Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Reviews

This place nearly made me weep from its beauty. Please go. It s too amazing to pass by.

I was not prepared for how amazing this place is. We originally only planned a half hour but spent the rest of the day here. I could not wrap my mind around how big the dunes were, not just in hight but also in his far they stretch. We spent two weeks in the road going to different parks and this is the one I tell people about. The sand is a bit difficult to hike but the reward of the view at the top is totally worth it.

I was blown away by this national park. Unfortunately, our time here got cut short because of RV troubles, but I'm so glad we still made it.



I was hopeful that we could do some star gazing here, but we were there at the wrong time. There was a full moon and it rose at 8pm and didn't set until 8am.

The campground was amazing and I'm sad we didn't get to spend more time there. We were at site 36 on loop one and woke up to gorgeous views of the sand dunes right out of our back window of the RV. It would be a great place to hang out and relax. There's no wifi or hookups. There is water and a dump site.

We were going to rent some boards and go sand boarding on the dunes, but when we got to Great Sand Dunes Oasis, we found out they didn't open until 9. We decided to go hike the dunes and come back later.

We hiked to the top of High Dune and it was incredible. The views were breath taking and unlike anything I've ever seen. It's a very difficult hike up the sand though. There are no trails so you can walk wherever you want (it's easier to walk in someone's footsteps though). It took us a little over an hour to get up and we were exhausted by the time we got there.

We were too tired to go get boards and go sand boarding. We watched some people doing it and it didn't look that exciting.

I definitely recommended hiking up the taller dunes and getting away from most of the people because that's where the best views are.

The Medano Creek surge was amazing after the snow melt. Make sure you but your sand boards OUTSIDE of the park at the Oasis store just before the park entrance.

Make sure you go early in the morning, take advantage of the cool sand and enjoy a barefoot hike up the dunes! Bring plenty of water and a hat, there is literally no shade out there! Stop by the visitor center afterwards, when it's too hot to hike take all the information in it has to offer. Also, it gets super super windy, so make sure you're better prepared than I was and bring a windbreaker and perhaps something to cover your face/eyes because when the sand particles come at you with that speed it can hurt quite a bit.

A beautiful sight to see and behold. Pace yourself though because you will get a workout from it. Check weather and make sure you have on good footwear and plenty of drinking water if you plan to reach the very top.

This was a very cool experience. The dunes look like an achievable climb, but rest assured that they are more difficult to climb than they appear. Well worth the effort though.

Fun place to wear out the children. Make sure to bring plenty of water and plenty of sunscreen. Entrance fee has increased quite a bit.

Blew my mind! I cannot believe a place like this exists in the US! I highly suggest visiting this place. The mosquitos were almost unbearable when we went at the end of June, but it's my understanding they are only bad a few weeks out of the year. It was worth every bite for what we saw. The bugs weren't bad on the actual dunes.
Go in the morning. Less people and less heat. A must-see!

REALLY AWESOME PLACE
PEACEFUL PLACE
VERY VERY COLD PLACE PLEASE BRING YOUR JACKETS AND SOMETIME YOU PHONE NETWORK IS NOT GONNA WORK SO PLEASE DOWNLOAD AND USE THE OFFLINE MAP
AND REALLY REALLY HEAVEN KIND OF PLACE GET YOUR BORAD TO SURF AS WELL
BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE AND SUNSET
BEST PLACE FOR PHOTO SHOOT
MOUNTAIN VIEW IS LOVELY YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE...

Once you make it to the dunes it's like walking on the surface of the moon. Insanely quite this time of year (November). Stick around to see the milky way at night! Watch out for migrating elk! They line the roadways at night and they're hard to see.

It was so much fun hiking up the sand dunes. It was beautiful and quiet. The sand is hot, so make sure to wear the right shoes. I then dipped my feet in the stream near the visitor center. My students in my class want to visit here some day.

Have been here more times than I can count. Every time its amazing. My dogs also love it.

Wow what an awesome place a must visit type. My son loved it so much he rolled all over it

Strenuous hike to the peaks, but well worth the effort ! Best to catch golden hours; will not disappoint. A Colorado favorite for sure:)

Beautiful and well worth the visit, even for a short stop.

Very interesting to see so much sand in a most unusual place.

Dunes are beautiful, the mosca pass is beautiful as well, but it is marred by the amount of mosquitos that live there. Be prepared to get bit by hundreds of them at a time. I've been to a swamp that had less mosquitoes. Didn't have a chance to do much fine stuff, so that could be more fun that the hiking I did.

