Hiking Great Sand Dunes National Park with a Sand Sled or Sand Board
Are you tired of National Parks being too educational? Are you over hiking long hours all day? Is being an adult, not just when you travel, but every day of your life so exhausting you just wish you were a kid again? Yes? It sounds like you need to plan a trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park: federally-owned land with NO defined hiking trails, just you and a whole lotta sand on the highest dunes in North America. Seriously though, this National Park is so simple to tackle, with one main entrance and one central parking lot leading to both small mounds and tall mountains of sand. These creations of nature provide a striking backdrop for any sort of exploring you want. Some people picnic at the base of the dunes where the wind is simply a cool breeze. Others take on the challenge of hiking to the top for 360 views. Still others come prepared with a sand sled or sand board rental, ready to slide down the slopes as if they were a child sledding down snow hills in their backyard. No matter what you decide, the Dunes are one giant playground, with no bit of the 30 sq miles of sand off-limits.
The Dunes themselves are less that 440,000 years old, formed from sand originating in the San Juan Mountains over 60 miles away. This sand along with additional from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains nearby formed at the bottom of what was once a lake, that has since receded, leaving the dunes. The two tallest dunes are High Dune which rises 699 ft from the base of the dunefield, and the even higher Star Dune which reaches 755 ft.
A few things we learned after an afternoon on the dunes:
Wear hiking boots. The higher ankle covering will mean less sand in your shoes to weigh you down as you're walking, allowing you to conserve your energy for getting to the top. Your ankles will also thank you with more protection and stability should you inevitably roll (or fly) off your board/sled on the way down a hill.
Wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts. When wind mixes with this much sand, it HURTS. The wind will actually pick up the sand particles and whip them at you. With exposed skin, it starts to feel like painful pricks all over your body. No fun!
Bring water! You'll be surrounded by sand that reflects sunlight and can cause the surface to reach well above 150 degrees F. Even if it's windy and cloudy, the sun will still likely be very aggressive.
Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from flying sand, especially if you have contacts. Also, face masks work great in preventing you from ending up with a mouth full of sand every time you ride your sled.
Watch for altitude sickness. Don't think that just because you're on sand that you're at a lower elevation. Much of the dunes lie between 8,000-9,000 ft above sea level so keep this in mind if you haven't acclimated to the elevation. Hiking upwards might be more strenuous than you expect.
Grab a Sand Sled or Sand Board from the Great Sand Dunes Oasis
If you're spending a day at the Dunes (or even just a few hours), you have to rent a sand board or sand sled because: 1. it's SO MUCH FUN and 2. you can just slide your way down the dunes, which means less walking! There are a few different rental shops near the dunes that offer both boards and sleds, but we opted for the Great Sand Dunes Oasis, which is right outside of the park entrance. The Oasis opens at 9 am, but the line to rent gear usually starts building at around 8:45. The early bird gets the sled in this case. For $20 apiece, you can get a full-day rental and blocks of wax to rub on the bottom of your sand sled or board before each ride to reduce friction. Both are made of wood to better handle the texture of the landscape since standard snow sleds or cardboard won't budge on dry sand.
Head into the Dunes
Once you’re equipped with your sand sleds and sand boards, follow the signs for "Dunes" from the visitor center to arrive at the main parking lot and start your sand-filled trek. Before you hit the smaller dunes, the flat landscape leading into the dunefield is the perfect warm-up for your legs on the uneven terrain. You may also want to do some thigh and calf stretches beforehand because you're guaranteed to get a workout from this trip. If you feel like you’re really struggling on the sand, take a look around you and you’ll notice everyone else hobbling and wobbling just as much as you, as if they’re a bunch of zombies wandering unstably through the park.
Sand Sled or Sand Board Down Your First Bunny Hill (or Bunny Dune?)
Much like actual skiing, the best way to get used to your board or sled is first to attempt a smaller dune. For the sand sleds, always go feet first and give yourself a bit of a start with your hands. However these sleds can zoom down slopes as fast as 40 mph, so be mentally prepared for the speed. Most of us also ended up rolling or flying off our sleds more than a few times but watching the wipeouts is just as fun as seeing someone go down the hill successfully. The sand boards (unlike the sleds) should be ridden barefoot or with socks. Keep in mind that going down a hill may be a blast, but trekking back up to slide down a second time may completely zap you of your energy.
Make Your Way to the Top
Whether they're sledding or not, most people's goal is to make it to the top of one of the dunes that can be seen from the parking lot. You don't necessarily have to summit High Dune or Star Dune, but I recommend stepping foot on some part of the ridge to see the expansive dunefield stretched out in front of you. The hike up will be challenging. If you're like me, you'll be exhausted and will have to stop to catch your breath every 50 feet (no judgment if you do!). Keep an eye out for ridgelines of sand, no matter how small, to help you ascend the dunes with less of an incline. Once you get higher, the wind also picks up drastically. Sand will whip across your face in waves, making you feel as if you're trekking through a sandstorm in the Sahara. At one point, the wind knocked me over, and I couldn't get back on my feet until it died down. I looked up and saw other hikers beside and ahead of me with their head's down, pushing against the gusts and it reminded me of all the photos of hikers struggling against the elements on Everest. If this is the closest I ever get to hiking Everest, so be it lol.
The view from the top is more dunes, spreading across the horizon, but you'll also get to look down and feel pretty accomplished when you see how far you've come. The biggest reward for getting to the top is OBVIOUSLY picking the routes to sled back down! Some slopes are steeper than others, depending on how quickly you want to get to the bottom and keep an eye out for steep dips in that sand that look more like a bottomless crevasse. Some of them looked very intimidating without a clear path to climb out. You don’t want to have search and rescue called for you in the middle of a crowd-filled dune.
We spent about 4 hours hiking and sledding through Great Sand Dunes. We entered the park at around 9:15 am and were able to bypass some of the hotter afternoon temperatures during this morning window. By the time we left, we were definitely starting to feel the weight of the sun's heat. Despite the intense temperatures and the sand that you’ll find on your body days later even after multiple showers, this park is totally worth the visit. It’s time for you to get back on a sled again!
