Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Gearing Up for the Dunes

We started our trip out by renting a sand board at the Oasis Store right before the entrance. While the park itself doesn't rent gear, those specialized boards and sleds are essential. Regular snow sleds or cardboard just won't slide on dry sand; you need that extra-slick base and a bit of wax to actually catch some speed. The Visitor Center has excellent interactive displays, including the 3D model of the valley and the "sand-wind" interactive exhibit, really help explain the "perfect storm" of geology that created this place: 440,000 years of sand blowing from the Rio Grande and ancient Lake Alamosa getting trapped against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

The High Dune Hike and "Harder Than It Looks" Sledding

Parking at the High Dune (Main Dunes) Parking Lot puts you right at the gateway to the dunefield. From there, it's about a half-mile trek across (sand!) the bed of Medano Creek just to get to the first slopes.

Sand Sledding 101

1. Every 10-second ride down requires a 5-minute heart-pumping hike back up through shifting, "two steps forward, one step back" sand. It's an incredible workout!

2. Without a fresh coat of wax between runs, the friction of the sand can make you feel like you're glued to the spot.

Once you get the hang of it, though, flying down those golden slopes with the 14,000-foot peaks in the background is a feeling like no other.

A "Shocking" Early Exit

Our decision to pack up when a storm system moved in was a good call. Great Sand Dunes is a high-altitude environment (over 8,000 feet at the base), and the dunes themselves are essentially giant lightning rods. Because you are the tallest thing for miles out on that sand, "When thunder roars, go indoors" is the golden rule there. Colorado's summer monsoons are famous for moving in fast with "dry lightning," and the sand can reach a scorching 150°F right before the rain hits.