As home to the tallest sand dunes in North America, this place is absolutely worth checking out. We…read morecame over Memorial Day weekend and we had been hearing rumblings in town that this is typically one of their busiest seasons of the year so we were really nervous we would have to wait in long lines, it would be crowded, and we wouldn't be able to enjoy our hike up the sand dunes. It was actually totally chill, it took maybe 15 minutes to get situated and pay for our park pass, drive to the dunes, and find parking but nothing outrageous. I will say the park rangers here are not friendly and fairly rude if I'm being honest. The dunes themselves were super fun, we had never been to anything with this much sand before so it was a blast sledding down the hills! All of the visitors were really nice and friendly to one another which is always great to see. We specifically rented a 4x4 jeep so we could go on the Medano Pass Primitive Road and probably only made it about 5 miles. THIS was actually crowded and unruly as it's one lane and you have to park on the side every now and then to let cars from the opposite direction come through. It was bumpy, not scenic at all, and rather annoying having to stop so frequently so we ended up ditching it and leaving to go to the visitor center instead. If I were to redo this part, I would have just rented a cheaper car that wasn't a 4x4 and saved loads of gas. Because the park is open 24/7, we were especially excited to come back at night though and see the dunes. We returned around 10:30pm and although there were some really annoying people blasting music in the dunes parking lot that ruined the ambiance, the stars were absolutely magnificent. Since it's a certified International Dark Sky Park,they were absolutely stunning and radiating from the night sky. We got so lucky it was a clear night so we could see them so well! That was the highlight of our trip for sure.

A truly remarkable landscape that must be experienced. These are the tallest sand dunes in North…read moreAmerica. Yes, in Colorful Colorado!!! My first trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park was in February of this year. It completely exceeded my expectations. No, it's not classic Colorado. Yes, I visited in the off season (more people should do this!) Minimal crowds meant having most of the park to myself. I rented a sandboard in Alamosa and sandboarded down the dunes. Only $20 at Kristi Mountain Sports! Talk about a thrilling experience! Totally recommend doing this if you're craving an adventure. All you have to be cautious of are the weather conditions, specifically wind. I watched the forecast like a hawk and tailored my visit accordingly. The two popular hikes to experience the dunes are High Dune and Star Dune, with the latter being the tallest. Now you know I'm a hiker and that I grew up near the ocean...but hiking on sand??? Not for the faint of heart! I made it up to High Dune and ran out of water and decided it was best to head back. Incredible views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. At a few points I was completely surrounded by dunes and that was a feeling I never thought I'd experience! Visiting at sunrise the following morning was spectacular. I was the only one in the trailhead parking lot! The pink skies over the dunes and mountains was a special combination. I hiked the Dunes Overlook Trail afterwards and I'd recommend it since you get to see the park from a higher vantage point. I also saw 25 deer on trail, no I'm not exaggerating! This was the adventure of a lifetime. Go play in Colorado's sandbox, you'll be surprised how much you enjoy it! Can't wait to come back!

This short hike to the falls was one of the most worthwhile mini adventures taken in a long long…read moretime... The reward was this magical ice covered masterpiece of nature... We got super lucky with our timing and caught the falls in one of the most amazing moments.... Do not pass this one up...

A 30 foot frozen falls await you up a fairly steep one mile trail that has lots of rocks and plenty…read moreof ice/snow melt in late March. Be sure to wear shoes/boots with good grips for the trail. The hike is well worth it. As I approached the falls, the sound was just surreal as I could hear the water flowing below the frozen ice from the falls. There is also a beautiful blue glow from the frozen falls. A must see if you are near the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

A beautiful mountain park, just a short drive from Pueblo, Colorado; Totally worth the drive. A…read moregreat place to escape to for some stillness and to re-connect with nature. Great programs for people of all ages, especially kids! Dave and the rest of his staff is great at what they do. They also have very nice trails. They even offer mountain wedding venue services and overnight packages for other groups.

From the owner: Located in the Beulah Valley, the Nature & Wildlife Discovery Center Mountain Park Campus offers…read more611 acres of hiking trails filled with Ponderosa Pines and streams. Home to the Horseshoe Lodge, overnight lodging is available with a variety of beautiful floor plans to choose from. A self-service continental breakfast is provided for all lodge guests.

Stopped to check out what appeared to be an abandoned park in the middle of nowhere on the way to…read moredunes. I found an abandoned park on the way to the dunes, with exceptionally clean, well stocked restrooms and picnic areas shaded against the worst of the NM sun. The plan when establishing the park: Nice place for locals to spend A Day At The Beach. Reality, the water becomes poisonous to fish, dries up quickly, and the beach is on the edge of a mud hole. Still, possibly worth hiding a tent on overnight...

