Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Stay on a moonless night to experience countless stars in this International Dark Sky Park! Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week year-round. There are no timed entries or reservations to visit.
Alerts
- CautionNPS ↗Creek Crossings 3, 4, and 5 Have Deep Water on the Medano Pass Primitive Rd
The third, fourth, and fifth creek crossings on the 4WD Only Medano Pass Primitive Road have deep water crossings. Motorists are advised to use caution and exercise sound judgement to the capabilities of their vehicle. NOTE: Access remains unaffected for all other paved road destinations such as the visitor center, dunes parking lot, and campground.
- CautionSpeed Limits are Much Lower Inside Park than Surrounding Highways
Speed limits for the park include 30 MPH near the park boundary and Great Sand Dunes Sign, and as low as 10 MPH near the Headquarters and Entrance Station. Speed limits are in place to protect park visitors, pedestrians, and wildlife in the park. Please drive carefully and responsibly.
- InformationGreat Sand Dunes Currently at Stage 1 Fire Restrictions
As of August 18th, Great Sand Dunes is under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions. All wood and charcoal fires must be in established fire rings in designated campsites or picnic sites. No other open fires are allowed. Fires MUST BE put out COLD before leaving your site and must not be left unattended. camp stoves and other pressurized gas devices allowed.
- InformationNPS ↗Sand Board and Sand Sled Rentals Not Available In Park.
Sand boarding and sand sled rentals are located in local communities surrounding the park. Visitors are encouraged to arrange rentals BEFORE coming to the park.
- InformationPiñon Flats Campground, sites can be reserved 3 months in advance for 2026
Due to the need for improvements in Piñon Flats Campground, sites can be reserved 3 months in advance beginning in 2026.
Fire nearby
- WildfireAspen Acres
32 mi from the park's reference point · 102,007 acres · 90% contained
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Private VehicleFees are charged only when the entrance station is open in the spring, summer, and fall seasons or when the visitor center is open in the winter season. Fees can be paid by cash, check, or credit card. Passes may also be purchased in advance online through recreation.gov. | $25 | |
| Non-commercial Groups15+ passenger vehicle, age 16+ | $15 | |
| MotorcycleValid for 7 days. Admits up to 2 private, non-commercial motorcycles with up to 4 total passengers. | $20 | |
| Per PersonEntrance Fee for Bicycles or Walk-In Visitors | $15 | |
| Commercial tours · by vehicle capacity | ||
| SedanThis fee is for a commercial group of 1-6 people in a smaller vehicle. Valid for 7 days. | $25 | |
| VanThis fee is for a commercial group of 7-15 persons in a van. Valid for 7 days. | $40 | |
| Mini-busThis fee is for a commercial group of 16-25 persons in a mini-bus. Valid for 7 days. | $40 | |
| Motor CoachThis fee is for a commercial motor coach with 26+ capacity. Valid for 7 days. | $100 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkIf you visit Great Sand Dunes more than once in a year, consider purchasing an annual pass to save money. The Great Sand Dunes Annual Pass admits the pass holder(s) and all family members in the vehicle into the park for one year from date of purchase. | $45 | |
Visitors will be charged only one of the following fees. Entrance passes may also be purchased in advance through recreation.gov.
Hours
| Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve | Daily · All Day |
When to go
June draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Campgrounds
| Piñon Flats Campground | 90 sites | |
| $20 a night · Closed Nov 1 to Mar 31 | ||
| Medano Pass Primitive Road Campsites | 21 sites | |
| 21 first-come | ||
| Backpacking Campsites in the Dunes or Forest ↗ | 27 sites | |
| $6 a night · 27 reservable | ||
Every campground here has its own page on Campsite Atlas, with site counts, hookups, rig limits and booking windows. All of them on one page → How park camping works
Visitor centers
- Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
The visitor center offers restrooms, a water fill station, interactive exhibits, and a 20-minute video about the park. Park rangers are available to answer questions and help you plan your time.
- Entrance Station ↗
Purchase park passes at the Entrance Station, located on the main entrance road.
Explore
Things to do
- Splash in Medano Creek1-8 Hours
Medano Creek is a popular seasonal stream enjoyed by all ages.
Opens on the Park Service site - Explore the Dunes
Explore the tallest dunes in North America! The centerpiece of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is the 30-square-mile (78-square-km) dunefield, featuring the tallest dunes in North America.
Opens on the Park Service site - Sandboarding and Sand Sledding2-8 Hours
Sandboarding and sand sledding are the most popular activities on the dunes. Read the information on this page to have a positive, fun, and safe experience.
