05 Nov Sandboarding / Sledding at Great Sand Dunes National Park

You might have heard of Great Sand Dunes National Park before, but did you know you could go sandboarding / sledding on the sand dunes? That is right, all you have to do is to rent a sand board or sled, and you have everything you need for a day full of unforgettable memories. I visited Great Sand Dunes while on a cross-country road trip from Pennsylvania to California with friends, and it was one of my favorite activities of the entire trip.

Avoid the stress of packing and check out my cross-country road trip packing list as well as my list of travel accessories for men and rest at ease.

Contents:

1) Location of Great Sand Dunes

2) Opening Hours and Entrance Fee

3) The Best Time to Visit

4) Quick Facts on the National Park

5) Background of the Sand Dunes

6) Where to Rent a Sand Board / Sled

7) The SandBoarding / Sledding Experience at Great Sand Dunes

8) Recommended Items to Bring

1) Location of Great Sand Dunes

Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in southern Colorado. For reference, it is approximately four hours south of Denver, Colorado and four hours north of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

If you are driving south from Denver, you will need to drive along I-25 S for a while. Eventually you will take exit 52 to US-160 W. Turn right onto CO-150 N after approximately 20 miles (~32 kilometers) and then turn left onto Medano Creek Road after a half mile. The parking lot will be at the end of the road.

Where to Park for Sandboarding at the Great Sand Dunes? 

There is one main parking lot for the Great Sand Dunes National Park. From the parking lot, it is just a short 10 to 15 minute walk to the first set of sand dunes. If you want to explore other areas, there might be another parking lot or two scattered around the park in addition to a few pull offs.

Nearby Lodging

You have a couple of options when it comes to where you would like to stay the night. The national park does have a few campgrounds within its borders, and you can find more information on them on the NPS site. Please be aware that some campgrounds are only open during the summer months while others are only accessible by 4WD or backpacking.

Maybe you prefer to stay in a hotel and to enjoy the luxury of hotel amenities, including a nice, warm bed? There are a few options around Great Sand Dunes as well as in the nearby town of Pueblo.

Nearby Airports

There are a few smaller airports nearby, including the San Luis Valley Regional Airport to the south and the Colorado Springs Airport to the northeast. However, the closest international airports are Denver International Airport to the north and Albuquerque International Sunport to the south. They are each about four hours from Great Sand Dunes, just in opposite directions.

No public transportation is available all the way from the airports to the national park, except for a car service such as Uber or Lyft. It would be best to rent a car from the airport upon your arrival.

First look at the sand dunes from the parking area

2) Opening Hours and Entrance Fee

Do you want some good news? The Great Sand Dunes National Park is open all day, every single day of the year. You heard that right – you can visit whenever you want. For example, it is open during all holidays throughout the year: Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, you name it.

Entrance Fee

Here it is – the one negative aspect of the park and travel in general. It costs money. However, I will say the entrance fee is well worth it to see such a spectacular landscape. If you will only shell out for a few experiences, put this at the top of your list.

The entrance fee is $25 per vehicle, and it is valid for seven days after purchase. Therefore, you can get the best bang for your buck by visiting the park for more than one day. For fee information on oversized vehicles and motorcycles, check out the NPS site. However, if you plan to visit multiple national parks within the year, consider a national park annual pass.

If you buy the annual pass, be sure to make good use of it and plan a trip to Zion National Park and/or Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well. I also highly recommend you plan a visit to Glacier National Park, for its beauty is unmatched (especially at the Hidden Lake Overlook Trail).

Walking along the vast Great Sand Dunes

3) The Best Time to Visit

While you might not be able to choose exactly when you want to visit, keep reading below to find out some information on the best times to visit as well as general visiting information.

The Best Season to Go Sandboarding at Great Sand Dunes

The best season to go sandboarding / sledding at Great Sand Dunes is in the spring or autumn due to the milder temperatures. You can probably already guess that winter is not the best season to visit due to the colder temperatures and summer due to the warmer temperatures.

If you have ever been to the beach in the winter, you will know what it feels like to walk on cold sand. When it is very cold, it can almost feel as though you are walking on snow. On the other hand, walking on sand when it is scorching hot outside can feel as though you are walking on hot coals. At Great Sand Dunes National Park, there is no ocean to which you can escape and give your feet relief. I would thus recommend to keep your shoes on at all times if you decide to visit during summer or winter.

Another great destination to visit in the spring or autumn season is the Skyline Arch Trail at Arches National Park.

