Getting There
Great Sand Dunes National Park is in the middle of nowhere. If you’re going here, it can be a 2-day trip or weekend that you’ll have to dedicate to it. When I visited we came from Buena Vista and when we left Great Sand Dunes we headed to Colorado Springs.
You can see the dunes from far away as you approach and they look like they’re just part of the mountains! This landscape is such a strange phenomenon.
Day 1 Visiting the Park
Plan to arrive to Great Sand Dunes NP in early or mid-afternoon. Snag a spot in the BLM campground on your way in. The spots fill up, so it’s a good idea to spend some time securing a spot for the night before it gets too late!
Check out the visitor center to get a map and some water.
Hike the Mosca Pass trail out-and-back. This will take a few hours, but is nicely shaded and a great contrast to the dunes.
The ranger told us to go directly to this trail when we arrived on a September afternoon. The dunes get very hot as soon as the sun comes up. This trail was largely in the woods along a creek and then ended in a beautiful fielded mountain top.
After you’re done hiking, head back to the campground and enjoy the sunset over the desert. Make sure you find a spot to camp earlier in the day as the campgrounds outside of the park fill up fast. And like I said, it’s in the middle of nowhere! You don’t want to be stuck without a spot!
Day 2 Visiting the Park
Wake up before sunrise to drive back to the park! Park in the parking lot by the dunes and make your way out. We didn’t hike up the tallest peak, but hiked a bit to the right up some of the taller dunes and then headed back down when the sun was up and it began to get hot!
The beginning of the hike is intimidating and frustrating walking through the flat sand. It’s all worth it to see the shadows and sun coming over the dunes once you’re higher up!
It was some of the most stunning scenery I’ve ever seen!
That’s it! I had some great French toast at the Oasis on the way out! The Oasis rents sand boards for the day that you can use to slide down the dunes. I wanted to try that, but they’re only open during the day and sliding down the dunes would’ve been super hot! If you go earlier in the spring or summer, I’m sure it would be worth it!
