If you are a fan of America’s National Parks, then Great Sand Dunes National Park is a must visit! The tallest dunes in North America are located in the beautiful state of Colorado and of course they are worth the adventure. I’ve been here several times to explore/hike/play and so I wanted to share 5 tips to make your first (or next) trip to this amazing place an exciting one!
1 – TAKE AN EPIC (and short) ROAD TRIP
There is no easy way to get to Great Sand Dunes National Park. G.S.D.N.P is 4+ hours from Denver International Airport, 4+ hours from Albuquerque’s Sun Port and 3+ hours from Colorado Springs. But as you will see, the drive from any of those airports is worth the journey. The 360 degree views are epic and the expanses of Colorado and New Mexico are vast. Half the fun is getting to the dunes themselves.
Adventure Tip: Start the road trip early enough to catch the sunrise. You won’t be disappointed you did. Also, getting to the dunes early helps you avoid both the heat of the day and the crowds.
2 – SPLASH IN MEDANO CREEK
Cascading downward from the high elevations of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the cool waters of Medano Creek is a great place to relax under the intense Colorado sun. The creek itself runs alongside the sand dunes and creates an amazing buffer that has been holding back the relentless eastern march of the mountains of sand for eons. Each spring (and early summer) a unique phenomenon called “Surge Flow” produces waves in the river that rush past your legs with such force you could almost fall over (I actually did!)
Adventure Tip: Mosquitos are a big problem in late June and July so if you’re going to play in the water make sure to stat on the west (aka- dune) side of the creek to avoid those biting pests!
Adventure Fact: The creek bed is all sand (duh.. I know) so when water cascades over it, anti-dunes are formed. The little ridges of sand form below the surface of the creek forcing water pressure to builds up behind this sandy micro dam. Eventually the sand gives was and creates flowing waves known as a surge
3 – HIKE THE DUNES & ENJOY THE VIEW
The dunes in this national park are truly Great! With some of the sandy peaks rising over 750 feet and over 30 square miles of the open and sandy expanse, the complex is all yours to explore. Even better, you get to create your own trail… just pick a direction. Your sandy meander from Medano Creek to the High Dune (via the first ridge) could take up to 2 hours and summer temps reach 150 F in the heat of the day. Needless to say, the climb to the top of the dunes can be quite a leg burner and feet burner too. Make sure to bring plenty of water and you can always fill up at the parks awesome visitor center – even stay and catch a movie about the creation of the dunes if while you cool off from the hike.
4 – RUN, ROLL or SLED
From the top of the dunes there are three ways down.
Trail Run: Run/walk down the dunes in the same manner you came up. I promise its much much easier than the climb and if you like trail running like I do, you will love flying down the slope!
Roll or slide: For those young at heart or people who like to get sandy, you can always choose to roll down the dunes. With steep slopes and dramatic sand waves, rolling down any of the hundreds of dunes is a blast.
Sand Board: Shred some sand by renting a sand sled at the Oasis Visitor Center. Boarding down the slopes can be one of the fastest ways to get down the dunes and one of the most fun! Rent a sand board at Great Sand Dunes Oasis!
Adventure Tip – Snowboards don’t work on these slopes…
5 – CAMP or SPLASH AGAIN!
Camping at Great Sand Dunes is a wonderful way to experience the solitude and remoteness of the area. With well established campgrounds you can stay close to more traveled sections of the park or you even plan a more adventurous excursion (backcountry style) and go find your own little piece of heaven in the mountains to the east or even camp within the dunes. Virtually empty at night, hiking the dunes during a full moon is something spectacular.
If you skipped the splash to get to the dunes before the sand heated up, no worries! You get a second chance to play in the creek. You can complete your Great Sand Dune Adventure with some surfing, wading, skim boarding, floating (works only in small raft or tube with a child at peak runoff), sand castle building, and even sand sculpting. Check flow conditions before heading that way or else you will just find a dry creek… but still beautiful views.
Watch the a Park Ranger explain the surge here!
AH FACT– Medano (the name of the creek) means sand dunes in Spanish… well named don’t you think?
Plan your own visit to this amazing national park!
Stay tuned for The Wolff Code Youtube Channel! More from this adventure will be on it!
