One Day in Great Sand Dunes National Park Itinerary: Dunes, Creeks & Stargazing
If you want to visit stunning sand dunes in Colorado, you are in the right place! This itinerary is the perfect way to experience the highlights of Great Sand Dunes National Park in one day.
We all know Colorado has huge snow-capped mountains, but did you know it also has the tallest sand dunes in North America? Great Sand Dunes National Park is one of the most beautiful areas in Colorado because its landscape is not found anywhere else in the state. Its dunes sit at the base of snow-capped mountains, making it incredibly scenic.
Although you could spend a few days exploring the park, you can see the must-see attractions in a day. You can spend your day hiking the dunes, cooling down in Medano Creek, and sandboarding or sand sledding.
I created this guide to include everything you need for spending one day in Great Sand Dunes National Park. Get your hiking boots and cameras ready for a fun adventure!
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What to Know Before Visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park
The great thing about Great Sand Dunes National Park is that you can experience many of its highlights in just one day. Unless you want to hike strenuous trails or explore Medano Pass Primitive Road, you do not need several days to enjoy the park.
We visited Great Sand Dunes National Park in one day and felt it was the perfect amount of time to see everything on our itinerary. But if you have extra time, you will not regret spending an extra day in the park to explore more!
- Start your day in the park early. Since you only have one day in Great Sand Dunes National Park, I recommend starting your day early to have the most time to explore. You will also avoid long wait times at the park entrance. Most people arrive at the park at midday, and the park entrance lines can become long as the day goes on.
- Pack layers and sunscreen. Mountain weather is unpredictable, and we experienced some crazy weather when we were in the park. The day started sunny before quickly turning into thunderstorms. You should have hiking boots, moisture-wicking clothes, and a hiking backpack with food and plenty of water. Most of Great Sand Dunes National Park has little to no shade, so I recommend wearing sunscreen and reapplying as needed.
- Medano Creek is at the base of the dunes, and you have to cross it to hike. Most of the year, the creek is easy to cross, and we took our shoes off to walk through. When Medano Creek has low water, it has a lot of mosquitoes, but once you walk away from the water, they disperse.
- The dunes are not easy to climb, and the trails are not well-marked. Sand dunes are not as easy to climb as you may think, and we were shocked at how strenuous it was. You will also likely see people hiking along different paths on the dunes. We tried to follow the trail map to High Dune but could not find it, so we followed the trail with the most people.
- Always remember to leave no trace. It is crucial to pack out what you pack in and leave no trash. Some spots have trash bins, so you can easily throw away your trash. If they do not have trash bins, you can throw away your trash in a barrel at a nearby gas station or convenience store.
Looking for a fun way to track your visits to each national park?
Whether you're road tripping across the country or checking off national parks one weekend at a time, this journal is perfect to capture memories, reflect on experiences, and have a little fun along the way.
Each journal includes:
- full checklist of all U.S. National Parks
- pages for each national park with space for memories, highlights, and photos
- planning checklist to help prep for your next trip
- spots to rank your top parks and memories
- and fun extras like National Park Bingo!
How to Spend One Day in Great Sand Dunes National Park
Since you only have one day in Great Sand Dunes National Park, I recommend arriving in the morning to give yourself more time to explore. The morning also has fewer people in the park.
Start Your Morning in the Dunes
I recommend starting your one day in Great Sand Dunes National Park by exploring the sand dunes! If you are up for a sunrise hike, this is also the perfect place to watch the sunrise over the mountains.
Although you can enjoy beautiful views of the dunes from the parking lot, I think the best are at the top of the sand dunes. Since the park has minimal shade, hiking the dunes in the morning will help you enjoy them without the hot midday temperatures.
Hiking the dunes will take up most of your morning, so if you start your day early, you can enjoy other activities after.
High Dune or Star Dune
Great Sand Dunes has two main dunes people hike: High Dune and Star Dune. You can hike to one or both!
High Dune is one of the most hiked dunes in the park, and you will quickly fall in love with the views from the top!