The Best Time of Day

While the best season to visit is spring or autumn, the best time of day to visit is in the morning or evening. Even in these seasons, it can get pretty hot during the middle of the day. Therefore, avoid the sun at its peak and head to the park in the morning or evening. If you have to go in the middle of the day, be sure to bring along sunscreen, plenty of water, and a hat.

How Long Do I Need to Go Sandboarding at Great Sand Dunes? 

How long you need to visit depends on what you would like to do. For example, we went sand sledding at Great Sand Dunes and spent approximately three hours there. Those three hours included renting our sand sleds, parking and walking out onto the sand dunes, sledding down the dunes, and then returning our sleds. I will say that sand sledding was somewhat exhausting. You have the thrill of sledding down the dunes, but then you also have the strenuous walk back up the dunes afterwards. That being said, we only used our sand sleds for about two hours before we were tired yet also satisfied with our experience.

However, if you want to walk even further into the dunes to sled down some larger hills, I would plan for a half day or even a full day.

Mountains surrounding the Great Sand Dunes

4) Quick Facts on the National Park

1. The sand dunes now exist on the land that used to be Lake Alamosa.

2. The tallest sand dune within the national park is over 750 feet (~228 meters) tall.

3. While we do not know the exact age of the sand dunes, scientists believe they are thousands of years old.

4. The main dune field within the park is approximately 30 square miles (~78 square kilometers).

5. You can go sandboarding and/or sledding at Great Sand Dunes; visit a rental store nearby for the sand boards and sleds.

Some untouched sand along the Great Sand Dunes

5) Background on the Sand Dunes

The first question you might ask is…how old are the sand dunes? Well, unfortunately I do not have a specific answer for you. Scientists have not been able to narrow this down exactly, though they do believe the dunes are thousands of years old.

In terms of their creation, long story short is that they are the result of dried-up lakes in the area. Now onto the longer story, if you would like to learn a bit more.

For other natural wonders in the western United States, head to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah or the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks Monument in New Mexico.

Creation of the Sand Dunes

First, the mountain ranges in the area were created through a few different mechanisms. The main ones were volcanic activity and movement of surface plates. Second, with the creation of the mountains came the creation of valleys. Third, the melting of glaciers plus heavy rainfall filled parts of the valleys with water, forming what was known as Lake Alamosa. Fourth, Lake Alamosa essentially disappeared. Water pressure built up and eventually burst through a wall of volcanic deposits. The lake then flowed into the Rio Grande River.

Celebrating a successful boarding attempt down the sand dunes

Fifth, a few small lakes remained after Lake Alamosa flowed into the river. However, it did not take long before they disappeared as well. Sediments from the volcanic mountains nearby would fall down into the small lakes. This sediment plus climate changes slowly resulted in the disappearance of almost all water. Sixth, the sediment that fell down into and helped to fill the lakes formed the main basis for the sand dunes. However, the sand was not in dune form just yet. Instead, the wind blew the sand through the mountains and towards a natural pocket.

Seventh, at this pocket, normal winds blew sand from the valley up towards the mountains. However, winds during a storm blew sand from the mountains down towards the valleys. The result of these competing winds was sand blowing back and forth, eventually stacking up to create sand dunes.

Size of the Park

The Great Sand Dunes National Park is approximately 150,000 acres (~607 square kilometers). That is HUGE. For reference, it is around one-fifth of the size of Rhode Island. The tallest sand dune within the park is just over 750 feet (~228 meters) tall. If you decide to hike this dune, be prepared for a challenge. Hiking in sand is much harder than hiking a dirt or paved path up a mountain.

Sand, sand, and more sand

6) Where to Rent a Sand Board / Sled

Here we are – the exciting part! While visiting the Great Sand Dunes National Park is an incredible experience, sandboarding / sledding down the dunes is even more memorable. I went sledding down the sand dunes with friends while on a cross-country road trip, and I can tell you that I will not forget that experience anytime soon. However, be sure you have the right equipment so as to avoid any issues or injuries.

Specific Sand Boards / Sleds for Sand

First, let me address what you are probably thinking in your head already. Can I just use a sled I have at home? If it works fine on snow, it would work on sand, right? Well, actually no. Those types of sleds are made to go down wet surfaces, yet the sand is generally pretty dry (unless it is right after a storm, of course). Pieces of cardboard or saucers also do not work on sand because instead of sliding on top, they just dig into the sand.

