Great Sand Dunes National Park

When you think about Colorado, what comes to mind? For me it is huge snow-capped mountains towering into the sky cutting through the clouds. It’s cool mountain air rushing through a valley filling my lungs with clean crisp air.  What I never expected was sand. Lots and lots of sand. So much sand it seems like you traveled to the Sahara Desert. That may be a bit if an exaggeration but the Great Sand Dunes National Park certainly does seem desert like. With huge dunes towering as high as 755 ft in the air and expanding over 30 square miles.

All of the Great Sand Dunes National Park are explorable by foot, if you are up to that task. You can hike pretty much anywhere you please on the dunes. While we were visiting we seen plenty of folks actually hike to the top, I can tell you this sand is super soft and not easy to walk through. I was very impressed to see so many people hike to the peak at 755ft up.  I have no idea how they were able to do so! The strength and endurance that would be required are staggering and way out of my reach!

Instead of killing ourselves trying to make it to the top, we chose to rent sand sleds from our KOA we stayed at. The kids absolutely loved sledding down the dunes. It was a great way to start our day!

If you are coming out to enjoy the sand please remember this is not a beach. There is not a lot of water to cool off. Pack in a lunch, water, sleds, water, and more water. It gets hot very fast. I recommend getting on the sand early as it seemed like by noon the sand was too hot to enjoy. Once the sun starts to come down after dinner time is another great time to come out and enjoy the dunes. I also recommend wearing hiking shoes, it just makes it easier to walk without burning your feet. Sun screen and bug spray is also a must. Mosquitos were terrible while we were visiting!

Alamosa Great Sand Dunes KOA Journey

Let’s start by discussing where we decided to set up base camp. No surprise, we chose a KOA. I just have grown accustomed to the quality and amenities you can expect at a KOA. Alamosa Great Sand Dunes KOA Journey did not disappoint. They offer plenty of parking for our 40 ft diesel pusher towing a Jeep Wrangler. Our site has a concrete patio, patio furniture, fire pit, and a propane grill set up and ready to use. You also will have full hookups including 50 amp and water. Unfortunately, what you will not have is paved parking or any real shade. There are a few shady spots but most of this park is in the full force of the sun all day long.

Staff is very friendly and as mentioned earlier, you can rent sand boards and sand sleds right from the office. The also offer pedal cars for rent and a heated pool that can be used during normal business hours. Keep in mind while staying that Great Sand Dunes National Park is considered a dark sky park so, please keep the light pollution to a minimum so everyone can enjoy the stars at night.

Alamosa/Great Sand Dunes KOA Journey is located right outside of Alamosa and is only about 30 miles or so away from the National Park Entrance. Making it a perfect location to visit both Alamosa and the Great Sand Dunes National Park. While we decided to stay 4 days at this location realistically you can see and do everything in about 2 full days. After the first 2 days we found it a struggle to keep ourselves entertained.

Spare Keg Brewerks

So, I must admit I have no idea what this brewery is actually called. The sign says Square Peg, the door says Spare Keg, the cans say Spare Keg, there are multiple signs inside that say either Square Peg or Spare Keg.  You go on the website and it is sparekeg.com so I am assuming that is the actual name. Spare Keg Brewerks is located right in the heart of Alamosa Colorado on Main Street. The brewery offers a full grain to table experience. What that means to you is the barley is locally grown by the co-owner of the brewery. You can taste that difference in the beer. You can also see the difference in the color and fullness of each drink.

Besides the identity crisis that this Brewery has, the beer is top notch. I lean more toward a darker beer so I enjoyed the brown ale they have on tap. While that was a good beer I absolutely fell in love with the Peanut Butter Stout. I huge shout out to my wife for discovering this place and discovering the peanut butter stout for me. It is a great dessert beer as it has a sweetness to it making it a much better choice for an after-dinner snack than a bowl of ice cream. Besides the darker beers there is plenty of other options for lighter beer fans and they even use some beer to make cocktails like a Moscow Mule.

Beer is the only option you are going to find here. As of this writing there is not any food option and that is unfortunate. Some of these drink options would pair perfectly with a good BBQ or pizza. Either way make sure while you are in town visiting the park you swing by for a beer if you get the chance.

San Luis Valley Brewing Company

After a few beers at Spare Keg we walked next door to another great brewery. This one is called San Luis Valley Brewing Company and they do in fact serve food. More of a sit-down style restaurant. Making this the perfect place for grabbing dinner and a beer. SLVBC is another brewery that takes great pride in the local ingredients. The hops and barley are purchased from local producers and they use the water from the Rio Grande River Basin to make their mash.

First, lets start with the beer. I recommend trying out the Valle Caliente. This lighter beer is a Chili infused lager. I must say it has a boast of flavor as the Chili spice is bold. I did enjoy the beer but only could drink one as I was afraid of the heartburn that would soon follow. If you like spicy food, this is the beer for you. If you want a truly unique beer, this is also the beer for you. The boys enjoyed homemade root beer and a homemade cherry cream soda.

