Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Reviews

Wow! one hell of a sand dune! Will be back again to visit.

Beautiful unique landscape. Kids loved it. Hard to walk in the sand with little ones though!

BRING YOUR BUG SPRAY! We live in Castle Rock and were not used to mosquitos. They will pack you off. Also bring your sun screen. Otherwise, this is an amazing place.

Too many people allowed to set up Tents/Umbrellas. Empty cans and water bottles Laying around will destroy this beautiful and amazing park if you don't take control of Restrictions NOW.

A must go place in Colorado. This place is beautiful and so much fun. Be prepared for Mosquitos in parking and they are in millions. (you won't find any in Sand dunes).
Make it to the high dunes if you can. Sunset view from Sand dunes is gorgeous. Plan your visit here at dusk or early morning for the best view of the dunes.

Nature at it's best. Love the history, geology, and natural beauty.

Parking might seem full but just drive around for a bit. It's hottest from certain days so plan accordingly. Wear pants if you plan on hiking up to the summit of the dunes. If you don't, you risk sandblasting all the old and new skin off your shins. I haven't been to the visitor's center so I can't say anything about that.

Completely stunning to find this amazing land feature surrounded by beautiful mountains and Prarie lands. Highly suggest renting the boards to sled down the dunes. Do be sure to bring goggles to keep sand or of your eyes, it can be dangerous when the wind whips around.

If your not hiking just drive a little further and it takes you right there.

Super beautiful!! You have the lake, waterfall, hiking trails, dunes, all which were amazing. Definitely coming back!

Simply Awesome experience. You essentially make your own trail to the top of the dunes. I have to try and explain how I first saw the dunes from the car as I was driving towards this place. From about 20 miles away you start to see weird mountains or something that looks like light colored mountains. It is distinctively light in color. As you get closer, the sight absolutely amazes you. How could sand dunes be next to mountains. My wife and I hiked to one of the intermediate dunes. It was a tiring but fun experience. This was one of the best hikes i have completed.We initially planned to spend a couple hours here but ended up spending more than 6 hours. In the spring and summer, I believe there is a river running between the parking lot and the dunes which would add more to the experience. Near the main parking lot there are kind of shower stalls to get rid of the sand.Make sure to carry enough drinking water. This is simply an amazing place for a family visit.

This is my fourth time here and each time it is a totally new experience. Worth spending the day hiking the dunes, sledding down the dunes, driving around and seeing the wild life and brining a camera is a must! So many gorgeous views that leave you in awe!

This isn't very handicapped friendly, just since there isn't much handicap access, but they do offer sand wheelchairs at the visitor center!

Wonderful experience. Great fun for the kids and adults. Go early before the sand gets too hot!

Beautiful area. Plenty of places to go and explore. Very open, so you do not feel crowded by other people. Be sure to climb the dunes early due to sand temperatures getting very hot quickly. Bear feet will burn if you are not prepared for this.

This national park is a great place to hike sand dunes. It's a great place to visit.

Amazing! We love taking the primitive road all the way thru, camping along the way and ending up at the dunes on the way out! A 4x4 is MUST HAVE for the primitive road

The Great Sand Dunes is a great place for a family vacation! Try to go in teh spring or early summer when Medano Creek is flowing - it's almost like being at the ocean!

It's a workout to climb the dunes but it's also such an accomplished feeling at the top!

A breathtaking backdrop and a highly recommended national park.
We hiked to the tallest dune and took around 3 hours with many photo stops. Running up and down the dunes is so much fun - but it was also quite exhausting and hot. But you will be compensated many times when you are up;)

This place is so awesome when the creek is running. The area is so large it's easy to avoid the crowds.

Hard to get to, But such a special, beautiful place. The campgrounds are terrific. Ours is shaded with a view of the dunes (as most are) we've had two deer within feet of our camp and we've had only been here an hour. Such a cool place.

Our family road trip ended us here for warmer weather! WOW! this place is so surreal and makes you feel like you're in another country on the Dunes! Yes you can climb all over this giant sand pile it's awesome! And you can snowboard down the hill. And sled!! Very windy but overall awesome place. Friendly deer. Lots of black widow spiders especially near the restrooms

I thought it was going to be interesting but not impressive, I was very, very wrong! The size and scope of the dunes was awe inspiring. The way the sand whipped of the top of the peaks was mezmerizing. I wasnt able to stay long, but I plan on going back many times!

This is going to sound obvious, but sweet baby Jesus, was this a lot of sand.

I'm a middling-experienced hiker (Eagle scout, but that was twelve years ago) and I had a tough time of it, even in October when the sand *isn't* the 150 degree Fahrenheit apocalypse that is Great Sand Dunes in July. I made it near the peak of the second highest dune in the dunefield, but wasn't able to quite summit it. Still, the view from where I was was spectacular.

Bring lots of water. Find places to sit that you aren't being sandblasted. Stretch your calves first, and take breaks often. Pace yourself. When walking, look for the darker sand (or the sand streaked with black or brown tiger stripes) for the firmest footing; that's the hard pack underneath the top loose layer. It's not foolproof, but it'll give you the easiest ways up. Remember to tack up the hills instead of trying to just charge up them.

Enjoy!

So much fun for parents and kids alike! Spent 4 days playing, and will spend a year getting all the sand out of the Jeep.

Breathtaking, and our daughter had a blast playing there!

If you go in the summer, sunset is always the best time....it isn't so hot, there's fewer people, and its prettier The sand is like walking in fire during mid-day. We love the dunes and frequent them because they're so unique and fun!

