SnapshotPlanning Your VisitWhen we visited the park We visited the park in mid June, and it was a great time to go. We were able to enjoy the tail end of the Medano Creek snow melt. If we would have gone earlier in June, we would have seen the creek in full swing, instead of the final couple of days. The weather was hot and sunny, and it felt like we were on a beach somewhere, instead of the mountains. I will share my experience, but depending on the weather, this park can be a very different experience. Things to Consider 1. The first thing to know is, the sand here gets hot, FAST! If you plan to hike the dunes, go early. You also will want to wear good footwear, no sandals or crocs for the dunes. The sand starts to feel unbearable by 11am. 2. The best time to visit is when Medano Creek is overflowing with snowmelt in May and early June. The creek provides a fun place to splash and play in addition to the sand dunes. 3. If you go Sand Sledding, make sure to stop BEFORE you enter the park at The Oasis. This is the closest lodging and right next to the entrance sign. You can rent a Sand sled, get snacks, and fill up water bottles here too. 4. The parking lot gets full here when the creek is high. Make sure you get there early during peak times and weekends if you plan to swim or stay the day. 5. There are showers and rinse areas just past the entrance to the dunes. How to Get There From Denver, Colorado Springs, or Pueblo, the most common route is south on I-25 to Walsenburg, west on US 160, north on State Highway 150. For a more mountainous drive from Denver (same mileage as the I-25 route), you may also take US 285 south, then State Highway 17 south, then County Lane 6 east from Mosca. From Albuquerque, drive north on I-25 to Santa Fe, then north on US 285 to Alamosa. From Alamosa, take either U.S. Highway 160 east and State Highway 150 north, or State Highway 17 north and County Lane 6 east from Mosca. Additional Maps Provided by the Park Where to Stay Inside the Park Camping Pinon Flats Campground This 89-site campground is open from April to October. There are tent and non electric RV sites available to rent for $20 a night. This is the only place to stay inside the Park, and is located near the visitor center. Outside the Park Great Sand Dunes Lodge & Oasis This lodge offers a variety of lodging options ranging from $150-$250 a night. There are domes, RVS, and standard rooms available for rent here. There is also an oasis restaurant and convenience store, however, they are not affiliated with the lodge. This is the only lodge within 30 minutes of the park. You can also get Sand sled rentals at the nearby Oasis. Zapata Ranch A rustic but elegant historic ranch rooms a few miles south of the main park entrance. A three-night minimum stay is required in this all-inclusive package. Spend time horseback riding along the dunes, take a buffalo tour, and enjoy the ranching experience. What We Did We spent a day at Great Sand Dunes National Park. The first thing we did was stop at The Oasis and rent a sandboard. This is just before the entrance of the park, so make sure you safe time by stopping first. Next we headed right to the parking lot by the dunes. The lot was pretty full by 10am, but we were able to find a spot. You could easily spend a whole day here, and other people came prepared with pop-up tents, wagons, coolers, and snacks. We decided to set up a spot on the banks, and then head out to the dunes right away. We hiked just the front dunes and part of High Dune. A passerby, who was coming down, said it took him about 1.5 hours to hike to the top, so plan accordingly if you want to hike all the way to the top. It would be amazing views from over 700 feet above the base of the dunes. We brought the sand sleds with us and tried Sledding down the front dunes. The sand had gotten very hot by the time we got to the top of the dunes, and so it made it hard to enjoy Sledding down. The sled also was not waxed enough to have the sleds move quickly down the dune. We got it to work, but mid-day is not a great time to attempt this activity. After we were burnt and hot from sledding, we decided to head back to the creek to cool off. The only time there is a creek between the parking lot and the dunes is in May and early June when the snowmelt rises the level of the creek. It was such a fun experience seeing the low level of water moving across the sand. The kids ran and chased and played for a while in the ankle deep water with some larger pools here and there. To check on the water levels, there is a live tracker on the NPS website that gives updates about the creeks, weather, and other amenities. The final thing we did was stop at the Visitor Center on our way out. They had live music playing while we were there, a ranger program in progress, a model of the dunes to explore, and wildlife examples to look at. We got our passports stamped and Junior Ranger books. A Wish List Adventure Here One thing we would love to do is come back and visit this park when our kids are older. In the backcountry lakes and creeks is a very rare Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout. My husband is an avid fisherman, so any time we find waters with rare fish, he is compelled to catch some. We didn't get a chance to this trip, but some time we will come back and do our best to capture here. This social media post explains more about the Rio Grande Cutthroat. Where this fit in our Road Trip This was the fourth park in our road trip, and the sixth day of the trip. We headed to this park after spending a day in Pagosa Springs, CO about an hour and a half to the west. After spending the day here, we headed to Crested Butte, CO next. The link below will show you our itinerary for this road trip. NPS App and All Trails Maps I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking. There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful. These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere. The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information. Don't forget to follow along on Instagram @wanderlust_with_three
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