Travel: The Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Colorado

Colorado is full of amazing places to explore, but perhaps one of the more well-known areas is The Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve. While this park can be very crowded and hot during certain times of the year, if timed right, your visit can be an exciting and fun adventure for your whole family! Due to our somewhat close proximity to The Great Sand Dunes National Park, we are pretty choosy about when we visit, but it’s truly spectacular any time of year!

I won’t be long-winded with this post, but wanted to share a photo library of some of our favorite ways to enjoy the park (and our favorite times of the year to visit)! Don’t forget to catch the photos at the bottom of the post!

Hands-down, my favorite time of the year to visit The Great Sand Dunes National Park is when the Medano Creek is running! The Medano Creek is a seasonal stream that runs right through the park at the base of the sand dunes when the snow starts melting off the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Depending on the winter snowpack, the creek can be a mere trickle or deep enough for a lot of fun play, so don’t let the words “creek” or “stream” fool you! We call it the “Sand Dunes River” when it’s at its peak because it can be really gushing. You can typically catch the creek at its peak between late May and early June, but since it’s snowpack dependent, every year is different. The best way to keep an eye on current conditions and predicted flow is by visiting the National Park website at: http s://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/medano-creek.htm.

We really enjoy the park this time of year because it’s like visiting a beach … in the mountains! Our kiddo can build sand castles, dig huge holes, cool off in the water, and play all day burying friends in the sand! The downside – it’s a bit crowded this time of year, so expect long lines at the entrance. But, once we are in, there’s plenty of sand and “beach” for everyone to enjoy! *Don’t forget lots of sunblock and pack some bug spray!

My second favorite time of year to visit is early spring (March)! The park is typically much less crowded, the weather is cool, but not usually super cold, and bonus…you can visit the nearby Zapata Falls while it’s still frozen! It’s not a “summertime” style visit, but it’s quiet, enjoyable and makes for a great day trip with the family!

Zapata Falls in early spring is a truly unique 30′ frozen waterfall just a few miles from The Great Sand Dunes National Park. We found it to be an easy 1-mile round-trip hike on a snow-packed trail. We had two toddlers in tow and they made it just fine. The area is usually a bit windy, so pack accordingly when it comes to gear. We had to add a few layers between when we left the sand dunes and when we arrived at the trailhead. You have to walk on some pretty icy areas once you arrive at the falls (you are actually walking on the frozen river), so plan to watch the littles so that they don’t hit their heads, but it’s absolutely worth the time to take the side trip from the park.

It’s worth noting here that the road to Zapata Falls is pretty rough, but definitely passable. We drive a Tundra and easily made the drive, but we did take it slow as to not damage our vehicle. If you want more information on Zapata Falls, click here for the National Park Service website.

Enjoy our photos below: