Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Reviews

A truly unique experience!

Definitely worth the visit, even on a really hot summer day... To truly appreciate the scenery, you should hike away from the crowds. Then, you will discover the true beauty of this place!

Tranquil and out of this world!

Make sure you have lots of sunscreen, water, snacks and your camera to take pictures. Parking can be an issue, depending the time of the day and the day of the week but it's not as bad. Avoid parking on those big rv parking spots or you will get a ticket within minutes. There are public restrooms, showers and water fountains, next to the parking lot.

I been to put all the stars on there this is a beautiful place to go everybody should go I'm going camping next week there for 6 days been going there since I was a kid and I'm 44 years old

Colorado's Beach. Waves, water and sand....and more sand.

Go early or late. Plan to hike in socks. Grab some goggles to sled the big dunes, and bring a change of clothing.

Fun. Fun, Fun for the whole family. Get there early since it fills up and parking can be a nightmare. Bring water to rinse your feet after going in the sand and creek.

Amazing park. If you plan on camping, I suggest placing a reservation well in advance. Like others have said very busy park, we ended up having to camp at a privately owned camp ground near the park cause we waited until the day before we knew we would be arriving to try and book a tent site (we were on a not so scheduled trip).

We got to go when the creek was flowing so it was an amazing event for the kids. Really fun to play in.

When heading out to the dunes early morning is an understatement, by 11am the sand will cook you if you're not prepared for it. Even in May, when it's still relatively cool.

If you have a state park annual pass, this park alone makes it worth it. They also have a star gazers event and it's really neat to watch the meteor showers.

Extraordinary place! Massive sand dunes... Be warned, walking up the dunes is exhausting and further than it looks! Limited Toilet facilities...

Amazing! Beautiful day to get away from people and play in the sand. The kids loved playing in the creek and sand for hours.

A snow storm moved in and covered the dunes with white snow it was beautiful

Well worth a visit, unfortunately the weather was bad for me, but absolutely when the weather was nice, and the kids can let off steam, shoveling sand until they drop.

This was our second time visiting the Great Sand Dunes... They haven't moved. Well actually they are moving all the time in the same place.. Kinda just like us...

Total natural bliss. A wonderful place to spend the day and a great national park

What a great experience! We stopped here whole on vacation and rented Sand Boards from Kristi's Mountain Sports. Absolutely beautiful with breath taking views. Be prepared to spend alot of time here and hike up hill in the sand. I recommend this!

Very interesting its 440,000 years of sand
Its definitely a must see

This place was amazing. The only hiccup was that their wheelchairs made for the dunes had flat tires. I had to wait while my wife caught beautiful sunrise and sunsets. Cannot wait to go back.

Went in July and it was very very hot on the sand, do not go in sandles or flip flop unless you want to feel as if your feet are being held in a fire!!! They were interesting though, the visitors center was very educational. Lots of people take boogie boards when they visit the dunes and slide down the dunes on them for fun.

Sunrise. Sunset. Cold river. Hot sand. So much fun I almost forget that we got hit by a sand storm as soon as we reached the top of the highest dune and had to run for our lives. All good though. It was a very dangerous skin exfoliant mostly. Would highly recommend.

Loved hiking on the dunes, best to avoid summer, gets very warm on the sand

Got there early and enjoyed the whole day. Beautiful place.

Rent a board from Kristie mountain sports and get there early. It's a blast. In the spring, a creek will form in the stretch of sand between the parking lot and the dunes, and it will get hot there midday, so go early. Kids had a blast. Also, check out Zapata falls down the street.

One of the best parks around. Camping, I think, is better at the lodge outside the main gate. As the campsites are full, every time I have been there, the National Park is full.

Really beautiful and fun place to visit. Plus it's dog friendly!

Sandy AF! Do yourself a favor and rent the Sand sleds or boards. So much fun! Try to get out on the dunes before the afternoon wind kicks up. Head to Crestone Brewery afterward.

Beautiful park with impressive variety of scenery. Take the 4x4 trail up the pass and round the other side.

The sand dunes are an amazing stop. Everyone tells you to go in the AM before the heat or evening, would recommend following this guidance. It gets very hot on the dunes. A beginner to the dunes should definitely rent a sled from the shop before entering the park, it's like $22 for a day of use. Would also recommend bringing a sponge or extra pair of socks to use to rinse off in the little stream so you can get the sand off a bit before getting back to your car.

Fun spot in the middle of nowhere with great views and camping.

A very cool place to visit. The Sand Dunes are in high plains with a beautiful mountain background. My kids loved it

I arrived here at midnight and found the park to be empty besides a handful of people shooting the stars.

Of my 5000 mile road trip, this was the most memorable section. It was midsummer, clear skies, stars were out in force and the moon illuminated everything. It was so peaceful (besides a bit of wind here and there). I stayed out there photographing for a few hours and headed back to my campsite.

I would highly recommend going on a clear summer night.

Make sure to get a permit in advance if wanting to do a film/photo shoot there.

Stunningly beautiful and surreal. A must see if you're considering a trip to any of the other nearby national parks and you've got time. One of the more dog friendly national parks. You can actually take them out into the sand dunes wilderness. Almost all national parks don't allow you to bring your dog into the wilderness. How much will your dog enjoy it? I don't know. The sand can get very hot. It wasn't for us, but mine still didn't like it.

