Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Guide: Camping
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Highlights
- Backpacking is available in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Designated backcountry sites in the park are located along the Sand Ramp Trail, the area between the sand dune fields and the mountains. Free backcountry permits are required for all overnight backpacking trips. What an incredible way to see this anomaly of desert sand in the middle of Colorado!
- Car camping in the backcountry along the Medano Pass Primitive Road within the park is permitted as long as existing camping spots are used. In most cases, this road is soft sand with rocky parts and stream crossings. A traditional car will not navigate these spots, so a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle is required. Don't take the family "truckster" or a rental car through these parts.
- Pinyon Flats Campground is a park campground located one mile north of the visitor center. It has an excellent view of the dunefield with 88 sites located along two loops. There are restroom facilities with sinks and flush toilets. Some sites have large cottonwood trees for shade, while others are more in the open with smaller pinyon trees.
- If you have an RV and want to camp overnight in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, keep in mind that some campsites in Pinyon Flats can accommodate RVs up to 32 feet in length. However, there are no hookups.
- While individual sites in the Pinyon Flats are first-come, first-served, group tent camping is available by reservation only in the group loop, located east of the individual campsites. Groups of ten to 100 are accommodated if space permits. Tent camping is a great way to go in the Sand Dunes.
By Travel Expert:
Kim Lipker
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