day before, it wasn’t ideal for sliding. Instead, we took the ranger’s advice and hiked up one of the towering ridgelines—and wow, the views were worth every sandy step – even with the gusty winds.

More time? What we would do.

Had we had more time to explore these are things we would have done:

Hike the Zapata Falls trail
Go on the trail behind the Visitor Center
Hike up to the second tallest or tallest dune

Tips to Enjoy Great Sand Dunes National Park

Have protection for your eyes. We had sunglasses but I wish we had ski goggles or something similar.
Use a gaiter to cover your mouth.
Grab food beforehand or pack a lunch. The Oasis just outside the park does have food.
Chat with the ranger about the dune conditions. We asked about sledding and he definitely recommended NOT to do it because of the wet sand.
Lodging is not available in the park
Love reading? This National Park Mystery series is fantastic and this one in particular focuses on Great Sand Dunes!