Category: | National Park |
Address: | Colorado, USA |
Phone: | +1 719-378-6399 |
Site: | nps.gov |
Rating: | 4.8 |
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Rene Ohnesorge
Small but watchable Park! Above all, not so crowded ... We were just passing through, but in the end pleasantly surprised. Admission costs 15 USD and is more favorable for national parks. For this you get 200 meter high dunes and in May / June cool off in the river bed in front of the dunes. We made a side trip to the hinterland with the SUV and can view the impressive dunes of the back. With a normal car is also available with all-wheel dissuade! You get stuck inevitably! There is horseback riding and the possibility of sandboarding to depart the dunes (no elevator) - must be purchased outside the park). Who, for example, want to stay longer to hike, can remain in the nearby lodge or camping in the park. We arrived in the morning from the South Fork an hour away.
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Leander Scholz
One of the most beautiful places in the United States. The campsite is very nice and in a great location, there is a wonderful visitor center and many hiking trails for hikers. There is also a campsite away from roads in the wilderness, so to speak. But you have to remember that you are traveling at an altitude of over 2000 meters, so, larger doors and walking on the dunes, even for experienced hikers be very stressful. If you want to go to the dunes I can especially in summer only in the morning recommended as the sand heats up the daytime. In addition, the sunrise on the dunes is a beautiful spectacle.
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Tayleah Surratt
This is one of the most unique and beautiful places in Colorado. If you go early in the year like we did this year (2016) there is often a small to midsize fast runni g stream at the bottom of the Dunes, on Memorial Day weekend it is how Coloradans do "beach life." Anytime of year is special. We like to slide down on our own $7.00 snow sleds in the morning and play in the water in the afternoon. Crowded on holidays so be ready for long waits and a long walk to the actual dunes if you come later than 8 or 9am. Great visitor center. The night lectures are wonderful and highly recommended. The stars are incredible and the ranger puts on a musical warm up. Just know that the sand will be on and in every body part do be prepared for that. There are some surf style showers at the main bathroom but we were happy to have a pool at our lodge! Camping is also fun but the last week of May was still cool (34 F at night) so we were happy to be indoors this time. Nearby Zapata falls is also worth a visit.
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Jacob Huckins
What an anomaly of nature! I did not expect this park to be so interesting. Beautiful mountain backdrop with vast dunes in front. The combination of landscapes seems surreal. Please note: if traveling in the summer bring lots of water, sun protection and mosquito repellent. In June during my visit we were swarmed by mosquitoes in the parking lot and around places with foliage. Once we were on the dunes mosquitoes were no longer an issue. Sand can get hot so shoes or at least socks are recommended to prevent burning your feet. Also the wind can pick up without notice which causes large gusts of sand. A light wind breaker and/or a handkerchief might come in handy to protect from the blowing sand. For fun some sled or snowboard on the sand dunes. Rentals are available too. There is a stream at the base of the dunes were a lot of small children enjoy making sand castles and getting wet. Hiking is also an option, just beware hiking the sand dunes is a LOT harder than regular terrain.
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Sandeep Paulraj
Simply Awesome experience. You essentially make your own trail to the top of the dunes. I have to try and explain how I first saw the dunes from the car as I was driving towards this place. From about 20 miles away you start to see weird mountains or something that looks like light colored mountains. It is distinctively light in color. As you get closer, the sight absolutely amazes you. How could sand dunes be next to mountains. My wife and I hiked to one of the intermediate dunes. It was a tiring but fun experience. This was one of the best hikes i have completed.We initially planned to spend a couple hours here but ended up spending more than 6 hours. In the spring and summer, I believe there is a river running between the parking lot and the dunes which would add more to the experience. Near the main parking lot there are kind of shower stalls to get rid of the sand.Make sure to carry enough drinking water. This is simply an amazing place for a family visit.
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my name is maxcapax
A great experience Few climb. I have finally made the third visit. It is troublesome. Fearing sand in your shoes I had omitted this. That was a mistake. It is at times extremely hot. Sandstorm on the ridges. The Camera crunches, eyes, ears, nose - all full. In retrospect but einunvergessliches experience. THANK YOU. Time required: 3 hours from Parking Lot.
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John Mauger
Simply unreal. What are massive sand dunes doing in the middle of Colorado? We chose to hike into the dunes and camp for a night, and it was quite an experience. It was pretty windy that day, so sand was blowing everywhere. We thought our first campsite was okay, but after being sandblasted for a while we moved to an area that was more protected. Good thing too, because on our way out we saw that the sand had piled up a few feet at our original spot. Once you get into the dunes, it can get very disorienting fast. That being said, this park is best appreciated by slogging up to the highest dune you can find, take in the view, then barrel down the sandy slopes.
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Nadine Erhard
A stunning backdrop and absolutely recommendable National Park. We hiked up to the tallest dune and took us with many photo stops about 3 hours there and back. The dunes run up and down so much fun - but was also quite tiring and hot. But it will be compensated around multiple if one is above)
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Robert Hawkins
Great day out. Very busy but the park is relatively inexpensive and definitely worth a visit. Arriving at the welcome centre you find the usual information and the rangers were really helpful. They run the junior ranger programme here. At the dunes there is a picnic parking area with some BBQs. There were all in use so get there early if you want one. The main parking area was full but turnover was quite high. The dunes themselves are amazing and quite a sight juxtaposed against the backdrop of the Rockies. Just before the entrance is the Oasis and you can hire either a board or a sledge to bomb down the dunes. Didnt do this but it looked fun!
