The dunes are just the beginning of what’s so great about Great Sand Dunes National Park
Eve Chen
This isn’t the Sahara or Gobi Desert.
This is Colorado.
Specifically Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, home of the tallest dunes in North America.
“We just had one of our scientists do some measurements, and Hidden Dune is the tallest dune at 742 feet,” Great Sand Dunes Superintendent Andrea Compton told USA TODAY. “It actually grew a foot from last year!”
Visitors could spend a whole day – and night – exploring the dunes, but there’s so much more to see across the park and preserve’s roughly 150,000 acres. Here’s what travelers should know about Great Sand Dunes, the latest national park in USA TODAY’s yearlong series.
When were the Great Sand Dunes established?
The dunes are believed to be remnants of a massive lake, Laka Alamosa, that dried up roughly 440,000 years ago, according to the park’s website. Over time, the park says wind, water and sediment shaped the dunes visitors see today, which continue to change.
“One of the things I like is watching the changing characteristics of the dunes, and we have a lot of photographers that come in and look at that,” Compton said.
The dunes themselves first became protected as a national monument in 1932 and later a national park and preserve in 2004.
What makes the Great Sand Dunes special?
The tallest dunes on the continent are a marvel in their own right, but Compton said, “From the highest alpine down all the way in elevation, below the dunes, to kind of prehistoric lake beds (there’s) a phenomenal range of habitats and environments that people are not always aware of.”
There are also wetlands, grasslands, forests and tundra, according to the park. Compton noted the park and preserve encompass a full watershed. When possible, she recommends hiking up toward Great Sand Dunes’ alpine lakes and ridgelines to take in the views and simply enjoy the silence.
“If visitors just take the time and listen, you realize in general what a lack of kind of people-created noise is present,” she said. “There are these moments of wonderful quiet. That's pretty rare.”
Is there water at the sand dunes?
Alpine lakes aren’t the only bodies of water at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Come spring, Compton said visitors begin asking if Medano Creek is flowing.
“For most of the year that is underground, but during certain periods of time, especially as snow is melting or with rainstorms, Medano Creek comes above the ground,” Compton explained.
From sometime in April until early June, the creek becomes what some call Colorado’s beach.
“The water is pretty shallow but … kids can drift down it a little bit,” Compton said.
Can you sled down a sand dune?
Yes. Sand sledding and sandboarding are both popular activities at Great Sand Dunes, though visitors have to rent the specially designed boards and sleds at shops outside of the parks.
“Regular snow sleds are not slippery enough,” Compton said. “Garbage bags are not slippery enough.”
How much time should you spend at Great Sand Dunes?
Compton suggests visitors plan for one to two days in the parks, three if camping and more if they want to go backpacking.
Visitors who spend the night in the International Dark Sky Park are in for a treat. Each night, the sky puts on a spectacular show and when the moon is full, visitors can walk along the dunes by moonlight.
“It’s just so bright,” Compton said, adding that the next full moon will be on Oct. 28.
What is the best time to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park?
“Anytime!” Compton said. She noted most visitors in spring, summer and fall, but winter has its own rewards. “The dunes covered in snow, that is a beautiful scene.”
Reservations are not required to visit the park, but there is an entry fee of $25 for private vehicles.
Visitors should know that even though the park is open all year, the visitor’s center closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day, and the campground is closed Nov. 1 through March 31.
What city is closest to Great Sand Dunes?
“Our nearest biggest town is Alamosa, Colorado, and there are some flights that go into Alamosa. That’s definitely the closest, but is a very small airport,” Compton said. “The next biggest airport is Colorado Springs, and then of course Denver.”
Colorado Springs Airport is about two and a half hours away by car. Denver International Airport is roughly four hours away.
“Beautiful country along the way, but a bit longer of a drive,” Compton said.
Are there any animals in Great Sand Dunes National Park?
“Right now we're seeing a lot of migrating birds and specifically the Sandhill Cranes are starting to go south again, so that's a special thing to see,” Compton said. The majestic cranes are widely associated with the area.
A wide range of mammals also live in Great Sand Dunes, including American pika, kangaroo rats, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, black bears, elk and Abert’s squirrels, which the park says are “are jokingly referred to as ‘scrabbits’ because of their rabbit-like ears.”
Additionally, the park and preserve have several endemic insect species not found anywhere else, like the Great Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle.
Who are the Native people of the Great Sand Dunes?
Eighteen Native tribes have historic ties to the land, which the park says the Navajo (Diné) call Tsé-whíz-hosh, meaning “sand comes back down on you.”
- Hopi
- Jicarilla Apache
- Navajo (Dine')
- Ohkay Owingeh
- Pueblo of Acoma
- Pueblo of Isleta
- Pueblo of Jemez
- Pueblo of Picuris
- Pueblo of Pojoaque
- Pueblo of San Ildefonso
- Pueblo of Santa Ana
- Santa Clara Pueblo
- Taos Pueblo
- Pueblo of Zia
- Southern Ute
- Ute Tribe of the Uinta and Ouray Reservation
- Ute Mountain Ute
- Zuni
During the summer, Great Sand Dunes hosts cultural demonstrations with various tribal members. The park also partners with tribal groups who may want to gather traditional ingredients at the park for ceremonial ceremonies and other purposes.
“We absolutely partner with them on that ongoing use because we learn also, as we go along,” Compton said. “We learn and benefit from that partnership.”