What To Do When You Arrive
It's a little off the beaten path to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. A popular destination for over 300,000 visitors annually, Great Sand Dunes features a diversity of resources and something of interest for all ages. Explore desert to forest to tundra, an unusual combination of landscapes found within a single National Park Service unit.
If You Only Have Time for a Short Visit
If you have only a very short time to enjoy the park, try to take in the contrast between wind-swept dunes and craggy Rocky Mountains. Make your first stop the Visitor Center: watch the 20 minute film and take a peek at the exhibits. Then head into the dunes. Watch for animal and insect tracks in the sand. Is Medano Creek flowing? If you see water on the surface, moisture levels have been average or high in the preceding months.
More options for a quick visit
- Attend a terrace talk or nature walk during summer months; check the interpretive schedule at the Visitor Center for times. All interpretive programs are free and open to everyone-please join us!
- Explore Medano Creek, flowing at the base of the dunes. During dry years, the creek disappears. In years of adequate snow and rainfall, the creek flows in spring and early summer. Observe the creek closely. Do you see anything unusual? Medano Creek exhibits a phenomenon called "surge flow." Its surges may remind you of waves at a beach. Each time a surge occurs, a mound of sand (which had temporarily dammed some of the water in the creek bed), collapses. If you'd like more information on surge flow, ask for a handout at the Visitor Center. If you have youngsters in your group, you may have a difficult time prying them out of the creek and the wet sand. We encourage you to spend time with them building sand castles, flying a kite, or sliding down the dunes. When you're ready to call it quits find the footwash just outside the rest room building in the dunes parking area. Your pets are welcome to play with you-but please keep them leashed at all times, and clean up after them!
- Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy awesome views of the dunes from the picnic area. You may have magpies scavenging around you, large black and white birds, iridescent in hues of green or purple in the sunlight. Remember, keep wildlife wild! Never feed the birds or animals, no matter how persuasive they are.
- Hike the Montville Nature Trail, a ½ mile jaunt beginning at the Mosca Pass Trailhead Parking Area. Take along a trail guide and learn a little natural and human history of the area. The trail gets its name from a late 1800s settlement at the foot of nearby Mosca Pass, consisting of 20 houses in its heyday.
If you have half a day
- Spend a little more time exploring the dunes, and watch for the interactions of sand, wind, water, and animals. Climb the "High" Dune, the prominent dune visible from the Visitor Center. Though it is neither the highest in elevation above sea level, nor the tallest from top to bottom, it appears that way from the main visitor area. Elevation gain to the top is 650 feet. There are no trails to the summit; begin at the base and zigzag up the dune ridge lines. From High Dune are splendid views only motivated hikers are privileged to see. Another skyrising dune can be seen to the southwest: the spectacular Star Dune which rises 750 feet. Star dunes have three or more arms and are created by complex wind patterns. Star dunes are also very photogenic, so make sure you take your camera.
- Wildlife watching is a popular past time at Great Sand Dunes. During the day, watch for coyotes, mule deer, pronghorn, ground squirrels, and chipmunks. At night, wander the dunes in search of giant sand treader camel crickets or kangaroo rats. In fall, winter, and spring, also watch for elk along the entrance road. Remember, everything at Great Sand Dunes is protected, so please do your part to keep wildlife wild--observe wildlife only from a distance, and never feed wild animals!
- Consider a walk on the dunes around sunset; what better way to watch the closing of the day than from a dune ridge line? Moonlight walks on the dunes can be enchanting, and the night sky may amaze you with its brilliance! No need to worry about poisonous snakes and scorpions-they are not found in these high-elevation dunes. However, be sure you stay oriented and can find your way back to your vehicle when you're ready. Save some time for quiet contemplation. You may find the dunes to be a place where you can set aside the challenges of everyday life, a place where uninterrupted solitude can be found.
- For a walk with great views but more solid footing, walk the Sand Ramp Trail beginning in the campground near the second bathroom in Loop 2. Hike north to Point of No Return. Along the trail are majestic views of the dunes. Take a short spur trail to the Dunes Overlook. The openness of the landscape provides excellent views in all directions.
- Hike the Mosca Pass trail, which winds up Mosca Canyon and the national preserve. Summertime wildflowers are abundant in moist areas along Mosca Creek. Mosca Canyon also is a favorite area for birders. In the lower reaches of the canyon you'll find pinyon, juniper, cottonwood, and aspen trees thriving. Higher up grow spruce and fir groves. Watch for bristlecone and limber pines as well. The top of the pass reveals views into the Wet Mountain Valley on the east side. The elevation at the top of the pass is 9,413 feet. Experienced hikers, consider a bushwhack to the top of Carbonate Peak, south of Mosca Pass.
- On a hot summer day, hiking to nearby Zapata Falls can be a "chilling" experience, but is not for anyone unsteady on their feet. The trailhead is located outside the park on highway 150. From the Visitor Center, drive south about 8 miles, then turn left (east) onto a gravel road. Drive about 3.5 miles to the trailhead. To view the falls, hike about 1 mile, crossing the creek, climbing a short ladder, and traversing the stream into a cavern where the falls cascade onto a ledge. Be careful! In winter, the falls freeze, creating an icy sculpture capturing the motion of the falling water. Watch for slippery trail conditions in winter.
