Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

One of the must visit places with great view… 1. The sand dunes are huge and surrounded by mountains almost all the sides. It’s a great view for taking a lot of pictures. 2. You can do hikes on sand dunes which is not dangerous but lot of effort to take the peak but absolutely worth it because of the best Mountain View’s from the top of the peaks. 3. You can do camping here as well. 4. IMPORTANT: There will be a river/water flow of ankle length only once a year due to melting ice on the mountain which goes on the side of these sand dunes. It’s absolutely amazing to spend time here during that time. You can play in the water, do camping in the water as well (the water level changes based on ice melting, so be careful). We went around June first week to experience it. Plan during this time and you will have wonderful experience. 5. You can bring food and play tools like volleyball which is also good if you have lot of friends or family members as large group. 6. Check weather before you go.

I spent an afternoon here with my kitty! I got there too late to rent a board so we just walked around the dunes a bit and I did a hike on the other side of the road, which was a very different perspective of the park. I definitely recommend it! I was there in mid-October and the fall colors were beautiful, which I wasn’t expecting!

An amazing National Park with plenty to see and do for the avid outdoorsman or woman. Traversing the dunes was a little difficult if you find yourself in some of the softer sands. We made a habit of trying to find some compacted sand to work with and even that’s not a guarantee to find. Be sure to bring some water and plan to have sand everywhere. 😂 Overall, worth the time to visit.

The day we passed through and made a quick stop here, was unfortunately quite windy with rain blowing off and on horizontally. We did visit the visitor center which is definitely worth it, but otherwise was not able to do much other than view mostly from our truck windows. We had hoped to picnic there for lunch as they had many places to choose from, and the views would have been great. Lots of trails to hike as well, but again, it was just nasty out. We only saw 2 people venture out of their vehicle to trek out to the dunes themselves. A reason for a return visit, I guess!

Such a cool, unique place! The dunes and surrounding mountains are truly a sight to see. Everywhere you turn is picture worthy. We visited in the beginning of June and the weather/temperature were perfect. The main parking area fills up fast, so it’s a good idea to get there early. You will need to cross over water to get to the dunes – I recommend bringing waterproof footwear or just taking your shoes off for that part. Depending on the season, it can be a little difficult. Definitely pack a towel to dry off. A lot of people actually come here just to hang out in the “river” area. Hiking up the dunes is not easy and can be very steep, but you certainly get some rewarding views. There’s no set paths here, just roam around and witness the beauty! I also recommend renting a sandboard for some extra fun. FYI, you have to rent them outside of the park.

Quite possibly the coolest place in Colorado! I took my dogs there on Christmas morning and there was nobody else there for nearly 3 hours. It took roughly 2 hours to get to the High Dune. The almost-4 hour drive from Denver is worth it to see this beautiful preserve.

This park is great. Visitors center has a fairly big gift shop, movie, and some other information about the land, history, and wildlife. Trails can be tough but views are incredible. Went once in April and it was pretty dead. Went again in October and it was busy but not crazy. It's prettier in October but I enjoyed our April visit more because it was basically just us out there.

Very cool to see the largest sand dunes in the United States. If you have time, go to the top of the dunes on a cool day. The sand can get very hot. Great views from the top. Also, if you can go at night, you will see the Milky Way and many stars.