Home to mountains, prairie, creeks and North America’s biggest sand dunes, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an outdoor playground for kids and adults alike.
Approaching through the San Luis Valley, you might at first think that the rolling sand dunes set against the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains are some kind of fata morgana.
The opposite, however, is true. This landscape of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, however surreal it may look, is very much real.
Blown up and trapped against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Range, these are North America’s tallest sand dunes. They’re the centerpiece, focal point and namesake of Great Sand Dunes National Park and its adjacent Preserve.
Although its name doesn’t give it away, Great Sand Dunes National Park is actually surprisingly diverse. It’s much more than just vast sand dunes.
There are no fewer than seven different life zones in the park, from wetlands and grasslands to salt plains, dunes, subalpine forests and alpine tundra. Each zone has its own specific fauna and flora, which, considering the park’s relatively small size, makes this a hugely biodiverse place.
If you’re both patient and lucky, you might spot American white pelicans, American beavers or American black bears. Other iconic animals include bobcats, peregrine falcons and the endemic Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle.
When you visit Great Sand Dunes, you’ll notice this incredible variety in habitats and ecosystems yourself. The best example is Medano Creek, which flows from the mountains around the sand dunes.
You have to wade through its shallow water to get to the dunes, giving you a first-hand experience of the collaboration between sand and water in this fascinating American national park.
As diverse as the wildlife and scenery is in Great Sand Dunes National Park, it’s still mainly about the dunes themselves.
Interestingly, these iconic hills of sand make up only 11% of a vast deposit of sand to the east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This enormous sand sheet covers 330 square miles (855 km²).
Over time, these sand dunes grew higher and higher still. Now, they’re the tallest in North America, the highest dune—called Star Dune— reaching a height of 750 feet (229 meters).
As winds blow sand grains up against the mountains, Medano and Sand creeks, the two streams that envelope the dune field, transport them back down. They literally recycle the sand.
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Highlights of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Spending 24 hours at Great Sand Dunes is plenty of time to experience the park’s essence.
Because the nights are typically clear and dark in the park, you’re absolutely encouraged to spend the night as well. Night hiking in the dunes, or stargazing from your campsite, is amazing.
During the day, visitors can enjoy hiking, sand sledding or sand boarding.
- Hikes to Star Dune and/or High Dune
- Sand sledding or boarding
- Medano Creek
- Spectacular night sky
Accommodation Near Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
This is a pretty remote park and the nearest town is Alamosa, situated 33 miles to the southwest of the park.
There’s one seasonal campground in the park, but no other accommodation. If you’d like to stay in a motel or hotel, check out nearby towns like Alamosa.
Booking.comDenver, the capital of Colorado and home to the nearest international airport, is 240 miles to the north. Please be aware that public transportation in and out of the park is nonexistent and, therefore, you’ll need your own vehicle.
Useful Info
Location: Southern Colorado
Nearest Town: Alamosa
Area: 232.9 square miles (149,028 acres)
Annual Visitors (2022): 493,428
Features: Sand dunes, wetlands and creeks, grasslands, forest and mountains, wildlife
Top Attractions: Medano Creek, High and Star Dunes, Zapata Falls (just south of the park boundary)
Popular Activities: Hiking, sand boarding and sledding, (backcountry) camping, 4-wheel driving, stargazing, mountain biking
Suggested Stay: 1 day / 1 night
Campground: Piñon Flats Campground (88 sites)
More Information: National Park Service
Nearby National Parks:
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado
- Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
- Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
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