Getting to the Sand Dunes in CO from the North???

[B-RAD]

I am looking at a map and was wondering if anyone has any road/trip reports getting to the Sand Dunes from the North. I was looking just south of Bradford off of Hwy 69, CR 559 , FR 559 and FR 235 passing Creager Res, over Medano Pass, through House Canyon to the Sand Dunes in CO.

Looks like it might a fun loop. Any good camp sites along the way? I am thinking about checking that out this Friday and over the weekend. I do not have sand ladders or a compressor, so I won't be able to air down and up, so I am a little concerned about that and don't want to get stuck out there! Thanks in advance for any insight you might have.

 

[thelal]

I did this years ago (in a Trooper) and do-able.
Most of the camp spots are on the S side of the mtns (Sand Dunes side) and several there (b4 you reach the sand creek) are nice.

 

[B-RAD]

Thanks for the insight, THELAL. I also found the link below on the Sand Dunes NP website. Very helpful. Heading out this morning. Stopping at the Royal Gorge, en route. Photos will be posted upon our return in a few days.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve - Medano Pass Primitive Road (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[B-RAD]

Trip report. Medano Pass route was great. The road is not too bad and the sliders only took one hit on the way down. The 9 river crossings where mild, with only one being kind of deep, but caused no problems and elicited some squeels, smiles, and a cautionary warning "not to open any doors!" from my two youngest kids. The sand was soft, but not bad enough where I needed to air-down at all.

 

[B-RAD]

Additional notes: There are about 15 camp sites from the top of Medano pass going down hill about 9 miles to the Sand Dunes. They are first come, first serve, no reservations, no fees. You are not allowed to camp anywhere else, besides these sites along the way. My kids and I ranked all of them along the way for future reference. The best sites that got 3* on a scale of 1* to 5* (5 being the best) were as follows:

The Mile Markers/Campsite Numbers start at the base, just past the Sand Dunes and go uphill.

Mile Marker 0.0 - got 3*, great for a large group.
Mile Marker .9 - got 3*, nice shade and water
Mile Marker 1.2 - got 3*, near the stream, and is off the road a little bit
Mile Marker 4.8 - got 3*, open meadow, in a large Aspen Grove, would be gorgeous in mid September
Mile Marker 5.6 - got 4 * large site, off the main road, in the trees, near the creek,
Mile Marker 5.7 - got 3* similar to 5.6 but more dirt/less bark and pine needles ont he ground than 5.6 so not quite as nice.
Mile Marker 5.8 - got 3* This is the first site coming down from Mendano Pass. We snag it, not knowing what lay ahead at the time. Nice views. Fair amount of trees, good for hammock hanging. No creek.

Hope this helps anyone taking this trail in the future!

 

[taccruiser97]

When we were there a few years back, at the visitor's center (I think), they had a place to air up your tires also. It was some park facility you could air up at.

 

[B-RAD]

That's true, there is air supplied at the park, that is accessible if you don't have a compressor. I wanted to see if we could run it without deflating the tires, and we had no problems.

 

[jonharis]

Glad you had a great trip, here is some more info for others that might be heading that way.

Hayden Pass is also beautiful. I like heading south from Salida and then over the pass into the San Louis. North of the Sand Dunes are a couple of Hot Springs, I like Valley View personally but take a look at their website first. The funky town of Crestone is fun to explore.

 

[B-RAD]

Good info...I will check those areas out sometime. I think it would be great to see in Mid-September with the aspens changing color.

 

[thelal]

Great- glad you enjoyed the trip
Thanks for the update on the campsites. Its been so long since I've been there that I've forgotten which ones where nice etc.