Great place and this place will make you feel like in the sand desert

A place to chill with friends and swim after working out

Fantastic place for a hike! Climbing those dunes are great for cardio! If not, bring (or rent) a plastic sled or a sandboard and head down the dunes. If all else fails, just sit down and have a family member pull you down the slope! Good times for all, and if you head during spring/summer time, there's water for you to wade across. This water gives a truly stunning shot of the variety of environments all seen in a single shot.

As beautiful as they are, pictures don't even do this place justice. You have to experience it in person to really appreciate this place!

The views are absolutely stunning and there are plenty of hiking options!

A very unique nature experience. My advice is to wait until creek is flowing and wind is limited especially if going with kids. We found one day was more than enough. Loved the side trip to Zapata falls.

This is a sweet place! You can rent dune surfing stuff at a shop about a mile from the park entry. It is a national park, so their is a $20 entry fee unless you have a year round park pass.

Such a cool place! It was a good drive coming from Colorado Springs! We had to see it though!

, I don't know that I can say enough good things about this park. It was absolutely amazing for the day I spent out there with friends and family. I do highly recommend you bring your own water, and your own sleds, snowboards. Go to Goodwill or Ark discount thrift stores and buy a used snowboard and take that with you it will save you $30 I believe in renting their sleds and once they're out of sleds they're out. And the sled rental place is about 5 miles from the actual sand dunes, so it's not too convenient if you would like to rent more boards or return them

One of America's newest and most underrated parks. Perfect National Park for a day trip or over night, backpacking trips. Lot's of photo opportunities with the dunes, rivers, prairie, forest, mountains, etc. You'll love it!

Small National Park, can be enjoyed in a few hours.
The sun casts pretty shadows across the sand dunes.
We saw a herd of antelope near the entrance road.
The primitive road up over the mountain pass is closed to off road vehicles. Only licensed vehicles allowed.

Beautiful scenery. Hiking up sand dunes is exhausting.

Absolutely beautiful! Wish we would have had more time!

Take water! There is no water available once you get to the sand dunes and the walk is deceptively far and tiring. Rent sand sleds because normal winter sleds will not work properly. Plan for long lines to get in and park but so much fun on the dunes. There's plenty of room for everyone. If it is windy, bring a bandana and eye protection.

Amazing, out of the way. Hike into the dunes to avoid the crowds

Beautiful, quiet and a very exhausting hike to the top. Worth every achy muscle. Bring your slide or rent one for some sand sliding! Come in the morning as early as you can. We entered before 9am, so there was no entrance fee. On top of that, you will be thankful for cooler weather and sand. As the temp climbs throughout the morning, the sand gets hot and the hike will be miserable. Hiking up sand is twice as exhausting as hiking mountains.

One of our favorite places in Colorado. Lots of fun especially when the creek is flowing in the spring and early summer.

Water in the late fall . . . We were pleasantly surprised and happy to find some water on the sand. We love visiting as it never gets old with the shifting of the sand and water.

This is very interesting, beautiful place! I went with my family last year, and it was so surreal to see these massive sand dunes surrounded by the rocky mountains. Make sure to properly prepare for massive amounts of sand, though. The dunes are beautiful, but the sand is course, rough, irritating, and it gets everywhere.

What a jewel of a park. Worth the extra effort to get to this location and they had a star program!

Had great time but it gets windy and the sand hurts

Natural sand dunes magic between mountains of South Colorado

Could get lost hiking for days it was that enjoyable. ( Not lost) so many trails one could just keep on hiking.

Super fun! The dunes are exhausting to climb but worth it for the ride down if you rent a sled from the Oasis nearby the dunes. Definitely rent a sled.... It's a blast!

The Sand Dunes are awesome! Come prepared with a picnic lunch and water to drink. It s cooler in the mornings but warms up quickly. Bring sun protection. Weekends have a long line to get into the park. Weekdays are less busy. Walk to Sky Dune, it s the tallest dune there. Absolutely amazing area. Get doony at the dunes!

Can tell federal run agency.waited 20 mins to get in,didn't bother to day over crowed.no parking,no facilities were needed. Couldn't even get down to the sand dunes.waste of money!@

Amazing natural phenomenon to visit. The hike to the top is a good challenge but absolutely worth it.

The sand was amazing. However parking was less than adequate

This is a very unique National Park. Sand Dunes like this can not be found anywhere else in the USA. This trip was made special due to Friends of Dunes. They provided a special wheelchair to go out and see the dunes. As stated on the key ring, "To Be Enjoyed By All" that includes our disabled Veterans.

Fun hikes and sand surfing was a blast. My family had a wonderful time.

I never got tired of being in the dunes. The only downside is the wind blows sand into your face and ears so i suggest to bring a scarf or something to protect from the sand. I rented a sled and went down the dunes a couple of times. That was pretty cool.

It was better as a national monument. There is more bureaucracy in place now.
BUT this one of the most beautiful and interesting places in North America.
Get muddy playing in the creek, sled the dunes in the early morning .
Tent camp in the park if you can.
Drive up the road to the pass if you (and your vehicle)can
This is a place worth visiting!!!

What a unique National Park! Tough to express adequately how awesome this place is. Definitely go. The hiking is harder than you might expect (or maybe not because it IS sand ), but getting up on the dunes is worth the effort! October was a nice time to visit because the sand was still warm but the breezes were cool.

Really interesting park. Tight RV camping, lots of good hiking.