Always great to visit the Sand Dunes, so much fun to walk them, be ready for a challenging walk, as you slide down half your step going up. Well worth a trip

What a beautiful majestic place. It's amazing this place exists at the base of the mountains. Seems so out of place. Be prepared to cross a shallow river to get to them though!

Great Sand Dunes is something to behold. For most it seems unreal that a park like this would exist in the rockies. Its a great place for recreational activity, hiking, photography, and learning. It is worth climbing to the top, just don't forget sunglasses and a face covering. The sand blowing in the wind can be painful.

Hike early morning or hike late but never in the hot afternoon. One of the coolest things I ve done and worth every step! If you get the chance to go during April - June you ll be able to see the little water flow they have and it s amazing!

Tough hiking in sand. However view is worth it. Bring plenty of snacks and water for this hike. Dress for the weather. Good family memories!

Absolutely incredible! I was just here a few days ago as part of a trip I had this spring break down in Alamosa, and all I have to say after experiencing these sand dunes is wow. Just wow. Climbing up on those dunes and just getting to take in the multiple landscapes with the dunes, mountains, and the San Luis Valley was just breath-taking.

In terms of time it took to get there from where I stayed (just a little outside Alamosa), it was about 42 minutes or so. Totally worth it if you're planning to visit southern Colorado! Even if you aren't planning to visit that part of Colorado, I still think it would be worth the trek down there to see these beautiful sand dunes! Don't forget to stop by the gift shop at the visitor center as well. There, you can find of wide variety of products such as t-shirts, sweatshirts, and many other things. I myself got a bookmark, as well as a sticker/decal that you can put almost anywhere (I put mine on my car).

Must see! I would recommend to visit the dunes in the morning before 10 or later in the evening if you don't want to roast in the sun!

It's an anomaly in Colorado, but the views are fantastic!

Amazing place! Very serene and quiet. Would love to visit again. If you are in the area this is a must see. Take the time to climb the great dune and take in the views. Definitely one of my favorite places in Colorado.

It s a sight to see! But it s hard to walk in the sand

This is a stunning location. It is still open during shutdown. Must see location!

This was the most fun place I have ever taken my pup! He ran and ran up the dunes! We didn't come prepared with all the water we needed, so next time we will definitely be ready! Can't wait!

Went in January, it was cold for sure but there were a lot of people out. Very beautiful and peaceful feeling. Something about it being natural and so massive. Watch the video inside if you wanna know about it. Can't wait to see it in the spring.

Very enjoyable experience and great for the whole family! All visitors need to take care of their trash so the park can be good for the next visitors too!!!

I love this place. Feels like you're in a different country all together. Make the effort to climb to the top of the dunes and you'll see and entirely different view. You can also camp here and the sky at night is insanely clear.

This was fun although it was very windy the day we were there. We plan to stop there on the way home if its not windy.

Beautiful scenery, really nice campground, dark sky to watch the stars, we really enjoy our weekend camping, just remember it may be cold at night and windy during the day

Impressive and nice...great hiking for good exercise. I got sand in places I didnt plan. So wear saran wrap and a space suit.

Great place, the best time to enjoy this place might be during the sunset or sunrise

Amazing views and distinct biome. Well worth the drive from Denver

We were coming from Texas to Rocky Mountains and took the detour to visit this place..Have to say it was well worth the time and drive. Had an amazing time seeing the sand dune up close and climbing it! Definitely recommend it.

Beautiful place and well maintained. I suffered really bad heat exhaustion so be careful what time of year you visit, the suns heats everything up very very quickly. The stream was nice to cool off in :)

Just spur of moment idea on way home from vacation to Montana. Sorta out of the way and almost gave up. It was beautiful and if we were younger we would have climbed some.

Wow, Giant Sand Dunes in Southern Colorado.
Who would have thought that was a thing? Interesting drive to and through the Big Valley along the mountains from Boulder area especially with a nice comfortable Rental convertible.

Spent an hour in line. I could have bought a fancy pasta and it would take 10 minutes and less money to get into this park. It's seriously just a huge mountain of sand guys!

Fun place to take kids, they had a blast playing on the creek and the sand. Bathrooms were not to bad either. Take my advice walk up the creek, don't just plop down in front of the parking area. The only other complaint is the rude people that cannot clean up after their own mess.

Best time to visit, autumn. Spring season is ok, however, the sand is cool but can get hot quickly.