Opens on the Park Service site - Experience the Night30-300 Minutes
Half the park is after dark! Night at Great Sand Dunes can include dunes exploration under a bright full moon, viewing thousands of stars on a clear moonless night, listening for owls along the foothills, or observing migrating amphibians on a wet…
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike Montville Nature Trail or Mosca Pass Trail30-240 Minutes
Just above the dunefield are montane woodlands of pinon and ponderosa pine, subalpine aspen and conifer forests, alpine lakes and rugged mountains over 13,000 feet (4,000 m) in elevation.
Opens on the Park Service site - Hike Medano Lake and Mount Herard8-12 Hours
Take your 4WD vehicle around the dunes and up to Medano Pass, hike to a small alpine lake, then continue to the summit of 13,297 ft (4,053 m) Mount Herard for an aerial perspective on the entire dunefield! This is a physically demanding but…
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 8Hide
- Hike Sand Creek Lakes10-15 Hours
Sand Creek Lakes are part of the alpine watershed of Great Sand Dunes National Preserve. A longer drive and hike is required to reach these lakes, but the mountain scenery is worth the effort. Check with a ranger for conditions before travel.
Opens on the Park Service site - 4WD Medano Pass Primitive Road1-3 Hours
Drive a 4WD around the eastern edge of the dunes then over a forested mountain pass. Be prepared for soft sand, creek crossings, and rocky terrain.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Webcams
Camera images load live from the National Park Service and partner agencies
Events
- AM Visitor Center Ranger Talk10/1411:15 AM · runs through Oct 17 · freePrograms take place on visitor center rear porch, front lobby, or in auditorium.
- PM Visitor Center Ranger Talk10/1701:45 PM · runs through Oct 31 · freePrograms take place on visitor center rear porch, front lobby, or in auditorium.
- 7:30 pm Amphitheater Evening Program10/1707:30 PM · runs through Oct 24 · free
News
- Great Sand Dunes to Host Hispanic Culture Event Sept. 18 ↗2026-09-10
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area welcome visitors to experience the Hispanic culture of the San Luis Valley through a series of music and dance performances…
- Lower Sand Creek corridor to close temporarily for native trout restoration ↗2026-07-21
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve will temporarily close the area within 20 yards of Sand Creek between the Music Pass Trail and Sand Ramp Trail from July 26 through August 2 while crews conduct a native trout…
- Great Sand Dunes Celebrates Junior Ranger Day Saturday Aug. 1st ↗2026-07-17
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is celebrating the annual Junior Ranger Day on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Superintendent's Residence, Great Sand Dunes National MonumentBuilding · Mosca · 6.2 mi
- Zapata Ranch HeadquartersBuilding · Mosca · 9.7 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Great Sand Dunes. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve and Colorado's national parks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthMountain Lion 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 228 birds, 59 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Burrowing Owl · Cooper's Hawk · Ferruginous Hawk · Flammulated Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Merlin; Pigeon Hawk · Northern Harrier · Northern Pygmy Owl · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Rough-legged Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared Owl · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · Western Screech-Owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Coot · American White Pelican · American Wigeon · Black-crowned Night Heron · Black-necked Grebe · Blue Goose · Blue-winged Teal · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Cinnamon Teal · Clark's Grebe · Common Goldeneye · Common Merganser · Great Blue Heron · Great Egret · Green-winged Teal · Hooded merganser · Lesser Scaup · Pied-Billed Grebe · Pintail; Northern Pintail · Red-necked Grebe · Ring-necked Duck · Ross' Goose · Ruddy Duck · Sandhill Crane · Snowy Egret · Virginia Rail · Western Grebe · White-faced Ibis · double-crested cormorant
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Avocet · Baird's Sandpiper · Black Tern · California gull · Common Snipe · Forster's Tern · Franklin's Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Kentish Plover · Killdeer · Least Sandpiper · Lesser Yellowlegs · Long-billed Dowitcher · Marbled Godwit · Mountain Plover · Red-necked Phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · Western Sandpiper · Willet · Wilson's Phalarope · long-billed curlew
Gamebirds & dovesBand-tailed Pigeon · Dusky Grouse · Mourning Dove · Rock Pigeon · White-tailed Ptarmigan · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersCommon Flicker · Downy Woodpecker · Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Lewis’s Woodpecker · Red-naped Sapsucker · Williamson's Sapsucker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsAmerican Black Swift · Black-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird · Calliope Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAmerican Dipper · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Robin; Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Bank Swallow · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Magpie · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-throated Gray Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Bohemian Waxwing · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown Towhee · Brown-capped Rosy-Finch · Brown-headed Cowbird · Bullock's Oriole · Canvasback · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Finch · Cassin's Kingbird · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Clark's Nutcracker · Cliff Swallow · Common Bushtit; Bushtit · Common Crow; American Crow · Common Nighthawk · Common Raven · Common Redpoll · Common Yellowthroat · Cordilleran Flycatcher · Dark-eyed Junco · Dickcissel · Dusky Flycatcher · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Goshawk; Northern Goshawk · Grace's Warbler · Gray Catbird; Catbird · Gray Flycatcher · Gray Jay · Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch · Green-tailed Towhee · Hammond's Flycatcher · Harris’s Sparrow · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Juniper Titmouse · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · MacGillivray's Warbler · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mockingbird · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain Chickadee · Northern Cardinal · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Northern Shrike · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Ovenbird · Pine Grosbeak · Pine Siskin · Pinyon Jay · Plumbeous Vireo · Poor-will; Common Poorwill · Purple Martin · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rock Wren · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Rosy-Finch · Ruby-Crowned Kinglet · Sage Sparrow · Sage Thrasher · Savannah Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Song Sparrow · Sora · Spotted Towhee · Steller's Jay · Swainson's Thrush · Townsend's Solitaire · Townsend's Warbler · Tree Swallow · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Virginia's Warbler · Warbling Vireo · Western Bluebird · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Scrub-Jay · Western Tanager · Western Wood-pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow (Mountain Subspecies) · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-headed Blackbird · Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's Subspecies) · common grackle
Small mammalsAbert's squirrel · Beaver · Bushy-tailed Woodrat · Colorado Chipmunk · Deer Mouse; White-footed Mouse · Desert Cottontail · Gapper's Red-backed Vole · Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel · Gunnison's Prairie Dog · Long-tailed Vole · Masked Shrew · Meadow Vole · Montane Shrew · Muskrat · Northern Rock Mouse · Nothern Grasshopper Mouse · Nothern Pocket Gopher · Nuttall's Cottontail · Ord's Kangaroo Rat · Pika · Plains pocket mouse · Porcupine · Rock Ground Squirrel · Silky Pocket Mouse · Snowshoe Hare · Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel · Water Shrew · Western Harvest Mouse · Western Jumping Mouse · White-tailed Jack Rabbit · Yellow-bellied Marmot · least chipmunk
PredatorsBadger · Black Bear · Bobcat · Coyote · Ermine; Short-tailed Weasel · Gray Fox · Long-tailed Weasel · Mountain Lion · Raccoon · Red Fox · Spotted Skunk · Striped Skunk
Hoofed mammalsAmerican Elk; Wapiti · Bighorn Sheep · Mule Deer · Pronghorn
BatsBrazilian free-tailed bat · Little Brown Bat · Long-eared Myotis · Long-legged Myotis · Occult Myotis · Silver-haired bat · Townsend's big-eared bat · big brown bat · hoary bat · western small-footed bat
Also on the checklistChickaree
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Camping in the national parks · Fishing in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Horseback riding in the national parks · Rock climbing in the national parks · Skiing in the national parks · Stargazing in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 47 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Temperatures are relatively cool all year at the park elevation 8000 ft. Conditions are most often calm, but winds can arise, especially in spring and during storm fronts. Daytime temperatures feel warmer here year round due to intense high-altitude sunlight, and mid-day summer sand surface temps can be 160 degrees F! Plan to explore the dunes morning or evening during summer. Nights are cool in summer, and frigid in winter. Visit https://nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/weather.htm for details
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Great Sand Dunes?
Entrance is $25 per private vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, and $15 per person on foot or bike. Fees are charged only when the entrance station is open in the spring, summer, and fall seasons or when the visitor center is open in the winter season.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Great Sand Dunes?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Great Sand Dunes-only annual pass is $45.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Great Sand Dunes takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Great Sand Dunes free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Great Sand Dunes?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Great Sand Dunes. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
Is Great Sand Dunes open year-round?
Yes. The grounds are open 24 hours a day, year-round.
Source: National Park Service
Can I camp in Great Sand Dunes?
Yes. The Park Service lists 3 campgrounds in Great Sand Dunes: Piñon Flats, Medano Pass Primitive Road Campsites, and Backpacking Campsites in the Dunes or Forest. 2 take reservations through Recreation.gov; 1 is first-come, first-served.
Which Great Sand Dunes campgrounds have showers, hookups, or a dump station?
Dump station: Piñon Flats.
Source: Campgrounds
Do camping fees at Great Sand Dunes include the entrance fee?
No. Camping is charged per night on top of the entrance fee or a pass; Piñon Flats is $20 a night.
Source: Campgrounds
When do Great Sand Dunes campgrounds close for the season?
Piñon Flats is closed Nov 1 to Mar 31.
Source: Campgrounds
Is anything closed at Great Sand Dunes right now?
5 active alerts as of October 14, 2026: Creek Crossings 3, 4, and 5 Have Deep Water on the Medano Pass Primitive Rd; Great Sand Dunes Currently at Stage 1 Fire Restrictions; and more.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Great Sand Dunes?
432,498 recreation visits in 2025, number 124 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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