Skip to content
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Mosca, CO

Photo: Lionello DelPiccolo liodp, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & OutdoorsIconicOutdoor AdventureFamily Favorite

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Hike, sandboard and sled the tallest sand dunes in North America, then wade in Medano Creek at their base.

11999 State Highway 150 · Mosca, CO

About Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Great Sand Dunes protects the tallest sand dunes in North America, with Star Dune rising about 750 feet below the Sangre de Cristo mountains. You can hike the dunefield, sandboard or sled down the slopes, and float in Medano Creek at the base of the dunes when it flows in late spring. Beyond the sand, the park takes in grasslands, forests, lakes and alpine peaks. It is also an International Dark Sky Park, so the stargazing is a reason to stay after sunset.

  • #national park
  • #sand dunes
  • #sandboarding
  • #stargazing
  • #hiking

Printable maps

What's around here?

The closest stops to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Attractions
    Quirky Fun

    Colorado Gators Reptile Park

    $25–$50

    Reptile rescue park in the San Luis Valley where visitors can see and feed hundreds of alligators.

    20 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Alamosa

    No admission fee

    A San Luis Valley city near Great Sand Dunes National Park, known for its rotating downtown sculpture collection.

    27 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Local Gem

    Kristi Mountain Sports

    Under $25

    A locally owned Alamosa outfitter renting sandboards and sleds for Great Sand Dunes plus bikes, skis and camping gear.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    27 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Quirky Fun

    Bishop Castle

    No admission fee

    Explore the stone towers, iron work and arched windows of a castle one man built by hand in Colorado's Wet Mountains.

    32 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sports & Outdoors

    North Cheyenne Cañon Park

    Check prices

    Regional park in Colorado Springs known for waterfalls, rock formations, wildflowers and wildlife, with two visitor centers.

    35 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Lathrop State Park

    Under $25

    A 1,451-acre Colorado state park near the Spanish Peaks, known for its two lakes, boating, fishing, and golf course frontage.

    38 mi awayMore like this

Near Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

More of the same kind

Keep exploring