Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Reviews

A hike up the dunes is like none other! You pay $25 for 7 day access (which is 1000% worth it to support National Parks). I only hiked up the dunes but there are way more hikes, and more drives accessible to you if you have 4WD. Make sure you bring food (and water of course!!), there's only a couple overpriced snack options available in the visitor center. Also bring sunscreen, hats, etc. If you are prepared these dune hikes will be so rewarding!!

Prepare to walk a lot, bring lots of water. All worth it, you will be amazed!!

Kids loved playing on the dunes and in the creek. Nice Visitors Center.

So much to do. The water was flowing this time. Had a blast.

As a seasoned camper, this has to be one of the strangest campground experiences I've had ... all because of the camp host. While sitting at my picnic table at about 10:30PM, the camp host (a blue haired lady, maybe in her late 60s or early 70s) approached my campsite and angrily told me "It's time to go to bed!" Now, I can understand doing this if I were being loud, or disrespecting others in some way. But, I was sitting alone, quietly, enjoying the view of the stars ... drinking a single beer before going to bed. This was really confusing.

The next day when the ranger came through she went on and on with him about how disrespectful I was ... sitting up at night with my headlamp on, sometimes opening and closing my car door and thus causing a lot of noise that was preventing her from sleeping. I finally confronted both her and the ranger, and which point the ranger seemed to have heard the same story ... and when the old hag wasn't looking he basically said "I know, she wants to try to be your grandmother ... you're fine, don't worry."

So awkward.

Sand sledding and hiking. Like being on another planet. I have never seen anything like it.

I went there with my school and it was fun. Also I loved the View of the park, nice exercise and its better when you go with your school.

One of my very favorite national parks. It is so unique with snow-peaked mountains and tall sand dunes, and in the spring, Modano Creek runs, bringing the juxtaposition full circle. I highly recommend this park.

Awesome to find sand dunes in the middle of the mountains. Bit off the beaten path, but totally worth visiting!

Such a wonderful place to visit. You can see it for miles away. The only place you can do a panoramic view and see a desert, rock mountains, green mountains and snow mountains. A must see.

Want a change of scenery? Go here. This was a really scenic and good workout.

Unique and worth a visit. But it's a long drive for not much bang.

Surreal experience. The dunes are easily accessible from the main parking lot, although we had to pass through the Medano Creek surge flow. The dunes are vast and the landscape is unforgettable.

Super cool spot to get some shots in. There are nearby places you can rent sand boards to ride down the dunes. Great anytime of day although in the summer you want to be aware of the heat generate from the sun and sand. Water fountains didn't work while I was there in November so be prepared with your own water and snacks.

Wonder park to visit. Be sure to start out very early if you re going to hike all the way up to the top, it gets hot during the day... pinion Camping ground is a great place to camp while visiting.

So fun! Definitely don't wear sandals in the afternoon. You'll burn your feet!

Came out here for the high flow! Was just a blast, but definitely recommend coming early in the morning, while the weather is still warm, and before the storms start rolling in! You can use your America the beautiful pass as well!

Hidden treasure in Colorado. This place is 3.5 hours drive from Denver South and a must place to see if you're around.

I have always loved the sand dunes. It was a little windy today so the sand was blowing in the faces of our kids, but as I like to tell them, "you can't control the weather but you can control your attitude."

Adventure, sand and sun. August is a great time to go as the sand isn't very warm. Get there early to beat the crowds to the dunes. Late arrivals will wait in line to clean your feet from the sand once you return to the parking lot as more and more people arrive later in the day.

We also strolled down Medano Creek as a storm was dropping some moisture on the mountains to the east. We walk to the edge of the water as it disappeared into the sands.

Fantastic place to climb the tallest dunes in the US, come at sunrise or sunset to avoid heat and crowds in the summer. Be prepared to walk about 15 minutes from the parking lot to the first dunes, bring water, sunscreen and a hat. Plenty of parking and campsites.

