#1 of 17 sights in Great Sand Dunes
Sight · Great Sand Dunes National Park
A steep sand climb to the park’s best-known dune panorama.
Overview
High Dune on First Ridge is the most commonly visited summit in Great Sand Dunes’ main dunefield, a sandy ridge above Medano Creek with a wide view across the dunes and the Sangre de Cristo beyond. It isn’t the park’s tallest dune; the draw is the open climb and the view. Go if you want a proper outing into the sand, but expect a tough uphill grind on loose footing.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this climb for you?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 place
Dunes Parking and Medano Creek“You're coming up on Dunes Parking, the main access to Medano Creek and the dunefield. You don't have to climb a summit to enjoy this stop.”
Plays as you drive up to High Dune on First Ridge 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
From Dunes Parking, cross about half a mile of Medano Creek bed, then pick your way across unmarked sand ridges; there’s no trail in the dunefield. The round trip is about 2.5 miles and usually takes around two hours. Give yourself up to four if you’re not used to the altitude. At roughly 8,200 feet, steep sand makes this much harder than the mileage sounds.
In summer, hike early or late: the sand can reach 150°F in the afternoon, and thunderstorms bring lightning to an exposed dunefield. Wind can kick up any time of year. Sunglasses help when sand is blowing, and bring the water you’ll need for the climb.
From the top, the dunes stretch out with the Sangre de Cristo behind them. Sunrise and sunset bring out the ridges and their shadows. For photos, leave a crest in the foreground so the scale of the dunefield comes through.
Water carried sand into the San Luis Valley; prevailing southwest winds pushed it against a bend in the Sangre de Cristo, while storms blowing from the opposite direction help build dunes upward. Medano and Sand Creeks carry grains out and return them to the field, so the landscape is always being recycled. Individual ridges can shift a few feet in a year or tens of feet in a day.
At least seven insect species found in the park are endemic to Great Sand Dunes. The Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle hunts tiny arthropods in sparsely vegetated sand away from the busiest walking lines. It’s only about half an inch long and moves fast, so spotting one takes a bit of luck.
When sand avalanches down a slope, tumbling grains can make a low humming sound. It’s a strange little counterpoint to all that open space.
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 · 1.6 mi awayA quick grassland loop with signs, dunes, and mountain views
ModerateDunes Overlook Trail2 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.6 mi awayA short foothill climb opens onto dunes and mountain views.
ModerateMosca Pass Trail7 mi · 4 hr · 1.7 mi awayA shady creek climb with dune views through the trees.
EasyMontville Nature Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 1.7 mi awayA shady creek loop with dunes views and a trace of Montville.
EasyWellington Ditch Trail2.2 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.7 mi awayA quiet foothill walk with dune views and a 1927 irrigation ditch.
ChallengingSand Ramp Trail11 mi · 7 hr · 1.8 mi awayAn 11-mile one-way crossing through sandy foothills to Sand Creek.
ChallengingMedano Lake via Medano Pass Primitive Road25.2 mi · 12.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayA long road-and-trail climb reaches Medano Lake beneath Mount Herard.
EasySand Pit Trail1.2 mi · 1 hr · 1.8 mi awayA short trail to Medano Creek with Mt. Herard on the skyline.
Beach · 1 mi awayMedano CreekSmall waves roll across the sand below the dunes when it runs.
Picnic area · 1.1 mi awayDunes Picnic AreaShaded tables make this a handy break beside the seasonal creek.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayStar DuneA towering pyramid dune at the end of an unmarked sand hike.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayDunes AmphitheaterA seasonal ranger-talk venue beside Piñon Flats and the dunes.
Campground · 1.6 mi awayPiñon Flats CampgroundA piñon-and-sagebrush base camp near the dunes.
Store · 1.6 mi awayPiñon Flats Campground StorePick up ice, firewood or snacks between campground loops.
Visitor center · 1.6 mi awayGreat Sand Dunes Visitor CenterStart here for ranger advice, a dune film, and maps.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayWellington HomesteadA cabin remnant puts the dunes’ homesteading past in view.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.
