Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [234]
INFORMATION
Contact Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, 11500 Colo. 150, Mosca, CO 81146-9798 (☎ 719/378-6300; www.nps.gov/grsa).
For information on other area attractions, lodging, and dining, contact the Alamosa Visitor Information Center, Cole Park (Chamber Dr. at 3rd St.), Alamosa, CO 81101 (☎ 800/258-7597 or 719/589-4840; www.alamosa.org).
VISITOR CENTER
The visitor center (☎ 719/378-6399) has exhibits on dune formation and life in the dunes, a bookstore, and a short video that shows throughout the day. It's open daily year-round (closed Jan 1 and Dec 25).
FEES & PERMITS
Admission to the park for up to 7 days costs $3 per person, free for children under 17. Camping costs $12 per night.
SPECIAL REGULATIONS & WARNINGS
Although summer air temperatures are very pleasant, sand temperatures can soar to 140°F (60°C), so park officials strongly advise that shoes be worn when hiking in the dunes. Also, summer thunderstorms are fairly common. Hikers are advised to leave the dunes quickly when lightning threatens to avoid the chance of being struck.
Pets are permitted throughout the park and preserve but must be leashed, and officials ask that owners clean up after their pets. They also warn that the sand in the dunes can be very hot and will burn the pads on dogs' feet, so they suggest dune hiking with pets early or late in the day, when the sand is cooler.
SEASONS & CLIMATE
Pleasant summers and cool to cold winters are the rule here. Daytime summer temperatures average 70°F to 80°F (21°C–27°C), with nighttime lows often dropping into the 40s and low 50s (single digits Celsius). Thunderstorms are common in July and August. High winds can be expected at any time and are often especially ferocious from April through early June, when northeast winds have been clocked at over 90 mph.
From fall through spring, expect moderate daytime temperatures; winter days can see daytime temperatures in the 40s, but winter nights are usually below freezing and often below zero. Snowfall averages a bit over 3 feet annually, with March being the snowiest month.
SEASONAL EVENTS
The Friends of the Dunes schedule a variety of events each summer, including castle-building and kite-flying contests, musical events, and workshops. Contact the visitor center for details.
If You Have Only 1 Day
Great Sand Dunes is fairly easy to see in a day or less. First stop at the visitor center for a look at the exhibits (and an explanation of how these dunes were and are being formed), then drive to a parking area and walk into the dunes. If time permits, also walk one of the shorter trails, such as the Montville Nature Trail or Visitor Center Trail.
Exploring the Park by Car
Although you will use your vehicle to get to the visitor center, the dunes, and a few spots where you'll get good views, the Great Sand Dunes environment is best explored on foot or in a special wheelchair (see "Day Hikes," below).
Organized Tours & Ranger Programs
In the summer, rangers offer guided nature walks, short talks at the visitor center patio, and evening amphitheater programs. Great Sand Dunes also offers a Junior Ranger program, in which children complete various activities to earn badges.
Day Hikes
You can hike anywhere you want in the sand dunes, although there are no designated trails. If you make it all the way to the top, you'll be rewarded with spectacular views of the dunes and the nearby mountains. It usually takes about 1½ hours to get to the crest of a 750-foot dune and back to the base. Hiking in the dunes is especially pleasant on a moonlit night.
In the past, wheelchair users were pretty much limited to seeing the dunes from their motor vehicles and parking areas because the loose sand made access to the dunes nearly impossible for conventional wheelchairs. But now two wheelchairs