Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park located outside of Alamosa, CO. It is a wonderful place to visit. There are several ways to get into the park. The easiest by far is by way of Alamosa. But if you are up for a serious 4 wheel adventure there are some other ways coming in from Westcliff, CO. I drive a Yaris and it handles great in mud, snow, and rocky roads, but it stops when the road requires 4-wheel drive. If you get off on Colony Rd a dirt road that takes you to the base of the San De Cristo Mountains then you can go through the pass into the park. After speaking with one of the Rangers at Great Sand Dunes I was informed that no one has taken that route since the 1970's. So I challenge anyone out there with 4 wheel drive to take it this summer and get back to me. I would have love to have taken it.

Once you arrive there is a fee to get in of course. Which is why I travel with the National Park pass book and pass. It is $80 for the year pass, but it will get you into any National Park, National Monument, Federal Lands, and the BLM for a year without any costs. As much as I visit the parks I have already paid for mine.

Make sure you give yourself a day to visit if you want to hike to the top of the dunes. It is a real workout. If you are the adventurous type and feel up to it sledding is the bomb. As long as the sand is a bit wet. I don't recommend any metal bottom sleds that might get a tad bit hot. Depending on the time of year. The scenery here is breathtaking, but take all your pictures from the parking lot or trails. DON'T take your camera with you to hike the dunes, because if the wind is blowing it blows sand into the camera lens. That is no fun to try and clean out, plus it fills your camera case with sand. I learned this the hard way. But I also discovered that if you use the air spray for your computer key board on the camera it blows most of the sand right out. FYI.

This would also be a great place for kite flying. If I had kids I would take them to the sand dunes to sled, hike and fly kites. They would be so worn out at the end of the day. I recommend this destination for a family, couples, or individual trip.