Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Reviews

A fun place to visit and worth the time. Entrance fee is $20 per car. I recommend getting a sled for sand if you plan to. We used a round sled for snow and it was only marginally useful.

It's sureal to see a massive area of sand in the middle of the mountains in Colorado. Cool place

Would ve gave it five stars without the long long road drive over...

Great park. If you look at maps and try a little harder you can avoid the crowds. The spring melt is cool to see but I prefer going there in the off season; less people, less bugs, not as hot.

This year had a larger then normal river. Had a great time despite all the mosquitoes

The sand dunes are really tall. It takes awhile but you can climb up to the to of the sand plateau and be really amazed. The Medano road is a fun 4 wheeling trip.

Pictures cannot do this place justice. Just pure majesty!

That was an absolute stunning experience. Great view and super scenic.

There are so many words to describe this national park, but I feel that "amazingly beautiful" is the best in my opinion. I could literally just spend hours sitting on the dunes and soaking in the scenery as the shadows change with the position of the sun. A gem of a national park and the visitors center is excellent also. Can't wait to go back!

We had visited many national parks but were unprepared to see people in swimsuits carrying sleds while walking dogs wearing goggles as we entered the Great Sand Dunes. We were there on a slightly windy day so glasses or sunglasses were really a must to keep the sand out of your eyes as you climbed the dunes. Some lucky furry friends sported goggles. People were splashing and rafting in the shallow river that you to have to cross to get to the dunes. Others were climbing, sledding, or snowboarding on the dunes. It was an extremely different and fun day. To top it all off, the rangers and visitor center were very informative so we not only had a fun day, we learned something too.

Get there by 8:00 AM or risk long lines, heat and exhaustion. Rent sleds and snow boards if you want to have a lot of fun.

One of our favorite National Parks, and we've visited a lot of them! (Including all NPS sites, here - w/ 400+ of them)
Great Sand Dunes is unique and has a lot to offer visitors: high-altitude "beach days" when the creek is full, sledding/hiking the enormous dunes, admiring unique flora/fauna, and miles of backcountry (for the AWD/4x4 adventure-seeker). After several visits to the park, we continue to return & find more to explore!

Very interesting geological feature with excellent interpretation by NPS. More popular than I anticipated.

An oten overlooked treasure. I hadn't even heard of it until i noticed it as i was travelling to the much more renowned Mesa Verde. Jike up a sand mountain, bring your snowboard. Don't forget to wander around the scrub forest to spot wildlife. No overnight camping, but if you are going to any other National Parks in the region its a great place to use your annual park pass and drop in for a spectacular view.

This park should be on everyone's list to visit. It is a "dark park". The billions of stars are magnificent. I will never forget their brilliance and the feeling of our blue marble we share with each other is nothing but a spec in a universe full of planets and stars.
As for the dunes they are breath taking. Awesome amount of sand piled up by wind & nature. Deceivingly difficult if you plan on hiking to the top. Many walk barefoot in the sand. Be sure to bring eye protection like goggles. If the wind blows you'll be in a sand storm.

Such a beautiful place to see. Went in the summer and loved it. Make sure to wear shoes on the sand or your feet will dry out and crack.

The view when you see the dunes as you're driving up is awe-inspiring. There were a lot of people there on a Saturday when we went but the atmosphere was awesome. Everyone was having a ton of fun. You don't even have to hike the dunes to enjoy yourself. we had a fantastic time running around at the foot of the dunes with our dog and watching the sunset over the dunes. Super cool place. Absolutely breath taking. Also: there is an unnaturally large number mosquitos at the little creek you cross to get to the dunes. Bring bug spray.

Beautiful good experience. Should have some kind of gift shop or recreational area.

The park is dog friendly but watch out for your pups paws as the sand gets really hot! We were lucky to enjoy an overcast day here. Amazing to look at the sand dunes with the Rocky Mountains right behind it.

