Great Sand Dunes Backcountry Gear Checklist
Backpacking Great Sand Dunes means carrying every drop of water up and over the first high ridge of the dunes, then pitching a tent on sand that will not hold a normal stake. The park suggests a gallon per person per night. The people we read anchored with sand stakes, deep buried anchors or sand-filled bags, and several got wind that rose after dark. Bring a freestanding tent, layers for cold nights, and a plan for keeping sand out of your face and shoes.
What shapes your gear on Great Sand Dunes
- Where you camp
- The permit offers 20 non-designated sites in the dunefield and seven designated sites on the Sand Ramp Trail. In the dunes you camp past the day-use area and beyond the first high ridge, which the park defines as at least 1.5 miles to the west of the Medano Creek bed. The park says to plan at least an hour of climbing to reach that ridge.
- Water
- There is no water in the dunes. The park recommends 1 gallon per person per night, says stream sources are seasonal and must be boiled or treated, and notes that water fill-up stations exist in the park. Medano Creek at the base of the dunes often runs shallow and can dry up in mid-summer and fall.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS) and The Big Outside
- Heat and storms
- The park says sand can reach 150°F on summer afternoons and that afternoon and evening thunderstorms are common in warm months. If lightning threatens, the instruction is to leave the dunes. A guide writer and a ranger quoted by a trip writer put the sand surface at 140°F instead, and that ranger suggested hiking in after 6 PM and being out by 10 AM.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS), The Big Outside and GORE-TEX Brand blog
- Wind
- Wind is the repeat complaint. Strong winds can build sandstorms, May and June are windy and dry, and two trip reports describe gusts that forced a night retreat or a midnight tent fight. One group had a forecast of 5 mph and met gusts of 30 to 40 mph.
From The Big Outside, ADVENTR.co, The Outbound and Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS)
- Permit
- Park permits are booked on Recreation.gov for a $6 non-refundable fee. Free in-person permits ended in November 2020, so older blogs that describe a free walk-up line are out of date. The Dunes Backcountry quota is 20 permits a day for groups of no more than six, and no permit is needed in the Preserve.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS), Recreation.gov, The Big Outside and Lite Packer
What the agency requires on Great Sand Dunes
Paper copies of your backpacking permit and parking permit
The park tells permit holders to print both and carry the paper copies. Recreation.gov adds that the parking portion must be displayed inside the vehicle, and that if you cannot print it, you can show the visitor center a digital copy of the issued permit (the full itinerary, not the confirmation receipt) during counter hours of 9 am to 4:30 pm and get a paper parking permit there.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Recreation.gov
Sand stakes or sandbags for the tent
The park's rules say to secure tents with sand stakes or sandbags because strong winds may occur.
A gas stove
Gas stoves only. No campfires are allowed. Sand Creek is the one designated site with a metal ring where a fire is permitted.
A trowel and a bag for toilet paper
Bury human waste 6 inches deep and 200 feet from water and trails, and pack out all toilet paper. Use the privy at Indian Grove or Sand Creek if you camp there.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Recreation.gov
A bearproof container or food-storage bag with rope on the Sand Ramp Trail
At the designated Sand Ramp sites, use a bearproof container or hang scented items at least 10 feet up and 5 feet out from the trunk. Recreation.gov describes the hang bag as Kevlar and says to use the bear box at Sand Creek. Bear hangs are not required in the Dunes Backcountry.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Recreation.gov
Nothing glass, no hammock, no dog
The rules list no pets, no hammocks and no glass containers. All trash comes out, including food scraps such as orange peels and shells.
What hikers carry on Great Sand Dunes
A freestanding tent and sand-specific anchors
A Rock Porch writer says only a freestanding tent works because there is no solid ground, and that regular stakes have almost no grip. Another hiker carried long stakes and sand anchors and still had to dig ten holes about 2 feet across to get a hold, and a third tied filled grocery bags to the tent corners. A trio on an early June trip used snow stakes, with one person driving them, one on the poles and one holding the tent down in gusts.
In one windy night a four-pole tent stayed up while two three-pole tents pressed on the people inside.
From Rock Porch, Microadventures, Lite Packer, The Outbound, GORE-TEX Brand blog and Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS)
More water than looks reasonable
The park suggests a gallon per person per night. A solo hiker on a 10-mile trip started with 5 liters, finished with none, and said the pack was nearly 40 percent water by weight. Another hiker filtered extra water from Medano Creek before climbing, and the Rock Porch writer packs two 1-liter bottles plus soft bladders.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS), Microadventures, Lite Packer and Rock Porch
Trekking poles or a walking stick
Sand slides back as you climb, and the Rock Porch writer calls poles essential on the steeper dunes. A hiker who sank 5 to 6 inches per step used a stick to test the depth of Medano Creek and sometimes climbed on all fours.
