Great Sand Dunes National Park- and Preserve is in southern Colorado. It’s known for huge dunes like the towering Star Dune, and for the seasonal Medano Creek and beach created at the base of the dunes. The backcountry Medano Pass Primitive Road winds through a canyon toward the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Trails lead to forests, wetlands and alpine lakes like Medano Lake, which is home to trout and tundra wildlife.

The park is 107,342 acres and the preserve protects an additional 41,686 acres.

The dunes cover an area of about 30 sq miles.

The ranger told us that the tallest dune “Star Dune” was 755’ tall. I said no problem. She said you are at 8500 ft so keep that in mind. Ha! Breathing was hard almost immediately. We made it half way and the sand storm started. The final stretch was like 60 minutes in on a stair-master. When I reached in my pack Caiti was “thrilled” that id forgotten the water but had a nice warm can of beer.

Maps of Great Sand Dunes

This is a good overview of the park.