Great Sand Dunes Park: Majestic Dunes & Celestial Beauty

Great Sand Dunes

National Park and Preserve

Welcome!

The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Available day and night year-round you can experience a starry sky on moonless nights or a surreal walk on the dunes under bright full moonlight.

Explore Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve comprises 140,000 acres in the Colorado’s San Luis Valley, with 45 miles of trails leading through beautiful forests and up 13,000-foot mountain peaks. Both the park and preserve are home to the tallest dunes in North America, reaching heights as tall as 750 feet, which is taller than the Statue of Liberty! As a certified International Dark Sky Park, Great Sand Dunes provides awe-inspiring opportunities to experience the astronomical wonders with minimal light pollution. NASA has even conducted research at Great Sand Dunes to help better understand the planet Mars. As one of the most ecologically diverse parks in the United States, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve protects diverse landscapes, grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. This landscape is sacred to the Diné—Sisnaajini (Blanca Peak), located just south of the Great Sand Dunes, is one of four sacred mountains, believed to serve as a part of the boundary and protectors of the Navajo traditional homeland. When you visit Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, you can experience the natural beauty and cultural connections of one of the most inspiring landscapes of the West.

Since our founding in 1938

WNPA has provided more than

$136 million

in aid to our partner parks to fund educational programs, initiatives, and scientific research

Kids in Parks

National parks are places where kids can dream up great adventures! Taking in amazing scenery. Testing out new skills. Exploring places kids may have only heard about. But most importantly, creating new memories with friends and family.

Our public lands are our public commons. They belong to all of us as part of our natural and cultural heritage. They remind us of a larger world that has existed long before the arrival of humans and will survive long after we are gone. –Terry Tempest Williams, Author & Conservationist

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Bring the Parks Home

When you can’t get to a national park for a visit, experience it from the comfort of your home. WNPA’s online store is packed with ranger-approved park collectibles, books, toys, and clothing. Shop for a special item.