From Rock Porch and Lite Packer
Wool socks, with or without shoes
The Rock Porch writer tried trail runners, sandals and bare feet over three trips and settled on wool socks only, since sand packs into shoes and sandals catch in loose sand. A hiker met two women crossing the dunes, one barefoot and one in socks, who both said that was the way to go in the cool morning.
The park itself says to wear closed-toe shoes if you must cross the dunes on a hot afternoon.
From Rock Porch, Lite Packer and Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS)
A warm sleeping bag and a puffy jacket
Days reach the 80s and 90s in summer, yet nights can fall into the 30s and 40s. A November trip saw frost and freezing nights.
From Rock Porch and The Big Outside
A long-sleeve sun shirt, sunglasses and a face cover
There is almost no shade and wind throws sand at bare skin. On a night walk out in 30 to 50 mph gusts, one group covered their faces and walked with their eyes mostly shut.
From Rock Porch and ADVENTR.co
Mosquito netting
In early and mid summer mosquitoes drift in from Medano Creek. One hiker wore a head net at dusk and still found them waiting inside the tent.
From Rock Porch and Lite Packer
A wind shield for the stove
One group built wind barriers around their cook sets, but the wind direction kept changing, so they kept moving them and lunged for pots as gusts hit.
From The Outbound
A deep-hole trowel
Loose sand does not hide waste in a shallow hole, so the Rock Porch writer carries a proper trowel. The park's own minimum depth is 6 inches.
From Rock Porch and Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS)
6 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Great Sand Dunes
Regular tent stakes
The Rock Porch writer says traditional stakes have little traction in dune sand, and gusts tore out each anchor a solo hiker set until deep, wide holes finally held.
From Rock Porch and Microadventures
A light tent with few poles
The two lightest tents on one windy night bent against the sleepers during the worst gusts. The four-pole tent in the same group barely flapped.
From The Outbound
Sandals and low shoes that fill with sand
The Rock Porch writer found sandals a tripping hazard and trail runners heavy with sand, and another hiker stopped to dump sand from his shoes on the climb out.
From Rock Porch and Lite Packer
Camping in the dunes late in the season without a heat plan
A solo hiker says he would not backpack the dunes after May unless he enters after 6 PM and is out by 10 AM, because heat plus dry wind burned through his 5 liters.
From Microadventures
Gear questions for Great Sand Dunes
Do I need a permit to backpack in Great Sand Dunes?
Yes, in the national park. Permits are sold on Recreation.gov for $6 and the park stopped issuing free in-person permits in November 2020. No permit is needed to backpack in the national preserve. Older blog posts that describe a free first-come line are out of date.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS), Recreation.gov and The Big Outside
How much water should I carry for Great Sand Dunes?
The park recommends 1 gallon per person per night, and there is no water in the dunefield itself. A solo hiker who started with 5 liters on a windy, warm weekend came home with none.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Microadventures
Do regular tent stakes work at Great Sand Dunes?
Not well. The park tells campers to use sand stakes or sandbags, a Rock Porch writer says standard stakes have little to no traction, and one hiker dug ten wide holes to bury anchors. Another used grocery bags filled with sand.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS), Rock Porch, Microadventures and Lite Packer
Should I hike Great Sand Dunes barefoot?
People disagree. The Rock Porch writer prefers wool socks alone and other hikers met on the dunes went barefoot or in socks in the cool morning. The park advises closed-toe shoes if you are on the sand in the afternoon, when the surface can reach 150°F.
From Rock Porch, Lite Packer and Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS)
Where exactly can I camp at Great Sand Dunes?
In the dunefield, past the day-use area and beyond the first high ridge, which the park places at least 1.5 miles to the west of the Medano Creek bed. Recreation.gov words it as beyond the highest ridgeline, with no structures or roads in sight, so camp in a low flat spot well past the crowds.
From Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Recreation.gov
Sources
- Backpacking in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve · Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (NPS) · Agency
- Great Sand Dunes National Park Backcountry Permits · Recreation.gov · Agency
- What to pack when backpacking in Great Sand Dunes National Park · Rock Porch, Colleen Goldhorn · Blog
- Taking My Fiancé on His First Backpacking Trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park · The Outbound, Julia Renn · Trip report
- Backpacking The Great Sand Dunes · ADVENTR.co · Trip report
- Microadventures: Great Sand Dunes · Microadventures · Trip report
- Overnight Backpack at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve · Lite Packer · Trip report
- Camping in Colorado's Most Exotic Sandbox: Great Sand Dunes National Park · GORE-TEX Brand blog · Trip report
- Exploring America's Big Sandbox: Colorado's Great Sand Dunes · The Big Outside, Michael Lanza · Blog