The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in the San Luis Valley in Colorado is a fascinatingly beautiful place to visit. Our family recently spent a long holiday weekend there and loved playing on the dunes, swimming in the hot springs pools, eating great Mexican food, and hiking through the creek to Zapata Falls.
The San Luis valley is a place we would definitely return to more than once, so we made a list of the things we would do differently – and better- next time.
Check out our family blog about the San Luis valley at
https://coloradoandbeyondblog.wordpress.com/2020/11/04/the-great-sand-dunes-national-park/
- Wear socks and shoes while hiking on the sand dunes. Temperatures on the sand can reach 110℉ and is unbearable when it touches your bare feet or gets into your sandals.
- Rent a sandboard or sand sled. Like sledding on snow, sandboarding down the sand is a blast! Sandboards and sand sleds are made especially for sand and have a slick bottom you can wax each time you go for a ride down the dunes. They function much better than a snow sled, piece of wood or cardboard.
- Bring a shade tent. If you are going to spend a day playing at the dunes then definitely haul along a shade tent, beach canopy, or some other kind of shelter. It is worth it to be able to occasionally sit in a small patch of shade.
- Wear a buff, scarf or neck gaiter to cover your nose and mouth. When the wind blows or you are cruising down a steep dune, you may not want a mouthful of sand.
- Pack a windbreaker jacket. Sometimes the wind kicks up and the rain starts to fall.
- Visit the park early in the morning or later in the evening. After learning the hard way our first day, (imagine…middle of the day hot sun & sand, huge crowds & packed parking lots) we took a different approach the second day. First, our family woke up at the crack of dawn to hike Zapata Falls at sunrise. By doing so, we missed the crowds and enjoyed having the falls to ourselves. Then we spent the hottest part of the day enjoying a leisurely lunch and swimming at the pool. When evening arrived, the temperature was cooler so we grabbed our backpacks, headlamps and sand sleds, and hiked up the dunes. This time there were no burned feet and fewer people in the parking lots.
- Stay late! Enjoy hiking, sandboarding, stargazing and cooler temperatures in the dark. It’s a blast and nobody gets sunburned!
- Go in June when the creek is running. The best time of year to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park is in June when there is water to play in. It’s like a day at the beach!
- Skip the main parking lot and drive out to the end of the primitive road. The dunes are much closer here. You won’t have to walk a half mile before you can play.
- Bring the right gear. Carry a pack with a hat, towel, water, sunglasses, picnic lunch, sand sled, camera, headlamp, neck gaiter, windbreaker, and flip flops.