How to Spend 24 Hours in Great Sand Dunes National Park

Approaching through the San Luis Valley, you might at first think that the rolling sand dunes set against the towering Sangre de Cristo Mountains are some kind of fata morgana.

The opposite, however, is true. This landscape, however surreal it may look, is actually real.

Blown up and trapped against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Range—13,000 feet (more than 3,900 meters) high and a part of the Rocky Mountains in south-central Colorado—, these are the tallest sand dunes anywhere in North America.

They’re the centerpiece, focal point and namesake of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

In this post, I’ll tell you all about the 24 hours I spent in this extraordinary park. Based on my own experience, I’ll share the best things to do in Great Sand Dunes National Park in one day (including an overnight).

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What to Do in Great Sand Dunes National Park in One Day

Before we get to the top Great Sand Dunes activities, though, I’d like to talk a little bit about the amazing diversity of the park.

I strongly believe that to fully enjoy your outdoor adventures, you need to be aware of where you’re having them.

More Than Just Sand…

You might expect only, well, sand dunes in this park, but Great Sand Dunes National Park is actually a lot more diverse than that.

Its landscapes consist of much more than just vast Sahara-like sand dunes. This is a place of sand, but also of rock and water.

There are no fewer than seven different life zones in the park, from wetlands and grasslands to salt plains, dunes, subalpine forests and alpine tundra.

Each zone has its own specific fauna and flora, which, considering the area’s relatively small size, makes this is hugely biodiverse place. Wildlife watching and photography are, therefore, among the popular things to do in Great Sand Dunes National Park.

If you’re both patient and lucky, you might spot American white pelicans, American beavers, deer or American black bears. Other iconic animals include bobcats, peregrine falcons and the endemic Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle.

When you spend a day in Great Sand Dunes National Park, you’ll notice this incredible variety in habitats and ecosystems yourself.

The best example is Medano Creek, which flows from the mountains around the sand dunes.

You’ll have to wade through its shallow and bubbling waters to get to the dunes, giving you a first-hand experience of the collaboration between sand and water in this fascinating Colorado national park.

…But Still a Lot of Sand

As diverse as the wildlife and scenery is in Great Sand Dunes National Park, it’s still mainly about the dunes themselves.

Interestingly, these iconic hills of sand make up only 11% of a vast deposit of sand to the east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This enormous sand sheet covers 330 square miles (855 km²).

This is a landscape that seems pretty straightforward but is, in fact, very intricate and delicately balanced.

As winds blow sand grains up against the mountains, Medano and Sand creeks, the two streams that envelope the dune field, transport them back down. They effectively recycle sand.

Over time, these sand dunes grew higher and higher still. Now, they’re the tallest in North America. The highest dune of them all, called Star Dune, reaches a height of 750 feet (229 meters).

The Great Sand Dunes in Colorado are much taller than, for example, the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park.

How to Spend 24 Hours in Great Sand Dunes National Park

Spending a day and night in Great Sand Dunes National Park offers you plenty of time to experience the park’s essence.

Below, I’ve outlined an itinerary for a day in the park, based on my own time there.

If you’re wondering what to do at Great Sand Dunes National Park in a day, I recommend following this outline to get the most out of your visit.

Morning: Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center & Logistics

Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center

I always recommend starting a visit to any of the national parks in America at the visitor center.

The Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center is open every day of the year, except on federal winter holidays. This modern facility has drinking water, restrooms, vending machines and a park store.

Definitely make sure to catch the 20-minute park video, in my opinion always a superb introduction to any park.

The visitor center also has additional exhibits while park rangers can offer more detailed information on things like trail conditions and weather.

Rentals and Groceries

The morning is also a good time to think about and plan the rest of your day.

In addition to the free park newspaper and map you can pick up at all national park visitor centers, I use the following guides to plan most of my national park visits:

• Lonely Planet’s National Parks of America
• Fodor’s The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West
• Insight Guides US National Parks West

Besides the visitor center and the campground, there really aren’t any other facilities in the park.

So, if you’d like to go sand boarding and cook a proper meal in the evening, you’ll need to take care of that before venturing further into the park (or waste precious time by backtracking later to get rentals and supplies).

Therefore, I recommend picking up a rental board or sled at Great Sand Dunes Oasis, situated just outside the park. You’ll pass this place on the way into the park, so make this the first thing you do in the morning.

The Oasis also has accommodations, a gas station and grocery store, so it’s a good idea to pick up some food and beverages while you’re there, too.

Note that, unless you spend the night there, you must return your rental equipment before the store closes in the late afternoon.

This is another reason to pick up your rentals as soon as possible, allowing yourself more time to actually enjoy using them.

It’s is why I recommend following the plan I outlined in this blog post.

You’ll need to get there in the morning if you’d like to do some serious sand boarding or sledding that same day. Arriving at noon or in the afternoon won’t be enough time before you have return your equipment.

Afternoon: Great Sand Dunes National Park Sand Boarding & Hiking

Sand Boarding and Sledding

Now that you’ve learned about the park and taken care of all the serious stuff, it’s time for some unlimited all-brakes-loose fun in the dunes.

There are no designated trails in the dunes—they’d be impossible to maintain—so you can explore and wander around as you please.

While, at first, lugging a wooden board or sled up a tall sand dune might seem unnecessarily exhausting, the delightful rush back down makes every step worth it.

You can do a lot of things in Great Sand Dunes National Park in 24 hours, but this is the park’s undeniable highlight.

