Distance from Denver: 226 miles (4-5 hours with camper)

Cost: FREE (Entering the park costs but you can camp for free in BLM/Forest Land)

The Great Sand Dunes are beautiful. They seem to jut out of nowhere and are shadowed by toweing mountains. We stayed on BLM/National Forest land about 10 miles from the park for free at the base of Mt. Blanca. I recommend the website Free Roam if you need help finding a place to stay. There are all sorts of useful overlays that you can add (it’s all free) showing the BLM land, FS land etc.

However - if you are looking for actual sites you can stay cheaply at the Zapata Falls Campground and even in the park if you have a smaller RV.

• Zapata Falls Campground - primitive campground on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, located 11 miles south of the Park Visitor Center, at 9000 feet in elevation. Spectacular views of the entire dune field and valley. No water; pit toilets; fire rings at each site. $11 per night. Open year-round; bumpy dirt access road is not snowplowed in winter, but many vehicles drive on it, packing down the snow. No phone at the campground; BLM office number is 719-852-7074. Zapata Falls Campground is first-come, first-served, and fills most nights during Medano Creek's flow in May and June.

Right outside of the park and more expensive is Oasis Campground. We’ve stayed here before in a cabin. If you come in the winter, make sure you are prepared with blankets! It is COLD.

• Oasis Campground - located just outside the national park entrance. 90 sites total RV sites with full hookups, tent sites, and camping cabins. Showers, laundry, restaurant, and store on site. Open April through October. Follow the link or call 719-378-2222.

Things to do!

• Hike or sand board on the dunes. This is extremely exhausting but sure is fun going down! Dogs ARE allowed in this national park (at least they were at our visit. Make sure you protect your dogs paws (paw wax, booties etc.) because the sand is VERY hot during the day.

• Play in the river (seasonal) that goes across the flatlands at the base of the dunes.

• Visit the nearby Zapata Falls. Be prepared for freezing water at the top. You’ll have to trudge through it to see the falls as it is back in a canyon.

• Hike up to Lilly lake. This was the most beautiful hike I have done in Colorado, and it was brutal. Our hyperactive husky did it with us and we thought she had died in the car ride back because she didn’t move at all (she was just tired). Allow extra time for photos.

• Visit the UFO/Alien Encounter area. A bit strange, super wacky, but entertaining. They ask for donations but it is worth it for the experience.

Click on any of the images below to see them larger.