That being said, you will need to rent a sand board / sled from one of the rental stores nearby. The rental stores will offer rental options for a sand sled as well as a sand board. If you want to sit down and sled down the hill, then the sand sled is the one for you. However, if you want to board down the dunes similar to a snowboard, then choose a sand board.

Getting ready to board down the sand dunes

Rental Stores Nearby

The closest rental shop to the parking area mentioned above is the Oasis Store. Additionally, the Oasis Store is the store my friends and I stopped at to rent sleds for our visit. We did not reserve them in advance, and to be honest I am not sure if that is possible. We rented our sleds the day we visited, but you can call the store if you would like to try and reserve them in advance.

The rentals cost $20 per day plus tax. However, please see the Oasis Store site for more information as pricing can change at any time.

If the Oasis Store is out of rentals when you visit or if you prefer to visit another store, here is a list of other nearby rental stores. Please keep in mind that some of them are 30 minutes to an hour plus away from the park.

The sand truly never ends

7) The SandBoarding / Sledding Experience at Great Sand Dunes

I will say this was one of my favorite experiences on my cross-country road trip from Pennsylvania to California. How could it not be? I went sledding in Great Sand Dunes National Park – it even sounds cool when I say it.

Tips for Sandboarding / Sledding at Great Sand Dunes

My first tip is to not go sandboarding / sledding at Great Sand Dunes if it is too hot outside. In the middle of the afternoon during summer, the surface of the sand can reach temperatures up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (~65 Celsius) when the sun is beating down. Instead, try to visit during the morning or evening in the spring or autumn seasons.

Second, it is recommended to not go sandboarding / sledding after it rains or after snow has melted at Great Sand Dunes. Boarding / sledding on wet sand leads to a lot more crashes and injuries compared to boarding / sledding on dry sand.

Looking like ants at the bottom of the sand dune

My Sledding Experience

First, let me say that my friends and I rented sand sleds for the day we visited Great Sand Dunes. Most of us had never gone snowboarding before, and thus we did not necessarily trust ourselves to have enough balance for sandboarding.

There were four of us total, including myself, and we rented two sleds. We debated on renting four sleds so everyone would have their own, but I am so glad we stuck with only two. Why? Because hiking back up the sand dunes after sledding down them took a lot of effort. It was nice to have a short break after hiking to the top as the other two people then took a turn sledding down.

If you ask me…would you do it again? I would say yes, absolutely with no hesitation. Paying for the park entrance fee as well as the sled rental fee was well worth it in my opinion. We had such a fun time sledding (and sometimes crashing) down the sand dunes. Additionally, we raced each other down the sand dunes to see who could sled the fastest.

Crashing on the sand dunes was a common occurrence

8) Recommended Items to Bring

While you might not want to lug water bottles or other items onto the sand dunes, please do so as they are essential to staying hydrated and having the overall best time possible.

Hygiene

1. Water bottle: It is essential that you carry enough water with you to stay hydrated throughout your visit. The walk from the parking lot to the first set of sand dunes is a little more than half a mile (~0.8 kilometers). Then you start the hard work of hiking up the dunes to sand board / sled down them. Trust me, this takes more energy and work than you would expect. Hiking uphill on sand is quite difficult. If you have ever gone for a run on the beach, then you will kind of know what to expect.

2. Sunscreen: Spending all day or even a few hours sandboarding / sledding in the sun at Great Sand Dunes can result in some sunburn. This is even more true if you visit on a hot day with no clouds in the sky during summer. Protect your skin!

A slight haze surrounding the mountains by the dunes

Apparel

3. Hat: My boyfriend recently bought himself a bucket-type hat to wear on hikes and adventures such as sandboarding / sledding at Great Sand Dunes National Park. It protects his face as well as his neck from the sun.

4. Sunglasses or goggles: I am sure you can imagine that sandboarding / sledding at Great Sand Dunes results in some sand flying up into your face. I wore sunglasses during my visit, and they protected my eyes just fine. However, you can also buy a pair of goggles. If you already have a pair of goggles for swimming, skiing, snowboarding, etc., those should work just fine.

5. Tennis shoes: These are especially important if you plan to visit during summer or in the middle of the day. The sand can reach surface temperatures of up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (~65 Celsius), so you need to protect your feet. I recommend buying a nice pair of hiking shoes, as they will come in handy if you plan to visit other attractions requiring a lot of walking and/or hiking.

Walking out to the dunes to do some boarding

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Check out some of the national monuments in New Mexico, including: Bandelier National Monument.

Another New Mexico national monument is: Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.