Feel free to stay in the dunes as long as you want. Or as long as your legs can keep carrying back up the dunes.

Hiking in the Great Sand Dunes

If you don’t feel like sand boarding in Great Sand Dunes National Park, good old hiking is an option as well.

In case you’re feeling adventurous, you can try to make it to Star Dune, North America’s highest sand dune.

This does, however, require a strong sense of direction and orientation skills, as well as an above-average fitness level. The hike to Star Dune is a 6-mile (10-kilometer) roundtrip that takes about five hours.

Alternatively, a shorter hike leads you to the top of High Dune. This 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) outing involves a calf-burning climb to the top of the tallest dune on the first ridge.

The reward is magnificent: a panoramic view over the entire dune field. A great afternoon activity, this is also an excellent hike to enjoy a Great Sand Dunes National Park sunset.

Make sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen and a hat when sand boarding, sledding or hiking. This is a desert environment and, especially in summer, it can get very hot.

Consider wearing either closed shoes or going barefoot (not recommended on hot days, though!). Sandals are more a nuisance than a comfort.

Evening: Sunsets & Campfires

Scenic Great Sand Dunes National Park Camping

After several tiring but exhilarating hours in the dunes, kick back at your campsite at Piñon Flats Campground, the park’s only campground, with a well-earned meal and a beer.

A campfire is, of course, a mandatory companion in any evening in a national park.

Before it gets dark, I suggest heading out again to catch the sunset at Great Sand Dunes, which is often nothing short of phenomenal.

You can either head back into the dunes from the campground, some sites of which overlook the dunes, or go for a drive south of the visitor center.

From the side of the road, there are exceptional views of the sand dunes backed by the mountains.

Night: Phenomenal Stargazing & Night Hiking

Great Sand Dunes Milky Way Viewing

A moon- and cloudless sky brings out thousands of twinkling stars. After all, “half the park is after dark!” is what the Great Sand Dunes National Park website literally says.

Stargazing in Great Sand Dunes National Park is exceptional on most nights, but is at its very best during the new moon. Without the moon in the sky, the stars really get to shine and the Milky Way makes a clear appearance.

You can admire this nightly spectacle from your campsite, which, when chosen carefully, overlooks the sand dunes and the mountains behind them.

Night Hiking

Additionally, if your legs can handle it after that active afternoon, a night hike in the dunes can be unforgettable. Great Sand Dunes National Park at night can be equally as stunning as during the day.

When it’s a full moon, the Milky Way might not be present, but wandering through the dunes is a fantastic, even magical, experience.

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Great Sand Dunes National Park FAQs

How to Get to Great Sand Dunes National Park?

This is a pretty remote park and the nearest town is Alamosa, situated 33 miles (53 kilometers) to the southwest of the park. There are several places to stay in Alamosa, while beer lovers might be interested in visiting the San Luis Brewing Company.

Denver, the capital of Colorado and home to the nearest international airport, lies 240 miles (386 kilometers) to the north.

Please be aware that public transportation in and out of the park is nonexistent and, therefore, you’ll need your own wheels.

What Are the Great Sand Dunes National Park Hours?

Great Sand Dunes National Park is open 24/7, every day of the week.

The Visitor Center is also open most days, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

Are Pets Allowed at Great Sand Dunes?

Yes, absolutely! Another thing that makes this national park so awesome is that it’s one of very few national parks that allow you to take your pet on an adventure.

At Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, pets are permitted in the preserve area and in the main use area of the park.

You can take your pet with you in the following locations (they must be leashed at all times):

• Piñon Flats Campground
• Around (but not inside) the Visitor Center
• Dunes Overlook Trail to the first high ridge of dunes
• Medano Creek section between the Visitor Center and dune field (they can play in the water!)
• along Medano Pass Road

Check the National Park Service website for more information about pet policies and rules.

What Are the Great Sand Dunes Camping Options?

The Piñon Flats Campground is the only campground in Great Sand Dunes National Park. It’s located about a mile past the Visitor Center.

This campground is open from April 1 through October 30. In the months of April and October, all 88 campsites are available on a first-come first-served basis.

From May through September, on the other hand, you can reserve a site in advance at Recreation.gov. During that busy season, all not-reserved sites are still available as first-come first-served.

In terms of facilities, the Piñon Flats Campground has restrooms with flush toilets, sinks, a dish-washing sink, and drinking water. All sites have a picnic table and fire gate, but there are no hookups.

There’s also a small Campground Store where you can get some basic supplies, snacks, drinks and firewood.

During my visit, however, they didn’t have a lot of things left. You’re better off getting everything you need at the Great Sand Dunes Oasis when you get your sand board.

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NOTE: Black bears sometimes pay a visit to the Great Sand Dunes campground. You are required to use the provided bear lockers. Never leave odorous items in your tent, but always store them somewhere secure.

In case you do see a bear, however unlikely it may be, follow these black bear safety guidelines.

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Are There Showers at Great Sand Dunes National Park?

No, there are no showers within Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Luckily, however, you can rinse yourself off at the Oasis Campground just outside the park. Ask at the store about using their showers.

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Have you ever spent a day in Great Sand Dunes, Colorado? What were your favorite things to do in Great Sand Dunes National Park? Share your national park experience in the comments below!

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Other Southwest National Parks to Explore

• Arches National Park Attractions
• Capitol Reef National Park Attractions
• Grand Canyon National Park Attractions
• Mesa Verde National Park Attractions
• Petrified Forest National Park Attractions
• Saguaro National Park Attractions