Had a blast here with my husband and kids (8
and 10 yo). Beautiful scenery with majestic sand dunes and mountains around it. $25 per vehicle for 7 day entry pass and you can park nearby and walk about 3/4 mi to get to dunes. It is open 24/7 and entry was free when we went at 7pm on Wednesday and 8am on Thursday. We rented sand boards and sand sleds (3 total) from Great Sand Dunes Oasis nearby. They were $20 each. You can get them at 9AM and return by 6PM, so we rented for 2 days. I highly recommend going early in the morning like 7-8AM or night around 7PM. We went around end of July and it was a great way to avoid the crowds and have beautiful weather. Going at night was my favorite and we just stayed after it was dark and watched the stars. I would highly recommend renting sand boards and sleds. Snow sleds, tubes and saucers do not work well and go super slow. The sand boards are wood and have smooth and completely flat bottoms. They also give you wax which you will use after each time you go down. Bring lots of water. Water shoes work great and you can also go barefooted, as long as it is not too hot. The sand is super fine and soft. I would also recommend bringing a light neck gator which you can wear around your neck and pull up over your nose and mouth before you go down.

Absolutely beautiful. Bring water and sunscreen and a sled.

This is an amazing place to go camping, hiking, and exploring. The sand dunes are pretty big and you get a pretty awesome view of just about everything around you. The mountains right next door are pretty tall. The rangers are really nice and they know a lot about the area.

Tons of wildlife and the dunes are gorgeous. Great views of the night sky. Be sure to camp to get the full experience of the park.

The park itself is nice, but before you get there you have to rent a sand sled..$20. And need another restaurant in the area.

Absolutely beautiful place. The day we went was a Saturday and there was no fee that day. We had a picnic there in sight of the dunes and then ventured out on them. Amazing place in the middle of the continent.

Very nice place to hike but very very strenuous ! Be prepared!

Amazing experience to come through the Medano Pass Primitive trail in the mountains and ending up in the dunes. Definitely a must go! Video up from my time there on my YouTube channel Life Outdoors.

Very quiet in the winter. Bring your best beach shoes for walking, your going to get sand in them

Walking through sand is very tiring, especially at high elevations, but when you make your way up the dunes the view is worth it! Be sure to rent a sled or sandboard at the Oasis before going into the park.

Go early!!!! Gets windy in the afternoon. Great experience though!

Lots of fun! The one detail I didn't realize before we went, be prepared to walk through a stream/small river on way to dunes!

Sand boarding in the summer and snowboarding and sledding in the winter. Awesome family fun if you bring the gear.

The park was just incredible. I never knew of this place at all without the mention of it by some co-workers. Once there, and on my hike across the sand, the wonders of Nature were incredible!!

Amazing place. The high dune hike is one of my all time favorites.

This was literally the coolest place I've been yet in the US. I loved it so much that I spent hours here and will certainly be back. Apparently sand dune surfing is a thing, so be sure to bring a board to ride!

This is a beautiful park! What a fun experience to be next to the mountains and playing in the sand. We have hiked here everyday and enjoyed the trail through the wooded area, playing on the dunes and in the stream, as well as driving our Jeep on the sandy road.

Great trails and scenery. They need more people at the entrance as the traffic had overwhelmed the few that they had.

Awesome trip with my family. This place is amazing, beautiful landscape and drive. We will be back soon.

What an incredibly beautiful and odd place. This has to be one of my favorite colorado gems to see.

Beautiful area. Breath taking. Got the backcountry dunes permit. Was 100% worth it. The wind at the dunes is a real thing, highly suggest to carry a face guard and a hat. That sand gets flung around and it doesn't feel to good hitting your face.

You can rent sand boards (sled or snowboard style) at the gas station right outside the dunes, I think it's call sand dune Oasis, for 21$ a day. Fun activity.

A heads up park rangers seem to be very active around this park, watch out for them sitting on the one road coming into the park. I saw like 5 people get pulled over for speeding probably.

This place is amazing! I had no idea this was even here but I saw signs on the interstate and decided to stop. It is stunning! I highly suggest everyone check it out at least once. The evening was a perfect time to go in my opinion. The setting sun created lovely light and shadows and the sand had cooled so that it was comfortable to walk on.

What more can be said about this place that hasn't already been said? My own travel tip is come in the winter to avoid crowds though.

