Who knew there was a Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado? With the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the great sand dunes are North America’s tallest dunes. We crossed the Medano Creek to access the dog-friendly dune field. Our RV stay in nearby Alamosa provided a great location to visit this unique national park.
Key Takeaways:
- The Great Sand Dunes National Park is a unique national park experience near Alamosa, Colorado, in the San Luis Valley
- Dogs are allowed on the sand dunes in the NP and in the Medano Creek
- Cool Sunshine RV Park in Alamosa is a nice RV stay to enjoy local attractions
Campground Review:
Cool Sunshine RV Park is a nice RV stay in Alamosa, Colorado. Our site was level and spacious with full hook-ups. The park had limited areas to walk the dogs and the dog park was quite small. The campground facilities are well maintained and very clean. It was quite cold and rainy during our visit so we didn’t spend much time outside.
What to do:
- Great Sand Dunes National Park:
- Stop at the visitor’s center for maps and information
- Driving through the park does not provide access to the dunes and many roads are limited to four-wheel drive, high clearance vehicles
- Several hiking trails provide overlooks for the dunes
- Wind can be an issue when visiting the sand dunes; check the forecast; consider goggles for the dogs if very windy
- Crowds can be an issue during warm weather months; go early for parking
- Dunes and the creek are dog-friendly
- Bring water shoes or be prepared to take off your shoes to cross Medano Creek (depth of the creek varies throughout the year – it was very shallow during our visit) to access the dunes
- Surfing and sledding on the dunes is a thing; rent or buy sand surfing equipment in nearby towns
- Avoid the heat of the day; especially with dogs — the sand can get extremely hot on paws and feet
- Check out San Luis Valley Brewing in Alamosa for great brews and bites
- Hike the Zapata Falls Trail to the 25-foot Zapata waterfalls tucked into a cave
Great Sand Dunes
Great Sand Dunes – Medano Creek
Great Sand Dunes
Great Sand Dunes
Chili & Cedar’s Review:
The Cool Sunshine RV Park is okay for a short stay. We enjoyed our short walks around the park but did not go to the dog park — it was made for small dogs. The area around the park did not have walking trails for dogs.
Campground Rating: 4 PAWS out of 5 PAWS
We really liked our visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, especially our trek across Medano Creek to get to the sand dunes. We walked up the dunes but the winds came and we had to go home – well, that’s just the way it goes. We appreciated the park letting us on the dunes and in the creek – woof!