The 3-mile trail travels up the dunes to the top of High Dune, and although the hike is not overly long, it is strenuous! It is not easy to walk on dunes, and it took us longer than we anticipated, but it was worth the effort for the stunning views of the surrounding dunes and mountains.
Also, the hiking trails are not marked, and you will likely see people hiking up different dunes. We just followed the path with the most people until we reached the top of High Dune.
Once you are at the top of High Dune, you can explore other nearby dunes, continue hiking to Star Dune, or sand sled if you rented one!
If you are up for a longer hike, you can either loop Star Dune with High Dune or skip High Dune and only hike to Star Dune. Star Dune is the tallest sand dune in North America, standing over 740 feet, and offers beautiful views of the park and mountains.
You can either hike only to Star Dune for an 8-mile trail or loop it with High Dune for an 8-mile hike. The loop with High Dune has a lot of elevation loss and gain, so if you would rather avoid that, you can hike directly to Star Dune.
But the trail with Star Dune and High Dune is more scenic if you are up for the strenuous hike. Either way, you will love the views from the top overlooking the surrounding dunes and mountains!
Dune Sandboarding and Sand Sledding
Instead of hiking back from the dunes, why not enjoy a fun way to get down?! Or you can hike to smaller dunes and sandboard or sand sled down if you do not want to walk to the top of the tallest dunes.
Sandboarding and sand sledding are some of the most popular activities in Great Sand Dunes National Park because what is better than sliding down beautiful dunes?! Once in the park, you will see a handful of areas people typically sandboard or sled, although you can pretty much go anywhere. We saw people fly down some long, steep dunes while others enjoyed more gradual ones.
Note: Rent your sandboard or sand sled before you enter the park. If you want to sandboard or sled in Great Sand Dunes National Park, I recommend renting them before you enter the park. Plenty of places nearby offer rentals!
Spend Your Afternoon Cooling Off
Although most of your day will be spent on the dunes, you have a few options to add onto your day if you want to explore more.
Medano Creek
After a hot hike or sledding adventure, soaking in Medano Creek is a great way to cool down, especially in the hot summer. Although the creek does not get high enough to swim, you can enjoy sitting in the shallow water to cool down.
If you are traveling with kids, they will love playing in Medano Creek! We saw many people with chairs near Medano Creek, enjoying a relaxing afternoon splashing in the water. It is like a beach day in the park.
We enjoyed sticking our feet in the water after hiking to cool off and remove all the sand. Trust me, your shoes will be filled with sand after hiking on the dunes!
Montville Nature Trail
If you want to enjoy another trail during your one day in the park, you can hike the Montville Nature Trail. This trail is also perfect if you do not want to hike on the dunes.
This 0.5-mile trail is easy to follow and offers breathtaking views overlooking Great Sand Dunes National Park. It is a great trail to see the dunes without a strenuous hike. It is a quick and easy hike to enjoy the park from a different perspective.
The Montville Nature Trail is also a great place to watch the sunset!
End Your Day With Stargazing
If you are spending the night near Great Sand Dunes National Park, I recommend heading back into the park at night to enjoy stargazing!
Stargaze Anywhere in the Park
Because the closest city is half an hour away, the park has minimal light pollution, making it a great place to stargaze.
And the best part? You do not have to hike to see the stars. One of the best places to stargaze is near Medano Creek by the parking lot, and if you want to photograph the stars, this is an incredible spot to capture the dunes, mountains, and stars.
If you are up for an adventure and have the proper hiking gear and illumination, you could hike to the top of the dunes to look at the stars.
Stargazing is one of the best ways to end an incredible day in Great Sand Dunes National Park!
Planning Your Visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park
Where You Should Stay
If you are staying the night, you can either stay right outside the park or in Alamosa. A few resorts are near the park entrance and offer fun accommodations, but they tend to be pricey. If those are not available or you are looking for something else, you can stay in a nearby town
Alamosa is the closest town with accommodations and one of the best places to stay because of its proximity to the park. It does not have many accommodations, but there are a few hotels you can stay in for the night.