So incredible! I have never been to sand dunes that are so big! You can see the dunes long before you get to them because they are so big. It took us almost an hour to get in the park because of all the people and we had to park a good distance, but despite all the people it is so big it wasn't even crowded. Make sure to bring something to cover your eyes though if the wind picks up.

A little chilly I early April, but less crowded and so very beautiful!

We had a wonderful time at the park to commemorate the parks admission into the International Dark Sky ceremony. I had the opportunity to see things in the heavens I'd never seen before.

We love this park! The dunes are fun for all ages- just watch for the weather. The kids especially loved it at night because there was so little light pollution. Lots of great info around the park as well so we could learn without going into the visitor center.

Visited at the end of February. Was extremely cold, got to the park at 5 am to watch the sun come up. Listened to the coyotes and enjoyed the solitude as I was the only one there.

Can get very very hot! Make sure to go at a good time in the day.

Bring sunscreen and tons of water. The views are worth the sweat.

Great, fun place for the whole family. Restrooms, picnic areas, camping, gift store, tours

Very cool place! I have now been here in the summer when there is water in the river, and in the fall when it is dry and you can easily walk across, and it's fun. The Visitor Center is very informative, and the people are really nice too!

Don't roll down the smaller hills if you have sunscreen on. You will get very sandy. (I learned that the hard way.)

It something to see never new that was there it was exciting to see

What a unique place to visit! The pulsing creek and the towering dunes stand diametrically opposed, the parched and the wet. Great hike out to Star Dune, but wear the right shoes (sewn-on soles, adhesive can melt). Informative facility and the surrounding areas have some great trails.

Amazing. You need at least 2 days to experience it's beauty...

There's a reason it's a National Park. It's just off the main routes to a lot of Colorado points of interest. Sand boards and sand sleds can be rented outside the park for sliding on the dunes. Good luck climbing back up! Mountains of fine sand. Seasonal stream in front of dunes. Hands on museum at park entrance. Camping.

A fantastic place to spend the day. Was an incredible hit with the kids.

It's my childhood place where we go for free water to swim!! Best of during summer months. It's right off hwy 160 and take 16 mile north to the entrance gate. Caution, long car line to the gate to pay fee or show your annual pass. Many port a potty on this parks! It can be stinky!

The sand dunes were absolutely beautiful. When we arrived, we wished we had gotten there earlier to spend more time. Unfortunately, we arrive during mosquitoes hatching time (2nd week of June through mid-July) where large numbers of mosquitos will swarm you! Be sure to bring the bug repellant!

Also, something that is not easily visible on their websites is that it does cost to get in. A regular passenger vehicle will only cost $15 to get in and I believe allowed us a few days access if we wanted to come back.

It is special experience to visit here. Wide dunes and impressive environment. In summer, early time visit is more desirable. You must need sunglasses and rental of sand slider before entering this national park. In national park, there is no services to rent a slider.

Nice experience hiking the sand dunes! Not to miss.

This place is amazing. The 2 hour hike to the high Dune is worth it for the amazing view. It's a spectacular workout! It's also good to watch the twenty minute movie at the visitor center for some perspective on the surroundings. A very unique place to visit, and worth going out of your way for.

Very cool park! As much or as little walking as you want. Stunning amounts of sand that seems to come out of no where. Great for photos or just playing in the sand and creek.

TIPS:
- Go on a weekday so you don t have to wait in line (Thursday was great - only 4 cars in line)

- Bring and umbrella you won t regret it! (extremely windy at the top, and very very sunny)

- Wear close-toed shoes (the sand is super hot)

There is something for everyone to do at the dunes. They have a popular campsite and a visitor center with bathrooms and water. If you want to rent sand board, do it in the cities nearby because they don t rent them inside the park. Yes, it s $25 per vehicle to get in. Yes, there is adequate parking, but not on busy days. You may have to park at the visitor center and hike down or maybe on the street if they don t catch you. There is a stream to cross to get to the dunes which can get pretty high during wet season. Then there are a bunch of smaller dunes to play on or sled down if you re not much of a hiker. If you can get past the deep sand and make your way towards the top, the views are pretty great. It s quite a workout treating through the sand and wind so I recommend you walk on the edge we re the sand is a little more compacted by the wind. Other than the sandscape, there s not much to do or see at the top. Clouds/storms also tend to roll in around noon, so the earlier the better for blue sky & white sand pics. I had a great time overall.

This place is amazing loved it. I will be back definitely such beautiful scenery

Lack of clean restrooms, and over crowded areas that are open!! More parking spaces would be great