If you’re wanting to camp at Great Sand Dunes National Park and you have 4-wheel drive, Medano Pass Road might be just for you.
There’s more than a dozen primitive campsites alongside Medano Creek once the unpaved road crosses into Great Sand Dunes Preserve from the National Park.
It’s a fun ride getting to the campsites and not far past the dunes. The route cuts through deep sand at first, and then crosses the creek before the campsites appear. I chose one that was situated amongst aspen trees and was close enough to the creek to hear the water flowing.
The road continues 20-some miles over Medano Pass and down into the next valley. But most people camping here double back to the national park. If you attempt to drive over the pass, the road crosses the creek several more times while getting more rugged the further away from the dunes you get.
Before the campsites are special access points to the dunes that most people can’t reach. Where Medano Pass Road begins the Park Service has signs posted recommending tires be aired down to 20 PSI “or you will get stuck.”
The Park Service updates the current conditions of the road on this webpage.
There are other camping options at the dunes.
There’s a developed campground close to the park entrance called Piñon Flats. As far as campgrounds go that are inside national parks, this one is actually very reasonably priced at $20 per night.
You can also camp on the dunes themselves with a backcountry permit that costs $6 per night.
Camping on Medano Pass Road is free.
Whichever way you do it, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is well worth the visit. The dunes are the tallest in all of North America and are incredibly beautiful the way they back up against the even higher Sangre de Cristo mountains.
Hikers will enjoy numerous trails into the dunes and nearby mountains.
Sandboarding is a popular activity and boards can be rented at the general store near the park entrance. Medano Creek’s seasonal flow during snowmelt season is sometimes strong enough for tubing.
People also come to Great Sand Dunes for stargazing and astrophotography as the dark skies are renowned.
For other Outdeezy camping reports, click here.
