A beautiful and astonishing diversity meets visitors at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. From alpine lakes and tundra to forest, the tallest sand dunes in North America to wetlands and grasslands, Great Sand Dunes protects an amazing variety of life!

NPCA Recommends

Hiking up the “High Dune” and looking back over the park and the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Keep an eye out for abundant wildlife- elk, bison, white–faced ibis, American avocets, pelicans, snowy plovers and great blue herons frequent the wetlands.

Did You Know

Medano Creek, flowing at the base of Great Sand Dunes, is one of the few and best places in the world to experience "surge flow", where creek water comes in rhythmic waves. In late spring and early summer, snowmelt provides visitors with a beach environment! You can splash in the creek, climb the dunes, wildlife watch and hike in the mountains all in one place.

—Ann Froschauer

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