Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

General Trip Planning Information

Visiting in the spring: Spring at Great Sand Dunes can mean anything from warm sun and mild spring temperatures to chilly winds or blizzards -sometimes in one day! At this 8200' (2470 m) elevation, be prepared. Have clothing available for a warm, calm day splashing in the water, but also for snowy or windy conditions if needed. In average to wet years, popular Medano Creek begins as a trickle in early April, increasing to a wide, shallow stream flowing in rhythmic waves at its peak in late May. Bring a swimsuit to enjoy this natural beach environment. A dunes-accessible wheelchair is available for those unable to walk in the dunes.

Visiting in summer: About 300,000 visitors come to the park annually, and most visit during the warmer summer months. Plan to hike on the dunes in morning or evening to avoid afternoon storms, and to avoid the hot mid-day sand surface.

Visiting in fall: Fall at Great Sand Dunes can mean anything from warm sun and mild fall temperatures to blizzards - sometimes in one day!

Visiting in winter: Winter at Great Sand Dunes offers solitude, natural quiet, and incredibly clear day and night skies. When snow does fall on the dunes, sledding, snowboarding or skiing are fantastic, with no trees or rocks as obstacles. Whether the dunes are snowy or sandy, a winter hike on the dunes can be a refreshing experience for all ages.

Recreational Opportunities

Recreational opportunities include hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, photography, and enjoyment of clear night skies. Many people enjoy sledding or skiing down barren dune slopes!

Medano Creek: When there's water in Medano Creek at the base of the dunes, adults and kids alike love to splash in the stream. Watch for waves in the water, a phenomenon called 'surge flow'.

The Tallest Dunes: The High Dune is neither the highest dune in elevation nor the tallest but it looks that way from the parking lot. It is about 650 feet (198 m) high. Cross the flats and zig-zag up the ridgelines to reach it. From High Dune the skyrising dune you see to the west is the Star Dune, rising 750 feet (229 m). It is the tallest dune in North America. To reach it from High Dune, journey another mile and a half up and down across the dunes to its summit.

Eastern Dune Ridge: By high clearance 4Wd vehicle, drive to Sand pit or Castle Creek Picnic Areas. Or, with 2WD vehicle, drive to Point of No Return, then hike .5 mile (1K) to Sand pit. Castle Creek offers an impressively tall, steep dune face. Both areas have close access to Medano Creek.

Climate and Special Equipment Needs

Summers are generally pleasant with high temperatures rarely exceeding 90 degrees F. but the sand can get quite hot (140 degrees or more) so wear shoes that will protect your feet and be considerate of what pets will encounter if you bring them along. Thunderstorms with abundant lightning are common in the summer months.

Spring time brings strong winds (which is why the dunes are here in the first place) and hiking on the dune field can be a sand blasting experience!

Autumn temperatures are often delightful with cool or even cold nights. Wintertime temperatures can dip as low as -20 F overnight.

Safety and Current Conditions

Beware of hot sand during the summer months; it's best for pets if you leave them at home. Remember to put on sunscreen as the sun's rays are especially intense at the high elevations encountered here.

Stay off dune ridges if thunderstorms are approaching (even if they're still miles away) as lightning is a common occurence on the dunes.

Remember that the sand that makes up the dunes is very fine and can easily find its way into everything so be especially careful with camera gear.

Drink plenty of water. At over 8,000 feet (2,499 m) above sea level, altitude sickness can be a problem, especially if you're accustomed to lower elevations. Symptoms include shortness of breath, headaches, and nausea.