Great Sand Dunes: What to Know Before You Visit the San Luis Valley

Look, if you're making a list of Colorado's national parks and Great Sand Dunes near Alamosa isn't near the top, you're doing it wrong.

Most people sleep on this place, which is honestly baffling once you realize what's sitting down there in the San Luis Valley.

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The Great Sand Dunes Numbers Are Legitimately Insane

The Great Sand Dunes stretch across 30 square miles and pack in 1.2 cubic miles of sand. Not only that, they're the tallest dunes in the entire United States, rising 750 feet from the valley floor.

The whole park covers nearly 150,000 acres, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains looming behind it like nature decided the scenery needed to be even more dramatic.

Go ahead and try to wrap your head around that the next time you're complaining about sand in your shoes at the beach.

What You Can Actually Do at the Great Sand Dunes

This isn't just "look at the pretty dunes and leave." Great Sand Dunes offers some killer activities:

• Sandboarding and sand sledding: yep, it's exactly what it sounds like, and yep, it's as fun as it sounds
• Medano Creek runs right through the base of the dunes during certain times of the year.  It's Colorado's weirdest and best beach and it's rare
• High alpine lakes and 13,000-foot peaks, if you want to hike beyond the dunes themselves

Read More: Don't Let Summer Pass: Iconic Colorado Trips to Take

A Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Go

Summer sand temperatures can get absolutely brutal; we're talking scorching. Bring serious water. More than you think you need.

Great Sand Dunes is one of those places that earns repeat visits. Whether you're hauling kids or going solo, it delivers every single time.