National Park Guide

Great Sand Dunes Field Guide

A complete planning guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Covers how prevailing winds trapped sand against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to build Star Dune and High Dune, the tallest dunes in North America, sandboarding and sand sledding down the dunefield, Medano Creek's seasonal surge flow that peaks in late May and early June, hiking cross-country since there are no marked trails on the dunes, the park's diverse ecosystems from wetlands to alpine tundra, the four-wheel-drive Medano Pass Primitive Road, some of the darkest night skies in the National Park System, camping and lodging from Pinon Flats Campground to nearby Alamosa, and the official NPS park map.

What's inside

• ✓How wind trapped sand against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to build the tallest dunes in North America
• ✓Sandboarding and sand sledding down the dunefield, and where to rent the right gear
• ✓Medano Creek's seasonal surge flow, and why late May through early June is the best time to see it
• ✓Why there are no marked trails on the dunes, and how to find your way back