Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
The tallest dunes in North America piled against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
- 24named trails
- 42trail miles mapped
- Coloradolocation
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Popular hikes in Great Sand Dunes
- Montville Nature Trail · about 0.5 mi · Easy
- Wellington Ditch Trail · about 2 mi · Easy
- Zapata Falls · about 0.9 mi · Moderate
- Dunes Overlook · about 2.4 mi · Moderate
- Mosca Pass Trail · about 7 mi · Moderate
- High Dune · about 2.5 mi · Strenuous
- Star Dune · about 6 mi · Strenuous
Best months to visit
- May: Late May into early June, Medano Creek flows across the base of the dunes, creating a seasonal beach with surging waves. It's the park's signature event and it only happens now.
Permits and reservations
No entry reservation. Campgrounds and backpacking in the park need reservations.
- Piñon Flats Campground: Individual and group sites can be reserved up to 3 months ahead. It fills well ahead during Medano Creek's early-summer peak.
- Backpacking permit (dunes): Required for overnight camping in the park's dunes backcountry, online only through Recreation.gov ($6 fee). Free in-person permits are no longer given, and you must carry a paper copy. The adjoining Preserve needs no permit.
Entrance fees
- Private Vehicle: $25
- Non-commercial Groups: $15
- Motorcycle: $20
- Commercial Entrance - Sedan: $25
Official park site: nps.gov
All 24 trails in Great Sand Dunes
- 2 Track Road · 5.44 mi round trip · Moderate
- Carbonate Peak Trail · 0.52 mi round trip · Easy
- Dunes Access from Campground Trail · 0.8 mi round trip · Easy
- Dunes Access from Visitor Center Trail · 0.82 mi round trip · Easy
- Dunes Overlook Trail · 2.4 mi round trip · Moderate
- Dunes Parking Lot to Campground Trail · 1.08 mi round trip · Easy
- Interpretive Loop Trail · 0.37 mi loop · Easy
- Little Sand Creek Lakes Trail · 4.84 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Lower Sand Creek Trail · 1.74 mi round trip · Easy
- Medano Lake Trail · 6.96 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Montville Nature Loop Trail · 0.44 mi loop · Easy
- Mosca Pass from Visitor Center Trail · 0.5 mi round trip · Easy
- Mosca Pass Trail · 6.1 mi round trip · Strenuous
- Music Pass Trail · 1.82 mi round trip · Easy
- Sand Pit Trail · 1.1 mi round trip · Easy
- Sand Ramp Trail · 22.82 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Trail to Aspen Backcountry Campsite · 0.06 mi round trip · Easy
- Trail to Escape Dunes Backcountry Campsite · 0.18 mi round trip · Easy
- Trail to Indian Grove Backcountry Campsite · 0.8 mi round trip · Easy
- Trail to Little Medano Creek Backcountry Campsite · 0.18 mi round trip · Easy
- Trail to Sawmill Canyon Accessible Campsite · 0.3 mi round trip · Easy
- Unimproved Trail · 2.82 mi round trip · Easy
- Upper Sand Creek Trail · 20.28 mi round trip · Very strenuous
- Wellington Ditch Trail · 1.78 mi round trip · Easy
Trailbound shows every one of these on an interactive map with live weather, park alerts and elevation profiles. It's free to browse.