Beautiful, scenic, peaceful place to relax & recharge!!! Note: This is no longer a Colorado…read moreState Park - "State Park Passes" do not grant admission!! The Park falls under the authority of the Colorado Parks & Wildlife, as a State Wildlife Area. We stayed here 3 nights in Aug. '25 - The Lake was completely dry, but park is still open & provides a nice restful stop for travelers near the Sand Dunes, with nice large campsites and 30/50a Electric!! John - the new camp host is extremely helpful & friendly, and works incredibly hard (all by himself!) to help insure the Park's future by making sure that all guests have the proper State Wildlife Area pass (or CO Hunting/Fishing license) to help support the ongoing capability of providing free electrical campsites to guests. Seniors can obtain an SWA Annual pass for $11.73 online at cpwshop.com (each guest needs a pass!). We can't thank our host John enough for his hard work & dedication to help keep this park open!!

Lake Como trail was a lot of fun. The hike to Lake Como isn't easy so pack light. I would also…read morerecommend starting early in the morning because there isn't a lot of shade along the trail to protect you from the sun. Don't forget your bug spray (I've never seen so many mosquitoes in my life). Be careful on Blanca and Ellingwood because it's easy to lose the trail.

Things you MUST know about the most common Mount Blanca trail:…read more 1. Hardest Off Road trail in the country. 2. Overnight camp at beautiful Como Lake. There are 2 campsites one will cross before getting to Como Lake if your in a sticky situation. 3. Takes about 5-7 hours to get to Como Lake. There may be a large stream or two interrupting the trail at some parts that one must navigate (over 100 yeards after rainfall) 4. 3 hours to summit blanca after leaving Como Lake. 5. Will pass 3 lakes in all reaching peak. One with a large 50 foot waterfall. 6. Not many people climb this fourteener compared to others because of its location. 7. Ellingwood and Little Bear are accessible from this peak. 8. This is a Moderately Difficult Fourteener. 9. Como Lake and Summit offer spectacular views.

We stayed at this campground, in Colorado but close to the New Mexico border, for one night in our…read moresmall Class B camper van in late April, 2024. We actually had reservations further along at a national park but decided to shorten our driving distances for the day. We were able to make our reservation online. This is a very nice campground, with sites nicely spaced out and some nice amenities. We were in the Carpios Ridge campground which has 63 sites for RVs, trailers, and tents on a ridge 150' above the lake. We're actually pleased that our mapping app took us on an indirect route to the campground as our site did not have a water-view and we might have missed the lake otherwise! My understanding is that this is an Army Corps of Engineers (COE) campground that is managed by the state of Colorado. In April, 2024, the seven sites with full hookups were $41, with only 50 amp electricity: $36, and basic: $28. You also need to purchase a state of Colorado daily vehicle pass for $10. (This is expensive as we've stayed at other COE campgrounds for 1/2 off as holders of the NPS interagency senior pass, and without the need for a vehicle pass. $46 with state of Colorado management vs $18 were it COE management -- plus we had already paid for a site at Zapata Falls Campground that we wouldn't be using. The campground has clean restrooms and free showers (for campers only), as well as laundry facilities (in theory) and a book exchange. There are shared water spigots, as well as walking trails in the vicinity. There is also a shared dump station. The Visitors Center was already closed when we arrived and wasn't open yet when we left the following morning but we were able to buy our vehicle pass at a kiosk. We saw rangers patrolling the area. Only two concerns are worth noting. First, as already mentioned, the discrepancy between pricing of state and COE campgrounds. Also, the washing machine ate my $2 without the machine starting. More than the irritation of losing the $2, we really needed to do laundry after having been on the road for few week.

We stayed one night on our way into Durango. And one night on our way out. We didn't actually spend…read moremuch time there, but I was BLOWN away by the cleanliness of the bath house. Plenty of stalls, free showers, and room to get dressed/ready if you need to with outlets. Washing machines, vending machines, and a water fountain. I was blown away. Would love to stay again.

We threw our son his Easter egg hunt party here and needless to say NEVER AGIAN! The rangers met us…read morehere to check outlets and also check for exposed needles that they did find. Homeless population is very large around this park so it was always someone walking up asking for something or someone high approaching the kids. DEFINITELY not a place for family event with little kids.

This joyous roadside hike is perfect for people of all ages. It's short, and even amateur…read moreboot-strappers from the lowlands or sea level, who routinely struggle at altitude, should be able to make it up and down. Mountain lions do call the area home, as is the case across the high country. What was different here was the size of kitty potty found on the trail. It was 18 inches long. Translation: very big cat. With 4,000 puma statewide, for me, by way of trail signs, this has been a pretty active region. One of the best visuals came one winter while snowshoeing in a remote, deep snowscape. I followed the extended gait of a fellow traveler, in five to ten foot snow, thoroughly enjoying the easily identifiable stride set by a very large mountain lion, the top of the snow constantly disrupted by the sashay of its tail on the rising and falling terra of rolling hills and high alpine meadow.

Nice place with good views and a moderate hike. Ample parking and best of all, it's free!read more