I prefer the Ol’ 169 Oatmeal stout. It is a classic oatmeal stout but that is more my speed. I paired this with a green chili burger that has a fried egg on top and a side of guacamole. As good as all that was, you absolutely have to take a look the dessert menu. The mixed berry homemade bread pudding is absolutely to die for. Not too many berries and just sweet enough without being overbearing. If bread pudding is not your thing then check out the Apple Filled Churros. I have never had filled churros before and after eating these, I am not sure I can go back to a standard churro.

Zapata Falls

As I mentioned earlier the sand at the dunes gets extremely hot during the middle of the day. During this time is the perfect opportunity to check out Zapata Falls. The falls are located just outside the Great Sand Dunes National Park entrance. Once you see the sign follow the directions to head up a 3-mile drive to the parking lot. From the parking lot make sure to take some time and enjoy the view. It is a perfect opportunity to take in the dunes and the surrounding mountain views.

The hike from the parking lot to Zapata Falls is not a challenging one but it is uneven rocky trail with an elevation gain of only 213 ft. With that being said you still want to make sure you wear closed toe shoes and take it slow. The hike is only .9 miles out and back trail and it takes you to a small fall of about 30ft that runs into a chilly stream that the kids will love to play in.

One thing I want to mention are the mosquitoes. They are so bad here it is almost not even enjoyable. With that being said most of our experience in and around the sand dunes was like this. We visited in July and the mosquitos are horrible. Bring bug spray, where long sleeves, pants, and a hat if you can bear the heat.

Montville Nature Trail

My suggestion is to check out the dunes early in the morning and once the sun starts to heat up the sand go and check out the Montville Nature Trail. Located right in the Great Sand Dunes National Park just up the road from the parking lot for the sand dunes. This trail is a unpaved .8 mile loop that is a very easy hike. The trail is rocky and uneven but if you can make the hike it is a great way to beat the heat.

The trail is mostly shaded and has a few spots to stop and have a seat on a bench. It runs along a small creek and even has a nice spot to stop for the kids to play in some ankle high moving water. After that you will move along the trail to a rocky terrain that gives you a breathtaking view of the Sand Dunes.

What was especially special for me was this was the first time that I have seen cactus plants in the wild. I know that may sound funny to you but it was a really cool experience for me. Being from Illinois the closest thing I have seen to a wild cactus was in the checkout lane at Walmart. Do not be fooled by this short easy trail. There is a lot of beauty and terrain worth seeing packed into this small package.

Medano Pass Primitive Road

Whether you are an Overlander looking for a peaceful place to set up camp or just want to get out and see some of Colorado and the Great Sand Dunes National Park that others do not have access to. Medano Pass is the perfect scenic drive for you. This 20.1-mile primitive road can be driven in either direction, but is only wide enough for a single car to pass in most places. While on the road you will experience sand, mud, gravel, larger rocks (but not too large), and 9 river crossings.

 We chose to go to Gardner Colorado and follow 69 about 8 miles past Gardner. You will see signs for Medano Pass and that is where you start the trail. If you take this way it will take you East to West, dropping you off right in the National Park. That way there is access to free air compressor to air your tires back up. Also, from this direction I believe you get the best views of the backside of the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

The sand that you are going to encounter on this road is extremely soft. If you come to a stop on the sand there is a high chance of getting stuck, ask me how I know. I suggest 4 low and air down the tires to 20 psi at a max. Speaking of 4 low, do not attempt this trail if you do not have a high clearance 4×4 vehicle. We completed the trail in our Jeep YJ and did not have much of an issue, even though some of the trail was a little sketchy and made us a bit nervous.

The worst part of the entire trail we actually not even part of Medano Pass. We took a wrong turn and ended up on a road that google maps calls County Road 559.1 and this road was a lot more tough than the actual Medano Pass. We ended up taking that down to a dead end at a creek, it actually was a perfect place for the boys to get out and play in the creek. Coming back up the pass was not difficult but did have us a bit nervous since at that point we were not sure where we were.

After finding the trail and continuing on, our nerves settled a bit and it was back to enjoying the trail and enjoying the scenery. If you are looking for some off grid camping we passed a lot of scenic campsites that actually had a few people staying in them. They looked nice with great views and level surfaces. Medano Pass will take you to an elevation of 10,040 ft and gives you breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains and forest.

 Keep in mind you are out there on the trail. Plan for the worst and enjoy the best. Take plenty of food, water, tools, fire supplies, chargers, etc. Plan to break down, that way if it occurs you are prepared for it. Talk to the Ranger and get the maps and up to date trail info. Let somebody know you are going out there, your path your taking, and when to expect to be off the trail. As always, its best to travel off road with other vehicles with you but in our case that was not possible since we are visiting the area and don’t know anybody. I am extremely happy we took this trail. It was incredibly beautiful, a little stressful, and whole a lot of fun!