Beautiful views that are much different than the norm

The Dunes were fun but I would recommend going in May or June as the sand was very hot in July and the river was nearly dry.

So much fun. The contrast of the sand, mountains, river is striking. We stayed outside of the park but drove in, it was easy to find parking. Bring bug spray though!

Make sure you have something to sit on so you can slide down. Awesome

One of the great secrets of Colorado. This National Park Is not easy to get to but is worth the drive. Who would know that next to a mountain range in Colorado are the tallest sand dunes in the US?

Such a hidden gem, hike and sled the endless dunes and then cool off in the river( beware river does diminish as the summer goes by)

Spectacular! Tallest sand dunes I've ever seen. Fantastic views & a great workout.

Really amazing place to visit with family and friends. The museum at the park provides a very nice and interactive information on how sand dunes are firmed, you can control windspeed and the closed area due to mountains deposits sands in a small simulator that kids and adults enjoy alike. Museum also has some nice stuff as souvenirs. Be mindful that access to sand dunes passes through very shallow water body/river, so don't wear sport or leather shoes. Also, to enjoy slides on sand dunes make sure you bring wooden slide boards as water boards or snow boards dont work (I learnt the hard way). In case you don't have wooden board, there is only one store around 2 miles before entry to the park named "Oasis", they rent out boards for 20$ , they keep some deposit but return it when you return the board's. Bring your own food, as there is nothing around this area. Parking is free and is limited.

Come prepared and get a backcountry permit! Best thing you can do

Impressive, and I don't get impressed easily. Get up before sunrise, hike up the dunes (account an hour at least) enjoy the sunrise and change in colors. Dream.

I didn't plan well enough for sunburn or very cold nights. Don't make my mistake! Pack warm and pack sunscreen!

Exciting and fascinating sand dunes! Walking on it was beautiful and we really enjoyed the silence! Beautiful campground with a beautiful view of the dunes!

I had an awesome day here, definitely worth seeing.

These are the tallest sand dunes in the North America. It is very beautiful and amazing tourist place to visit in Colorado. The area is covered with sand, then also always a cool breeze flows here. A flowing lake sits near the sand dunes.
The whole area is very photogenic. You can spend time here with groups. A must visit place in vacation.

This is a cool spot, but I would definitely have more than just this planned for the day. After a couple of hours, the appeal has worn, sand starts to chafe, and there isn't much else to do in the San Luis Valley. I recommend ending the day with a trip to Valley View Hot Springs.

Sandboarding, sledding, and skiing are permitted anywhere on the dunefield away from vegetated areas. From the main Dunes Parking Area, it's a minimum 0.7 mile (1km) hike to get to the small or medium-sized slopes; the top of the first high ridge is 1.25 miles. Smaller slopes at the base are fine for young children, while teens and adults may prefer longer slopes near the top of the first high ridge of dunes.

Fun place to play in the sand. It gets pretty warm in the late morning to early afternoon. Remember your tennis shoes. If you cant walk for a long period in sand you might want to rent the wheelchair the sand is hard to walk in. Make sure to have plenty of water with you so you do not dehydrate.

Long drive but worth it. Check if the convenient store is open though. And bring water. Lots of ground to cover.

It is all most hard to describe. You have beach, water, sand dunes, and snow capped mountain back drop. What more could you ask?

Looks pretty cool. Took us an hour of waiting in line to decide to come back another day.

Wow. Absolute incredible spot. I d recommend small goggles when the wind picks up. Boards and sleds and available for rent at The Oasis on the road into the park. $30/ea or so if I remember correctly.

Campgrounds were really nice. We had awesome views of the dunes from our campsite. (There were a lot of bugs at sunset) The restrooms were in great condition and clean. There was even a sink area where you could do dishes. We had a blast exploring the dunes, and playing in creek. There are lots of hiking trails. They also have a great junior ranger program.