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Jonathan Payne
The Great Sand Dunes are a must see! Absolutely beautiful surrounding area! Visitor center staff are friendly and helpful, they have a cool museum on how the dunes formed to checkout as well. Be aware you need to cross a small stream (water may be cold) by foot that is sometimes ankle deep to get to the Sand Dunes. For us we took our shoes off and rolled up our pant legs to cross and left our shoes on the other side of the stream. Some of the sand leading up to the dunes is a bit rocky, but you should be okay walking barefoot. There are also a few hikes in the surrounding area, and a nice waterfall to checkout slightly outside of the park.
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Crystal Jarvis
This place is gorgeous! We arrived very early so we did not have to pay the park entry fee and because we were one of the first cars of the day, we got to see the dunes in all their glory before there were footprints everywhere. My husband walks with a cane due to balance issues and he did just fine. Bring a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and plenty of water as it does get hot quickly. I also recommend hiking boots rather than tennis shoes as the sand is quite deep in some places. We got to see some deer including twin fawns while we were there too which was magical.
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Craig Kopra
Who would think you would find a massive sand dune location in Colorado? I planned an excursion in September 2016 and came across Great Sand Dune NP and made a great visit after being at Mesa Verde NP earlier in the day. I underestimated how much time one would need here to experience the dunes and would have loved to stay here a little more time, but we had to get back to Denver for the flight the next morning. It is a truly different national park and if one has at least a couple hours to spare at least check it out.
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Jonathan Ostrow
This National Park is one of the gyms that is missed by a lot of people. If you make it here you should try to do a hike in and stay the night. You will be amazed at how quiet it is and how well you can hear the people who have traveled in with you. Another trick is to go when there is no moon or very little Moon. If you do this you will be able to see the stars like you have not seen them in years or if ever. When I went there was no moon and we were able to see the full outline of the Milky Way. Simply Amazing
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Neil Hicks
The sand dunes were absolutely beautiful. When we arrived, we wished we had gotten there earlier to spend more time. Unfortunately, we arrive during mosquitoes hatching time (2nd week of June through mid-July) where large numbers of mosquitos will swarm you! Be sure to bring the bug repellant! Also, something that is not easily visible on their websites is that it does cost to get in. A regular passenger vehicle will only cost $15 to get in and I believe allowed us a few days access if we wanted to come back.
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B
June 2016, Family of 6: This is a very neat area and unique The drive off the main road and the park admission might not worth it is you are planning on a super quick stop though, (I have a pass, so it was free for me) It is not really set up for a quick look-see and go. The flying gnats were awful here. Bring plenty of bug spray. Also bring something you can get wet in and towels to dry off with. If you want to see the dunes up close, you need to go across (in) the river to get there.
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Jérôme Guilmette
A real favorite, this park is really worth. If you go in the spring, bring your swimsuit! Moreover, the view of the dunes Ghaut is superb. Only negative point mosquitoes that abound in the woods around.
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Seth Penna
This national park is an incredible combination of many different landscapes. The dunes are the main attraction but you can see the mountains and plains and the creek too. In may the creek was very full so be prepared. The dune we hiked was 650 feet tall, and took quite a bit of effort to get up the sand to the top but was totally worth it. The top rewarded sweeping views of the surroundings, and getting down was super fun sliding in the sand. Definitely a must see!
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Livingthelang
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!
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Darren Embro
Very impressive, 699 foot tall sand dunes very impressive. It just rained before we came here so the sand was packed down some making it easier to walk on. One warning, when crossing the creek there are several mosquitoes, at least after it rains so bring bug repellent. The walk was very pleasant and good exercise. We did not see the whole park but we will certainly come back. The park rangers are very friendly. Great experience and definitely will be back.
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Cam C
Perhaps one of the most amazing national parks in Colorado. North Americas highest dunes, the sheer size alone will make you feel like a kid. While it is very hard to hike on the sand it is worth it, I would reccomend hiking them to watch the sun rise it will be a sight you never forget. The campground is $20 a night and is okay if you want a fire. Entry and backpacking are FREE. Be sure to hike mosca pass aswell easy but long hike.
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Julie Howell
Cross the flowing creek(when they have had rain) and climb the huge sand dunes below the majestic mountains. Nice photo opportunities. Cool off in the creek after climbing to the top of the sand dunes. The distance is misleading. So take water, sunscreen, bug spray and comfortable shoes. I saw people playing with their dogs and children in the water. There were also people flying kites, and sandsledding/sandboarding.
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Adam Swallie
I was not prepared for how amazing this place is. We originally only planned a half hour but spent the rest of the day here. I could not wrap my mind around how big the dunes were, not just in hight but also in his far they stretch. We spent two weeks in the road going to different parks and this is the one I tell people about. The sand is a bit difficult to hike but the reward of the view at the top is totally worth it.