By:
Submission
Check the park's weather page for the most accurate park forecasts: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/weather.htm
Roadside camping is permitted only at 21 numbered campsites in Great Sand Dunes National Preserve beginning 5.2 miles from where the road begins near Piñon Flats Campground. These sites are indicated with a brown post and camping symbol, and are numbered by approximate road mileage from the Park/Preserve boundary to Medano Pass. Numbers in parentheses are approximate road mileage from Medano Pass down to the Preserve/Park boundary. Roadside car camping is only permitted in designated sites in the national preserve. Vehicle access to these sites is only available late spring through fall, depending on snow, creek, and road conditions.
These designated sites are free of charge and first-come, first-served. All 21 sites fill on summer holiday weekends, and often on other summer weekends.
Besides current conditions, there are many other considerations when planning to drive Medano Pass Primitive Road. Your type of vehicle, its clearance, its weight, the width of your tires, and your skill and confidence driving in sand, are all variables in driving this road.
4-Wheel Drive (4WD) vehicles are required on this road. All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) vehicles, mini-SUVs, wagons, and similar vehicles with lower clearance will get stuck in the deep sand or creek crossings.
ATVs and UTVs and are not permitted anywhere in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. All vehicles must be highway-legal in Colorado. Colorado does not recognize ATVs and most UTVs as highway-legal.
Licensed motorcycles need to be registered as OHVs (Off -Highway Vehicles) when used on the Medano Pass Primitive Road. OHVs in Colorado must have an OHV sticker issued by the State of Colorado to ride on federal lands.
Annual Road Closure: Every November, the road closes for the winter season the day following the end of the fourth rifle season- if weather conditions allow. The road fully reopens when weather and road conditions allow, typically in mid-to-late May.
