Great Sand Dunes National Park

Colorado may be better known for the rugged Rocky Mountains to the west or the vast plains on the east side of the state. But just outside of Alamosa Colorado to the south is Great Sand Dunes National Park and home to the largest sand dunes in North America. It’s a majestic area and vast ecosystem with a very interesting history of how all of this was formed. Throw in a waterfall, 4-wheel drive road and a sand beach with crashing waves (really) and you won’t believe you’re in Colorado.

The sand dunes, which continue to evolve today, were formed by wind and water. Over the past 440,000 years sand and pebbles moved from both the San Juan Mountains and Sangre de Cristo Mountains with the help of a huge lake that once covered the area. As the lake diminished due to natural climate change, the winds continue to move the sand, creating North America’s tallest dunes.

There’s plenty to do in this somewhat remote area of south-central Colorado, but the main attraction is hiking and sledding the dunes. The park is quite small so there’s no problem getting around. Although there are other more remote access points to the dunes, most enter from the main dunes parking area just down from the Visitor Center. From there it’s your open playground to explore! There are no real marked trails per say but certainly named dunes that you can explore such as High Dune and Hidden Dune, the tallest.

If you haven’t hiked dunes before consider this. It’s extremely hard work trekking through deep sand up steep grades. In the summer months the sand can get extremely hot. And since there are no marked trails you can easily get lost, venturing further into the dune fields. With all that said, if you plan accordingly, this can be a very enjoyable and unique experience. Since we were there in mid October the temperatures were perfect. I hiked up to High Dunes on First Ridge making a big loop. It was a lot of work going up and a lot of fun coming down. From the top the views were amazing and I could see Hidden Dune in the distance. I had enough sense (and dwindling stamina) to not venture any further.

Although I didn’t try sandboarding there were several others doing so. The sledding and sandboarding on the lower part of the dunes looked pretty kid friendly but on the upper more steep areas it looked extremely gnarly. I saw a group of older teens probably going a little faster than they were anticipating.

If hiking through the sand isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy the dunes and the surrounding area. Some simply walk on the flat sand area that leads to the base of the dunes and enjoy the scenery from there. Since the dunes are all wide open you can see them from everywhere including from the back of the Visitor Center.

Photo: Estes Park Trail Gazette

Now you’re probably wondering about this sand beach I mentioned in the intro and thinking this is a bunch of hogwash I used as blog bait to get you to read further. Well, yes and no. It actually is for real and, well the rest worked if you’ve made it to this point. Typically from April to June Medano Creek forms at the base of the dunes as a result of snowmelt from the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The water rushes downhill until it reaches the dunes and during the peak flow in late May to early June the annual “surge flow” occurs. This surge flow, a rare global phenomenon, occurs when underwater sand ridges build up and break down quickly, causing miniature waves. This makes it great for consistent, low-key bodysurfing and tubing, all with a mountainous backdrop. However, in wet years, waves can surge up to a foot high transforming these sand dunes into a beach-like experience.

Another unique Great Sand Dunes experience combining water with a unique hike is Zapata Falls. The trailhead to this short hike is on the other side of the park from the dunes up a steep side road. After approximately one half mile on a rocky trail you reach a small river, this is where things get interesting. To get to the falls you will need to walk upstream through the river a short distance. Water sandals or hiking shoes you don’t mind getting wet will be required for this. If you can handle the freezing water, which was around calf deep on this mid-October day, you will come to the falls around a bend within the small canyon. It’s a beautiful little spot and a really cool experience but probably too treacherous in the spring, so consider the conditions before embarking on this adventure.

For off-road enthusiasts Medano Pass Primitive Road provides a great experience. This 22 mile road goes from the national park to the Wet Mountain Valley and Colorado State Highway 69. It can be driven from either direction (we started at Highway 69 and worked our way back to the park) and climbs up to 10,040 feet to Medano Pass. There are nine small river crossings and beautiful terrain along the entire way. The most challenging part is within the national park where you can encounter deep sand so airing down your tires is a must. We didn’t find the sand to be overly challenging but conditions can change from day to day. Making this a large loop, combining Highways 160 and 69 allows for some additional scenery along the paved roads.

Great Sand Dunes is a small but enjoyable national park that can be fully explored in just a couple of days. But, there are many other things to do in the general Alamosa area. A great place to explore these other opportunities is at the Alamosa Colorado Welcome Center. We received some great tips on other off-road trails, restaurants and other activities. Four adventures in particular include:

The town of Alamosa

Alamosa is a fun little town with several shops, restaurants, bars and Milagros Coffee House which we visited several times.

Colorado Gators Reptile Park

Stock photo

This park boast having hundreds of rescued reptiles including albino alligators. Visitors have the opportunity to pet and hold a small alligator. We didn’t make it to the park but understand it is a fun experience.

Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge

A place for wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers to go and catch a glimpse of migratory birds and animals that thrive in the San Luis valley. There’s a scenic drive that encircles the area along with some short hiking trails. It was an enjoyable visit but the wrong time of year for bird watching.

UFO Watchtower

This tops our list of quirky roadside attractions. Allegedly, this location has hosted numerous UFO sightings over the years. Along with the “watchtower” the grounds contain all kinds of quirky artifacts, many of which have been left by visitors. We had no extraterrestrial encounters during our visit.

We stayed at Base Camp Family Campground, a nice basic campground located between Alamosa and the National Park which was perfect for our visit. The dark skies allowed a great viewing opportunity of the ATLAS comet over the sand dunes. Winter was quickly approaching and painted the otherwise green and brown mountains to peaks of white glistening snow during our week-long visit. It was a very enjoyable visit but time to move on.

Check out all of our pictures from Great Sand Dunes National Park and the surrounding area.