Dates visited: October 2024 and May 2025

Juno & I have had the pleasure to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park twice, and each visit has been remarkable! The first time I visited, I was lucky enough to see the Northern Lights over the dunes. It was such an awe-inspiring experience that left me sobbing with joy and wonder. We thought we had experienced all the dunes had to offer, but boy were we wrong.

The second visit, my son joined us and he had a blast hiking the dunes. While he spent his day battling the gusting sands, my brother and I enjoyed off-roading Medano Pass. We weren’t even aware that this was an option the first rushed visit, but it was one of the highlights of our trip and sparked my love of overlanding. It is a 22-mile road connecting Great Sand Dunes with the Wet Mountain Valley and Colorado State Highway 69 that is only open in the warmer months each year that features sand pits, rock crawls, and water crossings. There’s some backcountry camping available (21 FCFS sites), and I would love to go back and experience a night or two along the Pass.

We ended up staying at the Zapata Falls campground, a BLM primitive campground that offered sweet views of the dunes and the surrounding valley. It was only $11 a night (just vault toilets and fire rings) and honestly one of the best camping experiences to date. The sunset, the stars, the vast expansive views. Unforgettable. The rocky road to the campground ended in a trailhead to a waterfall (Zapata Falls) where my son and I saw a bear and her cub sitting atop the rocks above the falls entrance! It was absolutely magical.

During our May trip, we were able to experience Medano Creek, a surge flow of melted snow meandering through the dune fields. There is a small outpost just before entering the park that rents out sand sleds, as well as a shop that rents them in nearby Alamosa.

While most people take a gander at the impressive dunes and call it a day, I definitely recommend exploring this park and its surrounding areas, especially the Medano Pass if you have a 4WD vehicle. Visiting the dunes beneath the Northern Lights and exploring the Medano Pass with my brother and Juno are both such cherished memories. I smile every time I think of my son’s joy and pride after he traversed the dunes solo. As such, the Great Sand Dunes National Park will always be one of my favorites for sentimental reasons. I’m grateful for having experienced everything it had to offer.

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For more photos, check out my Gallery or head to my brother’s instagram: jhankinsmedia. He is a phenomenal photographer and loves shooting wildlife in our beautiful parks. He also takes amazing pics of my pups, Juno & Willow.