We decided to stop over here on our way from Lubbock to Avon, Colorado. This place was super packed. Although it closes at 5pm and we were getting in at 3.30pm, we had to wait for about 20 minutes or so to pay and get in. The sand dunes was definitely a sight to see. We managed to see rabbits and deers while we were there too.

There were huge mosquitoes that were biting us so please bring with you a mosquito repellent especially if you plan to have a picnic there.

Excellent and interesting place. Very different terrain from the rest of the area. Dune rides...

Beautiful scenery, but we felt like criminals the entire stay. We literally had 3 different park rangers stop to tell my family of 4 with two small children we were doing something wrong by 9am. Park rangers with a power trip, especially the one in a Ford raptor.

An amazing place like nowhere else to explore and play with your family. Go early, bring mosquito spray & your camera and enjoy a gem of a sight.

Beautiful place to visit. Be prepared for a good walk through the sand to get where you can sandboard. And bring water!

Amazing place. Enormous mountains of sand in the middle of great Colorado mountains and green plains. Gift shop/info.center was to full to go in. Would have loved to learn how this happened.

MUST see place in Colorado Mid-May to early June. When the river is running due to run-off (Mid-May to June are your best chances), this place is AMAZING - 100' wide river that is extremely shallow. Huge Sand Dunes that you can hike up and slide down, beautiful river that is easily walked through due to the sand, and beautiful mountain scenery all around. Its the closest thing to a beach in Colorado!

Nature is beautiful.
Did not go into park . 28.00 is too much

A wonderful day with my daughter and perfect for a workout

How do you not give a national park 5 stars? Even the off season is fantastic. Don't be a dick, and pay for camping. They're seriously underfunded and most of the staff is volunteers (clean and nice! Don't get me wrong) but they need the funds to keep it nice

There is only one way in and out unless you use the four wheel drive road and let some air out of your tires.

Great place for families with children, especially the younger ones, and well behaved dogs!

Its so beautiful, and it's peaceful being in the presence of the Dunes. Its a bit costly to get in, but I'm sure a good deal of that money goes to the water needed to rinse off after. There are small steams that run through before the Dunes and they are nice & cooling. I wish I could go more often, but it's quite a ways away. Glad to have visited tho, and for the memories created.

Beautiful National Park, with friendly rangers and plenty of educational opportunities. A fun place to sled on the dunes and even splash around the river when it s flowing by.

It was very hot in the middle of July, but what did we expect. The main visitor center was closed but there was a lot of things at the back and the lady there was very nice. We went to the actual dunes, was quite a few people. Creek was dried up but there were kids digging in the sand and finding water underground. Pretty cool.

There is also a little water station where you can wash your feet off if you get hot. Decided to hike up High Dune, had our camelbacks with us. DO NOT WEAR SANDALS. Worst mistake I have ever made. You need to wear socks or shoes or your feet will burn. Mostly fine the whole way, but there was a steep section that was very painful. View from the top was gorgeous.

This is a gorgeous destination with great camping, beach-style outings, and fun hikes. Reserve your spot early or get there in the morning to grab a campsite.

This is really cool, we didn't have to pay to get in for some reason so even better! It was however stupid windy! Like 80mph. I am told it's basically always like that just fyi

Perhaps the world's best place to change one's contact lenses.

Very windy, and cold! Not the best day for The Sand Dunes

Lovely place. Bizarre to find such huge dunes in the middle of a non-arid region. Visits during snow makes you feel like walking on a chocolate cake (brown wet sand) with sugar icing (snow).

A treat for the eyes!! Watch out of slippery patches. The entire region is pet friendly and dogs go crazy with the expanse and open space.
Can go snow boarding too.

Lot of fun. Somewhat cheep sand sleds can be rented nearby, which I would definitely recommend.

So fun! The water was surging as well which made a fun place to cool off.

Lots of fun and beautiful landscape. Need more trashcans that are easy to find. You have to go on a scavenger hunt to find tbe dumpsters.

I am sure geologists would disagree, but a very odd place to find sandunes. Hiking the Great Sandune is not an easy task, if you are planning on going bring plenty of water and be prepared to be huffing and puffing. I saw many people with boards sliding down the dunes,m. If you have kids, or if you are a kid at heart, be sure to rent one before arriving at the park as they do not have them.