#5 Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park 

Square Miles: 134.2 square miles
Annual Visitors
When we visited: September, 2017
Where we stayed: Pinon Flats Campground, Site #50
The route to get there:
Trails we took:

Mountains, sand dunes and a river. What an interesting combination of elements. So excited that we get to visit our fifth National Park this weekend. We will be heading south to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. I have heard amazing things about this place, not least of all how much fun there is to be had. Among other things we are looking forward to sledding on the dunes and playing in the river at the base.

While up there, I was able to figure out what makes them look so velvety from a distance. There seems to be a layer of sand on the sand, that is maybe a different combination of sand particles? They are bigger and lighter in color. It collects in places looking like highlights on the dunes and giving it that velvet soft look. If anyone has any input on that, I'd be interested to know why that is.

We learned a few things this past weekend. One: national parks are always inspiring. Never plan to spend just one night. This was the second time we thought we would just "cross it off the list" by getting one night in the park. That was a mistake. As usual, the place is beautiful with so much to explore. We barely scratched the surface.

Second, always come prepared. Even when the forecast says there is only a 1% chance of rain, well, there is still a chance. We left our camp to go hike and before we returned, it has started to rain...no, downpour. We had confidence that it wasn't going to rain - didn't even think about it - and therefore did not put the rain fly on the tent. I had also not packed rain gear. Be sure to always pack rain gear.

What a downer to find your sleeping place covered in puddles. But, thank goodness for "water proof" sleeping bags that are actually water proof.

Third, if you buy an annual pass - don't forget to bring it. It's also really helpful if you have a fourth grader to get in to the parks for free, but only if you bring the printout that you receive after registering your fourth grader. Wah Wah Wah.

Learn from our mistakes.

We camped at Pinon Flats campground, site #50 (which is right in the middle of a large flow of water when it downpours BTW). It was a pleasant site right on the Dune Trail and adjacent to the bathrooms.

I found this campground to have a lot of useful amenities. Ie. there was a bear proof cupboard right in the site. So helpful! The bathrooms had flush toilets and sinks for dish washing.

We did the recommended activities in and around the park in the time we had. To begin with, we took an exploratory hike on the Dune Trail to the (what do you know?) the dunes. It brought us right to the Medano River, which was mostly dried up by this time of year.

However, just because there is only an inch of water flowing instead of the regular foot or so - doesn't mean it isn't still very entertaining. I wish that we had more time to just sit by the 'river' and play. I recommend bringing some beach chairs and a picnic for just that activity.

After that little hike, we drove out to Zapata Falls. It's a couple miles outside of the park and up a very bumpy 3-mile road. Then, you hoof it for about .5 miles to a sweet slot canyon with a high water fall. The hike actually takes you through the river, so be prepared with water shoes. We enjoyed it quite a bit. Great views on the way back, too, of the largest valley in Colorado.

We came back to the downpour and darkness which put a damper on dinner and the ranger presentation we had hoped to attend: "Half the Park is After Dark". I heated up the pepperoni pizza sliders for dinner between down pours and then we ate in the car.

The next day, after a bagel sandwich breakfast and fruit we broke camp down. We wanted to get to play and sled on the dunes before they hit the 130 degree temps. We headed to the Oasis Restaurant where you can rent the sleds. I would recommend bringing your own because it was very expensive.

Riding on the dunes was an experience (I think, I didn't do it...but the kids did). It requires hiking on hot sand uphill - so it can be intense. But the sled rides and views from the dunes are incredible.'

Our trip was short, but incredibly sweet.

I would love to hear any of your experiences from the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Was anyone else fooled by the weather? Did anyone see any bears in this bear country?

5 Parks down and 54 left to go! Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are up next.

Pinon Flats Campground, site 50

The sand is magnetized. We also experienced another event that had happened once before and now it was explained. Apparently, when lightning strikes sand, it can magnetize certain particles in the sand. So, if you set your tripod in the sand that has magnetized feet - all those particles stick to it. This also happened at Lake Michigan and now we know what it is: magnetite! The experiment in this video looks like fun to try.

Sand sledding at Great Sand Dunes 

Medano Creek water level in early September, warm enough to play in

Alas, our time was up at the dunes. On the way out, we ate lunch at the recommended Oasis Restaurant and weren't disappointed. We also had to stop at Colorado Gators and get our certificate of bravery for holding an alligator.