Entrance station · Great Sand Dunes National Park
Get your park pass at the booth when it’s staffed.
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Sand Dunes Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Sand Dunes National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center“You're approaching the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center. Stop here if you'd like ranger help choosing an outing, or want to understand the landscape before exploring it. I'd head for the hands-on sand-and-wind display.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from Great Sand Dunes Entrance Station in the Parkwolf Great Sand Dunes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Great Sand Dunes Entrance Station is the toll-booth pass facility on the main access road, south of the Visitor Center and park headquarters. It is a practical checkpoint, not a separate attraction.
In spring, summer and fall, entrance fees are collected here when the station is open. During winter, fee collection shifts to the Visitor Center when it is open. Interagency passes are available here, too.
The park is open year-round, but that does not mean the entrance booth is staffed around the clock. Its exact operating hours are not published, so check current guidance if you need to buy a pass in person.
Wildlife
16 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
21 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
12 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
153 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
38 sightingsRavenMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
15 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Sand Dunes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasySand Sheet Loop Trail0.3 mi · 30 min · 0.7 mi awayA quick grassland loop with signs, dunes, and mountain views
ModerateMosca Pass Trail7 mi · 4 hr · 0.9 mi awayA shady creek climb with dune views through the trees.
EasyMontville Nature Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.9 mi awayA shady creek loop with dunes views and a trace of Montville.
EasyWellington Ditch Trail2.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 0.9 mi awayA quiet foothill walk with dune views and a 1927 irrigation ditch.
ModerateDunes Overlook Trail2 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.8 mi awayA short foothill climb opens onto dunes and mountain views.
ChallengingSand Ramp Trail11 mi · 7 hr · 2.5 mi awayAn 11-mile one-way crossing through sandy foothills to Sand Creek.
EasySand Pit Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 2.5 mi awayA short trail to Medano Creek with Mt. Herard on the skyline.
ChallengingMedano Lake via Medano Pass Primitive Road25.2 mi · 12.5 hr · 2.5 mi awayA long road-and-trail climb reaches Medano Lake beneath Mount Herard.
Visitor center · 0.7 mi awayGreat Sand Dunes Visitor CenterStart here for ranger advice, a dune film, and maps.
Picnic area · 1 mi awayDunes Picnic AreaShaded tables make this a handy break beside the seasonal creek.
Beach · 1 mi awayMedano CreekSmall waves roll across the sand below the dunes when it runs.
Sight · 1.2 mi awayWellington HomesteadA cabin remnant puts the dunes’ homesteading past in view.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayDunes AmphitheaterA seasonal ranger-talk venue beside Piñon Flats and the dunes.
Store · 1.6 mi awayPiñon Flats Campground StorePick up ice, firewood or snacks between campground loops.
Campground · 1.7 mi awayPiñon Flats CampgroundA piñon-and-sagebrush base camp near the dunes.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayHigh Dune on First RidgeA steep sand climb to the park’s best-known dune panorama.Parkwolf’s Great Sand Dunes ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