Just absolute stunning beauty. It's about 3.4-4hr from Denver and worth the drive. I was there before the summer crowds, so can't really comment on that. However, early spring was not busy at all. Super dark skies for us that love stargazing. It can be really cold and snowy, too since it's at 8000ft-ish. (Visitor center area). So be prepared!

These dunes are very impressed but you have to be ready to walk up a very tall dune. The view is fantastic.

A natural wonder, must be experienced. Come early, by noon the sand was searing hot on the feet. Get a sand board for lots of fun. Don't miss the visitor center to understand how this strange and wonderful place came to be and stays around.

It is a long drive to get here, but the sand dune is very impressive and very accessible. Huge dunes. Be cautioned, a short walk is very taxing in the dunes, especially if it is warm. Carry water.

An amazing place to visit! Biggest sand dune in North America. Stunning against the back drop of 14,000 ft mountains and fun to hike.

This place is a freak of nature. If you're headed to Durango or places West on 160. Take 150 north to here. It's about 25 mins out of your way but we'll worth it. When leaving don't go back to 160 cut across the county roads and you'll diaganoly cut back to 160.

This is far morw than an interesting geological location. It's a pilgrimage. Take the time to spend several hours and walk the dunes, lay on the sand and feel the heat warm your body and your soul. Pack plenty of water and leave your shoes in the car. Amazing!

My experience was overall great. I liked it because it was different. The Great Sand Dunes themselves were rather peculiar, because it is a huge mountain of sand surrounded by even bigger mountains made of rock. The drive from Denver though, was brutal due to the time, but the views were stunning. If you want to go make sure the weather is nice. You don't want to go and find out that a thunderstorm is heading in your direction. That was my experience, and I ended up getting so much wind whipping the sand into my face, ears, legs, etc. Which didn't make the experience very pleasing. Of course you shouldn't be up there when there is lightning, but until then you can continue trying to sand board. Also, if you're not used to elevation, and may not be in your fittest form (like me) then going up sand dunes was terrible. Partly because it's hard for your feet to use the sand to push yourself up for your next step, when you keep on sliding because it's sand. Overall it was fun. Something new something different, even though I was there for 30 minutes (due to the impending storm). So make sure the weather will be nice to make the drive to the sand dunes worth it.

Excellent views challenging climb to the top of the Dunes

If it's windy you will want pants and a jacket. The sand hurts in high winds but the dunes were gorgeous, and you could hike them however you pleased. Sand boarding is cool too.

Must see. Like Liwa at Abu Dhabi. Magnificent view.

Go here, it's fun to camp and the waterfall is awesome! It's only 11$ a day and if you went here and the sand dunes you would be on the tallest sand dunes in North America! You can sled down the sand dunes and the restaurant is really good! The restrooms are nice and clean the view is spectacular! Two cons i have about this place is that they have a very bumpy way up, that's about all to say about the bad things come here with family/friends and have a fun time!!!

Twenty five dollars for day pass..a little expensive for a look.

Definitely recommend. Cheap to get in and amazing to see.

An experience not to be missed at any time of the year!

One of the prettiest things I've ever seen in my entire life. Go at sunset.

Amazing experience sandboarding at Sand Dunes National Park and Reserve. The campgrounds were well maintained and fire wood was reasonably priced at the shop. If you ever decide to make a trip out, be sure to try to do so while the weather is shady with scattered showers this provides the best experience especially if you feel the need for speed while sledding g down the hills!

Didn t know what to expect from a big sand dune, but these ones were great.

Excellent views, did not sand dune board.

It was spectacular. Mountains on all sides, sand dunes you can sled or surf down, and a creek made of melted snow in the middle. Bring a canopy and/or chairs because it is resembles sitting in the shores of a beach.

Absolutely beautiful. It's so striking to see these dunes surrounded by mountains. It was just wonderful. Also, the main visitors center was great, lots of camping and a fun place to spend the day!