We only stayed near Great Sand Dunes National Park for one night, so Alamosa was the best option for us. It is not a huge town, but it has everything you need for a quick trip.
Hotels Near Great Sand Dunes National Park:
Campgrounds Near Great Sand Dunes National Park:
Closest Airport
The biggest and most convenient airport to fly into is Denver International Airport, although it is just under a four-hour drive to the park.
Great Sand Dunes National Park is close to a few other smaller airports, but flights are limited and not always direct. I always try to fly into larger airports to avoid layovers.
The Denver International Airport will also have the most rental cars.
We flew into Denver because we were visiting a few areas in Colorado during our road trip, and it was the easiest place to catch a flight.
Great Sand Dunes National Park FAQs
Is One Day Enough for Great Sand Dunes National Park?
One day is enough time to see the highlights of Great Sand Dunes National Park. We spent a day exploring the park, and honestly, thought it was the perfect amount of time for our itinerary.
If you only want to explore the dunes, a day is plenty of time. If you plan to hike nearby strenuous trails or drive Medano Pass Primitive Road, you will need a few more days.
How Should I Spend One Day in Great Sand Dunes National Park?
If you only have one day in Great Sand Dunes National Park, I recommend spending most of your day exploring the dunes! You can hike to the tallest dunes in North America, sand sled or sandboard down them, and explore nature trails.
Below are a few things I recommend adding to your one-day itinerary:
High Dune or Star Dune (or both!)
Sand sledding or sandboarding
Montville Nature Trail
Stargazing
When is the Best Time to Visit Great Sand Dunes National Park?
The best time to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park is late spring and early fall. Spring and fall tend to have the best weather for exploring and hiking the dunes.
Summer is a popular time to visit, but the dunes are VERY hot, especially midday. When we visited in June, the sand was already really hot to the touch.
Also, I recommend exploring the dunes in the morning to avoid the midday high temperatures and afternoon thunderstorms. Colorado is known for its thunderstorms, and they are no joke! We were finishing up a hike on the dunes when we saw one quickly rolling in.
Can You Hike On the Dunes?
Yes, you can hike on the dunes in Great Sand Dunes National Park! It is one of my favorite things to do, and something I recommend everyone doing.
The two best hikes are to High Dune and Star Dune. You can also hike them together for a long, strenuous hike.
One thing we did not realize when we visited was how tough it would be to hike on the dunes! The sand is slippery, making it hard to find traction, and it gets into your shoes very easily. I recommend taking your time and packing plenty of food and water to fuel you for the hike.
If you do not want to hike on the dunes, you can enjoy the views from various viewpoints, at Medano Creek, or along the Montville Nature Trail. These are easily accessible and provide beautiful views of the dunes.
Do You Need a 4WD Vehicle at Great Sand Dunes National Park?
Unless you want to drive on Medano Pass Primitive Road, you do not need a 4WD vehicle in Great Sand Dunes National Park.
If Medano Pass Primitive Road is on your itinerary, you must have a high-clearance 4WD vehicle to explore the scenic 11-mile road.
But let me tell you, it is not for the faint of heart. This road is incredibly challenging with mud, river crossings, and soft sand, and is only open from late May to November. If you want to drive it, it requires a lot of planning.
The National Park Service does a great job of updating road conditions and providing recommendations when some spots are not passable.
If you want to enjoy the drive, I recommend contacting the visitor center for up-to-date information on road conditions. And they can help make sure you are prepared for the journey!
If you want to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park, you are in the right place! I created this guide to include everything you need to spend the best one day in Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Hey, I’m Nichole!
I am the creator behind Nichole the Nomad, the home of my explorations around the world, mountain hikes, and beautiful pictures taken along the way. I have a deep passion for capturing the world in a beautiful light and sharing my experiences.
I created this blog to share my travels, show how beautiful the world is, provide tips and tricks for traveling, and encourage you to explore. Whether you want to travel across the world or explore what’s in your backyard, I hope this blog inspires you to get outside and find your adventure!
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