Is Great Sand Dunes National Park Worth It?

Why Great Sand Dunes National Park is Worth It

The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is worth a trip simply for the site of the tallest sand dunes in North America. With the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, it is a beautiful national park and packed with adventures. I can confidently say that the 4+ hour drive from Denver to Great Sand Dunes National Park is worth it.

Getting Into The Park

We purchased an annual National Parks Pass for $80 because we knew we would be visiting multiple parks within the year. We highly recommend doing this versus paying entrance fees because a private vehicle pass for the Sand Dunes is $25 alone. One benefit if you don’t have an annual pass is that the private vehicle pass is valid for 7 days.

The National Park Service is a great resource and provides all the information you need to know when planning your trip.

Hiking

Activities in the Great Sand Dunes National Park include hiking, sandboarding, and camping. Hiking in the sand is an intense but rewarding workout, and a trip to High Dune is an average 2 hours round trip. High Dune looks to be the highest point of the dunes from the parking lot, but that is actually Star Dune which takes an average of 6 hours round trip to hike. If you want to learn more about other dunes and where to hike, you can find great descriptions of all of these here.

Average hiking times may vary depending on your acclimation to high altitude. If you’ve never hiked at altitude, know that it’s no joke! Check out A Guide to Your First 14er for tips on how to acclimate to higher altitudes.

Sandboarding

We rented sandboards at the Great Sand Dunes Oasis Gas Station at 5400 CO-150, Mosca, CO 81146. You can’t miss it off to your right while heading towards the dunes. The toughest part about sandboarding is there are no chair lifts! You have to hike up each dune you want to board down, but it’s well worth it.

The sandboards we received didn’t slide well, but they worked briefly with a lot of wax. We still recommend renting a board and giving it a shot. Stopping to catch your breath allows you to take in the amazing landscapes around you.

Camping

Camping is available in and near Grand Sand Dunes National Park, and at San Luis State Wildlife Area where we stayed for one night. Pinon Flats Campground is inside the park and is open April through October. We recommend San Luis State WIldlife Area if you have a campervan or RV. Camping is free but a valid hunting or fishing license is required for everyone 18 or older accessing the area. I happened to have a fishing license at the time, but Evelyn did not. A park ranger allowed us to purchase a 1-day license (≅$18 for a nonresident) online for Evelyn so we could stay the night.

We noticed a couple boondocking areas near the park as well. Boondocker’s Bible has a list of 5 sites to choose from. All of the sites are great because of the unique views of this area.

Medano Creek

If none of the activities above are your thing, there is still Medano Creek and sightseeing of the dunes, surrounding mountains, and San Luis Valley. Medano Creek is a seasonal stream that flows at the base of the dunes. The stream typically flows from late April through late June. If you’re able to visit while it’s flowing, it’s a refreshing experience.

Visitors can do any non-motorized activities in the creek, including surfing, wading, skimboarding, and sand sculpting. Only have one day to visit the sand dunes? That’s plenty of time – read on to hear about how we still had a great visit in just one day.

What You Can Do In A Day

Evelyn and I were able to wake up early from our campsite at San Luis State Wildlife Area, a 15-20 minute drive from the Dunes. We made a stop at the Great Sand Dunes Oasis Gas Station to rent the sandboards I mentioned earlier. Campendium has a great overview and more pictures of the area we camped at overnight.

The park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but the visitor center hours vary. We parked in the main parking lot, close to Medano Creek, which was dry because we were there in September. We recommend leaving your shoes on while walking across the creek bed until you reach the base of the dunes if you’re there when it’s dry. We hiked and sandboarded for a couple hours.. We also made plenty sure to have water and snacks since it would have been a long walk/hike back to the parking lot if we needed anything!

By the time we got back to our van we were ready for a late lunch, and to return the sandboards. There are many more things you could accomplish in one day, but this is what we did and had a blast! Lastly, let’s talk about what you should wear.

What To Wear

It all depends on what time of the year you visit. The first thing to know is that the location of the sand dunes is a high elevation desert at about 7,694 ft (2,345 m). The climate can be sunny, snowy, hot, or cold based on what season it is. This will dictate what you need to wear. Evelyn and I were there in September, and the weather was perfect.

During the summer months, the sand is hot! It can be tough to walk on with bare feet, and your footwear should be a priority. During the winter, people enjoy sledding and cross-country skiing on the dunes. These are the two extremes when it comes to weather at Great Sand Dunes National Park.

I wore basketball shorts, a t-shirt, a hat, and sneakers. Evelyn wore bike shorts, a lightweight tank, a bandana, and sandals. When the wind kicks up the sand stings hitting your bare skin, but we were lucky it was a calm day. Sunglasses and sunscreen were also a necessity the day we were there.