Driving Options and Driving Tours
- If you have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, consider the primitive road to Medano Pass, 11 miles from the Visitor Center. For non-hikers, this is the best way to access the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve. The drive is most spectacular during fall when the aspens paint the mountainsides with gold, but is lovely any time of year. The Medano Pass Road is most difficult on the west side (dunes side) where the sand entraps a vehicle on occasion. Use 4-wheel drive 'low' and keep steady pressure on the gas pedal to avoid bogging down in sandy areas; vehicles must have high clearance to maneuver this road. This route is not recommended for small sport utility vehicles (e.g., Subaru Forester or Outback, Toyota Rav-4, etc.). Creek crossings can be hazardous in spring, and the road is closed by winter conditions from approximately December through April. Elevation at the Pass is 10,000 feet above sea level. Don't expect to be anywhere fast; driving is generally in the 5-10 mph range.
- If you don't have access to 4-wheel drive, consider an outing with our concessioner, The Oasis, which offers a 4-wheel drive tour. Tours are available during the summer months only; call 719-378-2222 for more information.
If you have a day or more
- Camp in the Piñon Flats Campground, and attend a summer evening program at the amphitheater. Rangers offer slide shows most evenings from Memorial Day to Labor Day, weather permitting.
- Camp overnight in the dunes. In most cities, the night sky appears faded due to city lights. The remote dunes lend themselves to panoramic views of the heavens. Immerse yourself for the night surrounded by swirls of sand. Watch for shooting stars. Listen to the amazing quiet. Be aware, this is a hike often described as a "grunt"-it takes effort and a wilderness permit (which you can obtain for free at the Visitor Center) to reach a sandy wilderness destination, but it's a worthwhile experience to discover the reality of a night surrounded by sand. Listen for the howl of the coyote and the whisper (or gale!) of the wind.
- Backpack to a forested site near the dunes. Distances to these sites range from 0.5 miles to 10.5 miles. Free permits available at the Visitor Center.
- Day hike or backpack to other areas in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness in the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve east of the dunes. There are miles of trails to explore within the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area. Glacier-carved peaks towering over alpine meadows and sub-alpine forests make this a dramatic landscape, but this remote area requires extra preparedness and caution on your part. Topographical maps are a must for hikers in this area!
Consider these longer hikes:
- Lower and Upper Sand Creek Lakes. Begin this moderately strenuous hike at the Music Pass Trailhead, located in the San Isabel National Forest. From Westcliffe, Colorado take state highway 69, then turn east on country road 115. Follow the 'Music Pass Trailhead' signs about 10 miles to the lower trailhead parking. If you're driving a two wheel drive vehicles, park here. Drivers of 4WD vehicles can continue another 2.7 miles to the upper trailhead parking area. From there, it's a 1.5 mile uphill hike to Music Pass, where you'll gain tremendous views of Tijeras Peak (elev. 13,604') and Music Mountain (elev. 13,355') and enter the national preserve. Hike east into the Sand Creek drainage to explore Lower Sand Creek Lake (3 miles), Upper Sand Creek Lake (4 miles), and Little Sand Creek Lake (8 miles). Please, follow Leave No Trace camping principles and protect this awesome valley.
- The Medano Lake Trail, leaving from just east of Medano Pass. Accessing this trailhead requires a 4 WD vehicle with good clearance--see the description of the road above. The moderately strenuous 4 mile (one way) hike leads to Medano Lake, sitting just above 11,000' in a cirque below Mount Herard.
Nearby Wetland Bird Watching and Boating
- Nearby San Luis Lakes State Park and Wildlife Area is a good place to observe migratory waterfowl and a variety of wetland species. According to legend, the Sangre de Cristo mountains were named at San Luis Lakes by a Spanish priest wounded in battle. At sunset he lay dying on a raft in the middle of San Luis Lake, and the mountains were bathed in crimson light. The priest exclaimed, "Sangre de Cristo!" (Blood of Christ), allegedly naming the mountain range.
- Visit the Alamosa or Monte Vista Wildlife Refuges. In spring and fall, sandhill cranes migrate through the San Luis Valley by the thousands; you may see a rare whooping crane mingled with flocks of sandhills. The Crane Festival is held each March in Monte Vista with bus tours offered through the refuge. There is a visitor center at the Alamosa refuge (closed weekends) and a self-guiding auto tour at the Monte Vista refuge.
Other attractions in the San Luis Valley
What else? You could: Ride the Cumbres-Toltec Narrow Gauge Railroad. Tour the Alligator Farm. Swim or soak in thermal-fed hot pools. Visit the Jack Dempsey museum or Pike's Stockade or any number of museums in the San Luis Valley. We hope you'll find enough to learn, see, and do that you'll visit your national Park and Preserve again and again!
