Park Regulations & Safety

Permits

Special Use Permits must be acquired before holding any event (such as a wedding) or for commercial filming in the national park or preserve. For questions or for more information, call the Chief Ranger at 719-378-6321.

Commercial Filming

Please note that commercial filming, except for certain educational purposes, is not permitted within designated wilderness areas, including the main dunefield of Great Sand Dunes. The main dunefield may be used as a backdrop. Some commercial filmers use the Escape Dunes area, near the main dunefield, for commercial filming. These small dunes provide a dune foreground, while the main dunefield is highly visible behind them.

Accessibility

Great Sand Dunes is continually working to improve access so that everyone can experience this unique landscape. If you have special needs or particular questions, please contact a staff member at the visitor center at (719) 378-6399, or email us.

Visitor Center: Open daily, the building and rest rooms are fully accessible. A 20 minute (captioned) introductory film is shown every half hour during the summer months and on request during the winter months.

Camping at Pinyon Flats Campground: Accessible campsites are available on a first-come, first served basis at the Pinyon Flats campground. Facilities include easy access to accessible rest rooms, hardened trail surfaces, picnic tables and fire rings. Two accessible sites are held for disabled campers until 6 p.m. Contact the camp hosts in site #8 for assistance.

Sawmill Canyon Backcountry Campsite is accessible and available in person or by reservation. Located 0.7 miles north on the Medano Pass Primitive Road, the two car parking area and camp can accommodate up to four wheelchairs. The hardened trail to the campsite is 0.1 mile long, and has a maximum grade of 6%. Facilities include an elevated tent pad, picnic table, fire grate, firewood and food storage containers, and an open air pit toilet. Call (719) 378-6399 for information or reservations.

Picnicking at the Dunes Picnic Area: There is one accessible site with a hardened trail to a nearby accessible rest room. The site is shaded and close to Mosca Creek.

Interpretive Programs: Most programs are accessible. For nature walks into the sand, you may check out a dunes wheelchair. Check with park staff for other offerings that may be accessible. Nightly evening programs are offered in the amphitheater from mid May through mid September. A paved, lighted, and mostly level trail leads from the campground to the amphitheater. Porch talks are offered at the Visitor Center throughout the day.

Things To Know Before You Come

Safety Tips

Animals: Poisonous snakes do not exist anywhere in this high elevation park. Rattlesnakes are occasionally seen south of the park boundary, as the elevation gradually decreases. Scorpions, tarantulas, and gila monsters are not found in this high mountain valley. Deer and elk are commonly seen in the park and on park roads. Pronghorn antelope also graze near park roads.  Drive slowly, especially at night, to avoid hitting one of these animals.

Keep Wildlife Wild! Never feed or approach wild animals. Deer, squirrels, and chipmunks may appear tame or hungry, but you should never approach too closely - your safety and their health is at risk! Nature provides plentiful food for wild animals, and they need the nutrients provided by wild food to remain healthy. Some wild animals carry diseases which can be transmitted to humans. 

Insects: For a few weeks each mid-summer, tiny piñon flies cluster around campers and hikers, attracted to the carbon dioxide exhaled by humans. While often annoying, they do not bite. In wet years mosquitos and biting gnats ("no-see-ums") are common from roughly mid June to early August. Ticks are common in April, May and June in the forest and shrub land surrounding the dunes. There are no ticks in the dunes. Brown recluse and black widow spiders do exist throughout North America's woodlands and grasslands, but both are secretive and rarely encountered. No poisonous insects or animals exist in the dunes themselves.

Lightning: The barren dunes are subject to lightning strikes. Thunderstorms with electrical potential are most common in the summer months. When you see thunderheads forming or hear thunder, leave the dunes and seek shelter in a building or in your vehicle. A direct lightning bolt may carry 100 million volts of electricity. In comparison, household current runs about 110 to 220 volts.

Hot sand: Surface temperature on the dunes may reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat is generated from the reflecting sun in a world relatively barren of vegetation. Hot sand can blister bare feet - wear shoes when hiking. Take sunscreen, as skin burns easily at this high elevation (8,200). Remember your pet's feet are sensitive to burns, too. Avoid hiking with your pet on the dunes during the hottest parts of the day.

Sand collapse: Digging deep holes anywhere in the sand can be dangerous, thanks to sand's potential to collapse. If you've ever been buried at the beach by "friends", you know how impossible it can be for someone trapped in a collapsed hole to escape without help. Parents, make sure your kids don't dig more than about 18" down, and never dig deep holes or caves into the base of steep dunes.

High elevation: The Visitor Center and Campground areas are about 8200' above sea level. The highest elevation in the park is 13,604'.  Some people experience headaches, dehydration, fatigue, sleeplessness, rapid heartbeat, and shortness of breath at this altitude. Drink plenty of liquids, avoid alcohol and caffeine, and move slowly until your body acclimates.

Wind and sand: Remember, the dunes are where they are because of the wind! Wind-blown sand can be painful and dangerous. Plan to hike the dunes in morning or evening hours when it's more likely to be calm and cool, and check the forecast if you are heading into the backcountry. Afternoons, especially in spring, are sometimes windy and can be uncomfortable on the sand.

Water quality: Backcountry hikers should treat any surface water by filtering or boiling.

Pets: Pets must be on a leash and attended at all times. Pets succumb faster to heat than humans; sand is hot and shade is scarce. Never leave a pet in a car on a summer day; temperatures can reach 100+ degrees within minutes. Remember, your pet's feet are as vulnerable to hot sand as yours are.

Pets

Pets are permitted in the main national park day use areas and in the national preserve as long as they are kept on a leash less than 6 feet long. They are not permitted in the national park backcountry. Please keep the park clean by cleaning up after your pet.