You may already have a list of activities you’d like to tackle during a visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. But, if you don’t, perhaps this Traveler’s Checklist can provide you with some suggestions.

The visitor center at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson

* Wander around the park’s visitor center. Read those trivia bits all around the 3D diorama of the park and preserve’s ecosystems. You might learn something cool, such as the fact that the dune sands are magnetic. That’s right, purchase a magnet in the visitor center gift store, hike on out to one of those black patches you see in the dune sand, and place the magnet right on top. Those black sand grains are a mineral called magnetite and will stick to your magnet.

* Climb a dune, any dune. You’ll see some amazing vistas from the top of whatever dune you hike.

Atop a tall dune, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson

* Sand sled or sandboard down a dune. If you don’t own a sled or board specifically designed for zooming down the sand (Sandboards and sand sleds are specifically made for sand, featuring a special design with extra slick base material and special wax), you can rent them from several establishments located outside the park.

* Hike the Dunes Overlook Trail. This 2.7-mile (4.3) out-and-back trail climbs up the lower slopes of the mountainside and gains 472 feet (144 m) in elevation for amazing views of dunes and mountains. The trailhead starts from Loop 2 of the Piñon Flats Campground. There’s a trail sign and several parking places nearby. The climb is steady, which is why the trail is rated as a moderate hike. At trail’s end are benches on which you can sit, relax, have a snack, and enjoy the view. Summer and early fall are the best times to visit, since winter and spring bring heavy snow and icy conditions.

* Stick your feet into Medano Creek. Arrive in the park between late May and early June to experience the “Surge Flow,” when the creek’s waves are high enough for children to float down limited distances on flat inflatable toys.

* Capture both wide-angle and telephoto shots of sunrise and sunset over the dunes. Known as “golden hours,” the sun is at the perfect angle for bathing the mountaintops and dunefield with saturated shades of orange, yellow, and pink. For more tips and techniques for photographing sunrise, sunset, and other aspects of this national park and preserve, click here.

 

A telephoto sunrise over Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson

* Stay up past your bedtime to view the Milky Way and vast night sky above the park. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a certified International Dark Sky Park. You can read more about how to enjoy the night sky in the park on Page 5 of the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Guide 2023, a PDF which you can download and print.

The end of night and beginning of sunrise at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson

* If you are driving a high-clearance 4WD vehicle, venture out onto the Medano Pass Primitive Road if you feel like a little adventure and want to see more of the alpine environment in this national park and preserve. Be aware, though, you’ll be crossing soft, sandy sections of the road as well as deep streams that will probably bog down anything other than a high-clearance 4x4. Click on that link for more detailed information.

*Visit the Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center, 27 miles (43.5 km) southeast of the Great Sand Dunes visitor center to learn about the fort and the soldiers who once patrolled the Great Sand Dunes area. You can wander original and reconstructed buildings around the fort grounds, view the exhibits, and watch a video about the fort and the contributing artists. There’s a small gift shop with books and other items, too. $7 entry fee for adults, $5 for adults, and free for children and museum members.

Go on in and take a look through original and reconstructed buildings like this restored Commandant's Quarters at Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center / Rebecca Latson

* if you feel like having an out-of-this-world experience, visit the UFO Watchtower, located a little over 2 miles (3.2 km) north of Hooper, Colorado (9.7 miles / 15.6 km north of Mosca, Colorado) on Colorado State Highway 17. In addition to watching the sky from this attraction’s 10-foot-tall (3-meter-tall) metal observation tower, you can visit the domed gift shop for a souvenir and read the binders full of area UFO sightings.  You can even pitch a tent at one of the campsites there for $15. No telling what you’ll see in the night sky above.

A wide-angle sunset over Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve / Rebecca Latson