Good time to be had by all. Great national park. Pretty clean for the most part, lots of tourists, usually very busy. Breathtaking scenery, and a wide variety of options to get away from the crowds. The sand dunes are very neat and highly recommended to visit if you re passing through. If seeking a bit of an adventure and thrill, be sure to rent a dune board and bring plenty of wax to get your max speed up. Be safe and have fun. Don t forget, leave no trace, if you pack it in, make sure to pack it out. Tighten your hats and don t let anything blow away.

Great place to slide down the dunes it the morning when sand is hard & wet

Spent an hour playing on the dunes. Try for a cloudy day!

Had a rental car and decided when I woke up early on a Saturday that I might as well go. It may not be as pretty as in the summer time but it is good fun. I will be driving back down in the spring for sure.

The sand dunes are amazing, any time of the year. My favorite is early June when the water is flowing and November when there are no crowds. Try reserving a camp site way in advance or stay at the little motel by the entrance.

A must see, very unique! Try sand-sledding, hike or drive the 4wd primitive road.

We drove down from Denver to see Great Dunes. Dunes are impressive. I highly recommend.

Great little campground with amazing views. Can be very windy at times. The creek is a great place for families. Worth the trip!

Awesome place, didn't expect a place like this existed in Colorado.

It was so nice up there and the drive was so. Nice to!!

Nice and quiet on a Wednesday afternoon. Gorgeous views!

This park was one of my favorites when we drove over 14,000 miles and experienced over 15 national parks. This hike to the highest point takes around 1 1/2 hours and is not for the weak hearted. Children and adults alike sand sled and play all throughout the dunes. Campgrounds are located on the other side and it is very easy to acces parks in Utah to the west. A 6 hour drive and you will be at Arches, Canyon Lands and the town of Moab.

I loved the sand sledders!

I'm very unique and distinctive National Park the sand dunes are quite a sight and their formation is almost miraculous considering its location the downside is that the park is mostly a hiking Park and there's very few things to see other than to dunes in the creek buy car

Amazing place to visit.
Don't forget swimsuit or shorts.

Fun but busy. May and June are the months to go so you can play in the water.

This place took our breath away and instantly became one of our favorite places in America to visit. We will most certainly be back again.

The Great Sand Dunes is a surreal landscape that is totally worth the visit. It's a difficult climb to the top of the dunes but there are other trails around the base that let you take it all in. Very cool.

We went here when it was snowing so most of the sand wasn t exposed but I genuinely had fun for once
The sand dunes become perfect hills for sledding and the park provides sleds for the visitors to use, and many were passing them on to spare us the walk of going all the way back to entrance to get them
There are several great slopes for going down, and it might get a bit difficult to breathe if you try to climb to the higher peaks but it s really worth it
Try not to drop your sled though

Once you are past the gate this is an AWESOME place! Plan on getting in early and spend the whole day! Come prepared!

We hit the snow melt perfectly, great river tubing.

I mean. It was cool. It s a lot of sand.

That s it.

You know how you walk on the beach and it s hard.

This is hard. It s like walking on a beach... so, bring good shoes and energy. And be prepared to need to vacuum out your vehicle.

This place looks out of this world. Very beautiful. If you come here be sure you have a lot of energy because walking up sand dunes can get exhausting. I rented a sled and went down a few dunes. It was exhausting and I ended up with a pound of sand in my shoes. I would skip the sled and just walk around and enjoy the beautiful scene.

Amazing dunes out in the middle of nowhere. A must see

The rangers here are really friendly and helpful. The place itself is definitely worth the drive.

Great place to kill a day...drink LOTS of water and plan on sandy shoes and socks

Amazing. Incredible. Breath-taking star-gazing. Saw aurora borealis. Physically taxing to get to ridge- summit. Definitely need to get there early for sledding or after 4pm. And have to stay til after dark to truly appreciate all its beauty. Take flashlight and hoodies, water. And sense of fun and humor!

Beautiful and unique. Get there early in the morning if you want to hike to the top of the dunes. It gets very hot in the afternoon.

This is beautiful to see. Kids and young adults running towards the dunes. Some people had wooden sand boards to surf on the sand. The problem with that is you have to travel 20 miles to rent them. So you need to have the board before you get there.

Super windy, be prepared to get covered in sand, awesome workout feels like the climbing never ends

Spectacular sand dunes over 700 feet high with a stream and Mountains in the background.

This is an amazing park. Just spending time in the dunes is great fun. Wish I had more time to explore. I will be coming back someday. Hopefully when there is not a full moon so I can appreciate the stars.

Definitely worth stopping at during a road trip if your traveling through southern Colorado. Surreal landscape, and you can easily hike to the to of the dunes in about an hour from the trailhead.

Great place to visit, make sure you call the park before visiting. The sand dunes were covered by snow

The sand dunes are really nice at early morning and in the evening time. You can also go for stargazing here at night.

The park is pretty impressive but there is not a lot that you can get to just by driving a regular car. You either need a 4 wheel drive vehicle or be ready for a fair amount of moderate to difficult hiking to get the full experience. We found out first had the the mosquitoes are very bad if you go during their mosquito season which is mid June to late July.