My wife and I visited Great Sand Dunes National Park in August and we were both captivated by the park’s stunning beauty. We weren’t only in awe of the massive windswept dunes but we enjoyed the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
In this post, I share what we did in the park, where you can stay, where the park is located, and some other activities that you can do while enjoying the beauty that the Grand Sand Dunes National Park has to offer.
Our visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park was part of a larger trip that my wife and I did this past summer. On my blog, you can find posts about 10 hikes to do in Glacier National Park, a 3 day itinerary for Glacier National Park, and a 2 day itinerary for Yellowstone National Park.
Location of the park
Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in southern Colorado on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley. The adjacent national preserve is located in the Sangre de Cristo Range.
It is a 3 hour and 45 minute drive from the Denver International Airport, 2.5 hour drive from Colorado Springs Airport and a 4 hour drive from the Albuquerque Sunport. Alamosa is the largest city closest to the park and is a 30 minute drive to the park.
Places to Stay
There is no lodging inside the park or preserve. A few places to stay near the park include: Great Sand Dunes Lodge, Great Sand Dunes Oasis: Campground, RV Park, Cabins, and Zapata Ranch.
Some area communities where you can stay include: Mosca, Alamosa, Hooper, Monte Vista, San Luis, and Crestone.
Cost to get into the park
It cost $25 to get into the park with a private vehicle and $20 with a motorcycle. If you are visiting 3 or more national parks in a year, it is usually cost effective to get a National Park Pass.
Things to do in the park
There are many different things that you can do while in Great Sand Dunes National Park. You can hike, backpack, sandboard, sand sled, horseback ride, and fish just to name a few of the different things to do in the park. You can get a full list of things to do in the park by clicking here.
If you want an adrenaline rush, you can do an off road tour. A great company that has numerous tours to choose from is the Mountain Masters Off-Road Tours. They are licensed to take you into the park.
What we did in the park
Visitor Center
The first stop that my wife and I made inside the park was to the visitor center. It is only a little over 3 miles from the entrance of the park to the center.
At the visitor center, there are rangers to answer any questions that you may have. There are also restrooms, a bookstore, historical exhibits, a large diorama depicting park and preserve ecosystems, a 3D model of the valley and geology animation, and a 20 minute park video.
There is a nice patio area to the front of the visitor center. It was my favorite part since it had great views of the dunes and the surrounding area.
Hiking
My wife and I wanted to do some hiking that didn’t take place on the dunes. There are a few different trails that you can choose from in the park. We decided to do the Montville Nature Trail and Wellington Ditch Trail.
The Montville Nature Trail is a .5 mile loop trail. It is classified as an easy trail. The trail has a slight incline at the start as you travel through the woods. There is a small wooden bridge that crosses a creek about halfway through the loop.
Shortly after the bridge, you can continue on the Montville Trail or you can turn onto the Wellington Ditch Trail. The Wellington Ditch Trail is a 1.8 mile out and back trail that ends at the Pinon Flats Campground.
The trail is classified as easy and follows along the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos hills. There are prickly pear cactus and yucca along the trail. What I liked best about this trail were the views of the sand dunes.
We didn’t hike all the way to the campground but we turned around and took the Montville trail back down to the parking lot.
Sand Dunes
Obviously, the main attraction in the park is the sand dunes themselves. There is a nice sized parking area that leads to the dunes. It is about a half mile walk from the parking lot out to the dunes.
The dunes are quite impressive to see, with 5 of them reaching over 700 feet high. It feels like one huge sandbox. If you decide to hike on the dunes, there are no official trails to follow, so you’ll be on your own.
The day that we were there was damp and overcast. It wasn’t a great day for people who were trying to sled or sand board. During the summer, the sand can reach temperatures of 150 degrees on clear sunny days.
Tonya and I were in the park for 3 to 4 hours total. We both enjoyed our time in the park and were glad that we got to see more of God’s creation.
Bonus Activity
“Wait, but there is more.” I feel like a guy in a commercial selling something on TV. The more in this case is stopping at Zapata Falls.
Zapata Falls isn’t located inside the Great Sand Dunes National Park but it is a place that I would highly recommend stopping to see. Once you leave the park on CO 150, it’s just over 5 miles to Zapata Falls Road.
After you turn left onto Zapata Falls Road, it is a little over 3.5 miles up to the falls parking lot. The road is paved and has some switchbacks on it. Once in the parking lot, you have a great view back into the park.
The trail from the parking lot leading up to the falls is .8 miles round trip. The trail climbs 193 feet and is classified as moderate. You will want to be careful on the trail since it is very rocky most of the way up to the South Zapata Creek.
Once you get to the creek, you have to wade through rushing cold water to get to the cave to see the falls. I had a pair of Chacos on and I was going to wear them through the water but I took them off and went barefoot. I should have went with my gut and kept them on.
You have to take your time stepping over the rocks. Some are large and some are smaller but if you take your time you can do it. Tonya didn’t go since she had knee replacement surgery 9 weeks before this hike.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was the only one in the cave once I got there. The falls are 30 feet in height and it was cool to see. There is a pool of water that the lower falls empties into. I was going to have to get my shorts totally soaked to get a closer view. Needless to say, I chickened out.
We went to the Zapata Falls in August but another great time to come see the falls is during the winter time. During the winter, the falls freeze over and so you get a totally different experience when you are there.
Final Thoughts
Great Sand Dunes National Park was well worth the time to visit the park. The park has many different things that you can do while there. The dunes are just so impressive to see and experience. It is different from any other national park I have been to.
Adding a stop to Zapata Falls before or after visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park is something you won’t regret. The combination of both things makes for a great day.
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