Sand Dunes National Park In Southwest ColoradoGreat Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve Colorado's newest National Park is located in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado on the west side of Laveta Pass. Here you will find North America's highest sand dunes rising over 750 feet in height. The area contains  30 square  miles of sand dunes. The San Luis Valley is located between twin ranges of the Rockies and the Continental Divide is just east of the park.

This park is a great and unusual spectacle and when you are a kid it is a spectacular place to play. They can slide down the dunes, wade in the creek build sand castles and run until they drop.

Medano Creek runs along the edge of the dunes and during really wet years this creek runs high enough to float in the spring. Otherwise it is just an inch or two. There is no trails in the dunes themselves it is all free walking.

You can also look for birds and there is abundant wildlife including deer and coyote.

The park does allow camping in the dune field. Using the park as a base there is a multitude of trails to explore. The Montville Nature Trail is a shaded walk and is an excellent place to retreat from the summer day heat on the dunes. Along the way the ruins of an 1800's village can barley be seen and at the trails highest point rest and get a great view of both the mountains and the dunes.

From the park there is the Mosca Pass Trail is a hike along a creek to the summit of a low pass in the Sangre de Christo mountains. The trail winds through both aspen groves and massive pine forests. This trails is 3 1/2 miles one way. This was the older native American and trapper trail into the San Luis Valley.

The visitor can also enjoy 4 wheel drive roads which lead to many high alpine trails, lakes and meadows where you can explore a totally different landscape than the area of the sand dunes. 

The spacious grasslands of the national park are the least visited area, yet they contain spectacular wildlife, migrating dunes, panoramic mountain views, and intricate beauty. The Nature Conservancy manages over 1000 bison within the national park, and offers bison tours on summer Saturday mornings. 

The San Luis valley is also the home of many wetlands features that are near the San Dunes National Monument. A real treat is the 1000's of sand hill cranes which migrate through the valley in spring and fall. There are also many different varieties of other bird species which visit the area as the valley is a major migratory pathway south to north.

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