Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in Southern Colorado. Attracting about 300,000 visitors a year, the dunes cover 30 square miles and are nestled right next to the Sangre de Cristo mountains, 35 miles north east of Alamosa. The park boasts North America's tallest dunes, rising 750' high. The park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Visitor Center provides some wonderful information for your tour of the Sand Dunes where you can learn more about the park through a 15 minute video, exhibits, and a bookstore.

The Sand Dunes offer numerous activities. The most popular is hiking, as the area is filled with countless trails. Some of these hikes take a few minutes while others take hours. Hiking to the top of the High Dune is a popular endeavor. Though it is not the tallest dune, it appears that way from the visitor center. This hike is not done on a trail; the hiker zigzags up the sandy dune for a 650 foot gain. Though the hike is not easy, the view from the top of the dune is worth the effort. Other hikes include the challenging Zapata Falls trail, which takes the hiker to the picturesque Zapata waterfall. For the not so adventurous soul, the Sand Ramp Trail takes you on an easy hike through the dunes. Many of the other trails can be toured with a trail guide, giving insight about the history of the dunes. These trails are beautiful and must be undertaken by foot; bikes are not permitted on the trails.

Other activities include castle building and kite flying contests, summer concerts, and photography workshops sponsored by Friends of the Dunes Inc. Also, if the area has received enough moisture, you can wade in the waters of Medano Creek, which flows at the base of the dunes. Originating as snow on the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Medano Creek first flows to high alpine lakes, then through dense spruce and fir forest, beaver meadows and large aspen and cottonwood groves before it reaches the dunes. The water seems to disappear in the sand - only to reappear as ponds and verdant wetlands on the west side of the dunes.

 

The Park bustles with wildlife. Mule deer, elk, coyotes, golden and bald eagles, ravens, magpies, and just outside park boundaries bison, are all common sightings. Other interesting creatures include insects that have adapted to the sand and are unique to the area.