Road Trips for Nature Lovers: A Visitor’s Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Photo: Daniel Schwen via Wikimedia Commons
Some like it cold while others like it hot. If you fall into the second category, you’ll want to add Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve to your travel list. Here’s a brief guide to help you plan a road trip to this unique piece of American wilderness.
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Best months to visit
Photo: Pixabay
To help you plan when to visit, the National Park Service website has a month-by-month listing of the average temperatures and weather conditions in the park. If visiting during May through September, plan hikes for early morning or in the evening. Sand temperatures can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoons.
You can also avoid crowds if you plan your visit on a weekday rather than a weekend — especially if you’re planning a trip in May or June when tourism peaks.
Parking info
Plan on paying $25 for a seven-day parking pass if you’re taking a personal vehicle into the park. Check out the map on the NPS website for where parking lots are located.
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Navigation tips
Photo: Zachjank via Wikimedia Commons
The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve spans a 150,000-acre area. Due to its remote location, the park has limited cell reception and no Wi-Fi both in and near the park.
Though, NPS claims that Verizon users typically pick up a signal in the main visitor area. If you have a non-Verizon carrier, you might be able to find reception in or near Alamosa.
Given the spotty nature of cell service and GPS, it’s best to pack hard-copy maps when traveling to the park. Download one from the NPS website here.
Where to go
The 750-foot-high Star Dune is the tallest dune in North America, so you might want to start your adventures there. Eastern Dune Ridge and High Dune on First Ridge are two other sandy destinations to explore.
The park also boasts some forested trails, if you prefer a shadier excursion. The Mosca Pass or Montville Nature trail make for rewarding hikes. The park also features alpine trails, grasslands, shrublands, and wetlands if you prefer a more diverse sampling of the region’s geography during your stay.
Activities
Though backpacking is one of the best ways to experience all that the park has to offer, you can also participate in a few recreational activities. Many tourists like to go sand sledding or sandboarding, then cool off in the Medano Creek.
Others like to go fishing or horseback riding. There’s also an off-roading route called 4WD Medano Pass Road if you need an adrenaline rush.
Wildlife to look out for
Marmots, bighorn sheep, black bears, hares, squirrels, kangaroo rats, badgers, bison, elk, pronghorn, and mountain lions are just some of the animals you can expect to see at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
Cold-blooded inhabitants include salamanders, toads, bullsnakes, garter snakes, and short-horned lizards. And there are more than 250 species of birds have been documented at the park, so make sure to bring some binoculars if you’re into fowl.
Whitney Russell resides in Dayton, though her spirit can be found beach-bumming in Puerto Rico (the land of her half-Puerto Rican heritage). When not crafting car-related content, she can be found chasing after the most amazing toddler in the world, watching her “beaver” of a husband build amazing woodworking projects, hanging out with two crazy dogs, and visiting family and friends. She also enjoys traveling, crafting, and binge-watching period dramas when time allows. See more articles by Whitney.