While not the highest in elevation in the park, the High Dune on First Ridge in Great Sand Dunes National Preserve is the one most people visit. It appears tall and imposing from the parking lot and is among the most accessible dunes here. Join hikers of all levels for access to 360-degree views of an otherworldly landscape and the tallest sand dunes in North America.
The High Dune Trail keeps you within eyesight of the visitor center, ensuring you keep your bearings the whole time. Start by hiking across Medano Creek behind the visitor center and sand dune parking lot and picnic area to the base of the dune ridgeline. Look for the paths through the brush along the edge of the parking lot then once you have High Dune in site, make your way toward it across the open sands. From there, make switchbacks on your way up to the summit.
Plan on at least 2 hours to cover the 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) round-trip hike, depending on how acclimated you are to the higher altitude. Do not rely on hiking apps to show a formal trail map. Because it’s a shifting sand dune, the trail is what you make it as you zigzag up the ridgelines to the top.
Once you’re at the summit, you’ve reached about 699 feet (198 meters) and will be treated to vast views of the dune field, with Star Dune to the west and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east.
Avoid hiking during the highest temperatures of midday. Aim for sunrise or sunset and bring plenty of water, protective clothing and sunscreen. As you hike, look for hollow fulgurites, tubes of sand that have been welded together by lightning. The tube’s outside is coated in sand grains and the inside is a surface of glass. Admire them and then leave them behind to comply with the park’s “Leave No Trace” guidelines.
Find High Dune within Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Pay the park’s weekly or annual entrance fee to access the sandy dunes.
