Great Sand Dunes National Park

Who would expect the tallest sand dunes in North America to be in southern Colorado, some 1200 miles from the Pacific Ocean?

We visited Great Sand Dunes National Park in May 2023, while staying at the Alamosa KOA Journey, in Alamosa, Colorado, about 30-minutes away. Entering the park near the southeast corner, we stopped at the Visitor Center a short distance into the park to learn how the unique sand dunes came to be located in southern Colorado.

During a wetter time, thousands of years ago, ancient lakes covered much of the valley floor. Streams carried eroded sediments from the San Juan Mountains and Sangre de Cristo Mountains into these lakes. Over time, a thick layer of sand was deposited at the bottom of these lakes. Through natural climate change, the lakes have largely diminished, leaving a vast sheet of sand on the valley floor. Predominate winds from the southwest funnel sand into a low curve of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Storm winds from the mountains push sand back, forming the tall dune field.

The park includes diverse landscapes of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra, however the tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece and the area that most visitors (including us) will head for. From the dunes there were spectacular views of the snow-capped Mount Herard (13,345-ft) in the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains

The visitor center has a trail to the dunes, however we opted to drive the short distance to the dunes parking lot. In order to access the dunes, visitors need to cross the seasonal Medano Creek in spring and summer. The creek typically has a peak flow from late May to early June. From July to April, it is usually no more than a few inches deep, if there is any water at all. During our visit in late May 2023, the water was a few inches deep at most and we were able to easily walk across.

There are no formal trails within the 30-square mile dune field, but the park map shows typical routes that can be taken to some of the dune peaks. We only hiked about 1/4-mile, or less into the dunes, but that was enough to experience the unique landscape and views of the surrounding mountains, dunes, grasslands, and wetlands. The highest dunes in the park are 741-ft in elevation, and are about a 6-mile round trip hike from the parking lot.

Photos of our visit are provided below. Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.