Thinking about visiting the Great Sand Dunes National Park with kids? Here’s all the best tips to have a super fun day!
The Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in southern Colorado near Alamosa. This United States National Park is awe-striking and absolutely full of fun!
The tallest sand dunes in North America are located here. It’s absolutely incredible.
Our 4 kids loved playing here. I recommend you plan to arrive in the morning and leave by lunch time to avoid the mid-day heat.
You can definitely experience the dunes in a couple of hours and a shorter visit is bound to keep kids happy and hydrated.
Here’s everything you need to know to plan your visit!
What to Know Before You Go
As you enter the park, be sure to stop by the Visitor Center.
You can find restrooms here (which is a priority for us as parents of 4 kids) as well as information on how the Sand Dunes were formed and how they have changed over the years. There’s also great photo ops as well!
This is also where you can rent a sand sled. Don’t hesitate – do it!
If you would like to rent sand boards for older kids, akin to snowboards, there’s some shops in Alamosa to do so. Check out the list here.
Next, you’ll want to proceed to the parking lot further down next to the Great Sand Dunes. You can also find restrooms next to this main parking lot as well. These restrooms serve people coming back from the Dunes, so expect sand!
There’s also a handy foot washing area outside of these restrooms to help you remove a bit of the sand after you play.
But just know going into it, that your shoes and basically anything else you wear will spill out sand from your adventure over the course of the next few days! It’s worth it though, you’ll have the best time!
Hours after our adventure, and miles down the road, my husband’s wallet spilled out sand as he paid for our groceries. LOL
What to Bring
Closed Toe Shoes – Closed toe shoes are a must. The sand can reach temperatures up to 150 degrees in the summer months, so you don’t want to be wearing sandals.
Walking in the sand can be quite the exercise, and you shoes will fill quickly with sand, so wear those old sneakers to this park!
Old Clothes – Your kids will want to play in the sand – and they definitely should! That’s what makes this park so much fun! Be sure to have them wear old clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.
Sunscreen – This is a must for a day in the sun! Don’t forget to sunscreen the backs of your legs (like I did!)
Lunch – This park is located out in the middle of nowhere, so pack along a cooler in your vehicle to have a picnic lunch later.
Water – This sand dune park is considered an actual desert, so be sure to bring along a water bottle.
Baby Powder – This will help you get the gritty sand off your feet and your child’s feet!
Sand Toys – If you can, try to bring some kid buckets, shovels, and dump trucks for the kids to play. In the spring there is a small creek to play in just north of the parking lot. Honestly, our kids didn’t have toys and they still had a blast, but toys would have added to the fun!
Sand Sled – Be sure to stop by the Visitor Center to rent a Sand Sled! It is so much fun to slide down the dunes on these sleds. And just so you know, you can’t actually slide down the dunes without one – my kids tried this once!
What to Do at the Great Sand Dunes National Park
First, I’d recommend climbing toward the dunes. Surprisingly, walking in the sand makes this take quite a while. It’s about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the dunes parking lot to the sand dunes.
Once you climb, it’s time to slide! Kids will love sand sledding or sand boarding and you should try it too!
You might like to hike along the peaks. The highest sand dune is called Star Dune. But even if you don’t climb the tallest dune, there’s beautiful views everywhere you look!
Just be aware that at times, wind can pick up sand and pelt your legs, which isn’t too pleasant.
If it’s Spring or early Summer, be sure to go look for the creek. The water level will depend on the time of year that you visit. It may or may not be hard to find. You’ll find that the creek bed is dry by late June.
We visited in mid-June and the locals were talking about how it was so unusual for the Medano Creek to still be around (and not dried up yet).
During the late spring, people can play in the water, literally on floats at times.
The Medano Creek flows past the main dunes parking area from late April to early June.
Usually by mid-June, most of the creek is gone. My kids had a great time trying to build a dam and for them the main attraction was playing in the water and the wet sand.
If you have enough time, check out nearby Zapata Falls for beautiful waterfall views. It’s another great option that’s located just outside of the park entrance.
We had a wonderful time and my whole family agreed it was one of the highlights on our tour of 5 National Parks. We are already planning our next visit to this amazing National Park!
Want to save this article for later? Pin the image below to your vacation planning board on Pinterest.
