We just got back from our trip to the dunes. It was a fun experience and we will be returning in the the fall once the mosquito horde has died.

The sites:

1. Choose wisely not every site has a view of the dunes. I did my research and was rewarded with a site on the outer portion of the camp ground. Our site had decent shade but many are exposed, bring a tarp or canopy.

2. July was mosquito madness. Honestly I am from the country and can deal with bugs, but being dived bombed by 30 mosquitos (not exagerrating) is intense. Be ready for battle. Bring a arsenal or bug spray etc. if you come during their prime months. Persobally I will only return in fall or spring prior to these months from now in as it can be tough to relax. They are everywhere except they do thin out the higher you go in the dunes. Just be ready mentally to combat those suckers, they are relentless and thick.

3. Very close to the creek and dunes. We hiked the dune overlook trail and it was really nice-1 mile long and gave a different perspective of the dunes. There are a few hikes we wanted to try there but the mosquitos were just so thick we stuck to the dunes mainly this time.

4. No showers. Which can be a bummer in the heat and sand combo so bring shower wipes.

First off the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, i feel are underappreciated. It is amazing to see a desert that sits right behind the Rockies that still have snow on them. Anyway, the campground inside the park are the Pinyon Flats. This is a standard campsite for a park, most spots are of similar size and offer picnic tables and metal fire rings. There are a lot of spots, almost 100. Choose a spot wisely here as it can get very hot, some spots do not have tree cover. In the busy summer you should always try to reserve here as it attracts a lot of visitor.

There is a fee to camp in these spots as well as a fee to enter the park. If you enter the park after hours you can avoid that entry fee but will still need to pay the campsite. If not you will end up paying both fees which i think is crazy. We only ended up staying in these spots for one night and them moved on to the Zapata Falls campground which is outside the park (i will review that at another time)

The spots are located a stones throw from the dunes which makes exploring very easy an accessible. For a unique experience, head over to the nearby town of Alamosa to rent a sand board. Take a hike anywhere on the dunes and ride them down! Its a lot of fun. Overall this is a great spot, you cant go wrong.

Piñon Flats is located one mile north of the Visitor Center. Any sites not reserved become available as first-come, first-served. Check out the National Park website for more details on this process.

This camping area has restrooms with sinks, toilets, dishwashing sink, and water spigots are available in all three loops. There is a fire grate and picnic table at each individual site, with multiple grates and tables at group sites. Some sites have trees for shade, while others are more out in the open.

Attractions: When you’re not sand boarding or sledding at the park, I recommend checking out nearby hiking or off roading. Zapata Falls, San Luis Wildlife Area, Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Montville Nature Trail, and the Medano Creek Lakes are all great places to check out!

Tip: When the Medano Creek is flowing in May and early June, expect all campsites to be reserved in advanced. This is a very popular time to visit so expect long lines, overflowing parking lots, and most campgrounds within 20 miles to be full. Plan in advance for this time of year or for a better experience, visit on weekdays.

We enjoyed our stay at Pinon Flats Campground. I think staying on site for your visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park is ideal because you get much more out of the cool mornings and evenings. The site is quite at night from City/road noises but it is frequently windy at night. Our tent was moving enough I was afraid it was going to collapse. The wind may have been less noticeable if we had stayed at a site further up into the trees. All of the sites have tent pads where you are required to place your tent. I found that the meausements online were not accurate, at least for our site. There are bear boxes at each site for reauired use. The campground has a trail running off it that leads to the dunes. It is a good 10-15 minute walk until you reach the sand with no shade.

Site 34- Amazing views! This site is back towards the dunes, with views of the mountains as well. Being on the outer portion of the campground did result in a decreased amount of shade with the tent pad/picnic table exposed throughout most of the day. There was a small grouping of trees to the side which we were able to rest under for shade. This site has close proximity to the bathroom, and is located next to the trail that leads to the dunes. It's proximity to the trail does bring increased foot traffic next to the site. The tent pad was listed online as being 6x6 but we were able to fit our 9'x7' tent on it without hanging over.

I arrived on a Sunday around 3pm. Loop 2 had a few sites available, but only for one or two nights. Loop 1 had around three or four sites available. Be sure to make reservations if you can! I got lucky and was able to snag site 18 for two nights. It is in a curve of Loop 1, with the mountains to the back and the dunes to the side. Not too far from the bathroom or the trail. The bathrooms have specified dish washing sinks, which was very convenient. Bring your own soap of course, for the dishes and the bathroom. The bear proof lockers were plenty large enough to fit coolers and dishes. It snowed on me while I was there and was very windy!

The Oasis right outside the park was a nice place to stop and eat or grab some last minute supplies. The short drive to Zapata falls is also worth it!

I was camping in a SylvanSport GO which handled the snow like a champ. Some of my water spilled in the front storage of the GO, but they had already thought about that and put in a drain plug! You can even use that front storage as a cooler in a pinch! Check them out at https://www.sylvansport.com/

We made our way up to GSDNP on a whim during the first week that the campsites were open. During this time of the year (April-May) all sites other than group sites are first come-first serve. We arrived around 3pm and got the second to last site available, so, as with all National Parks, arrive early or make a reservation if you can! We stayed on loop 2, which is the upper-most of the non-group sites, requiring a bit further of a walk to the dunes. Out site was well leveled, clean, and well kept, with a bear bin, table, and fire ring. The site host was very friendly and helpful, and the site store is a short walk away--it carries the typical assortment of goodies and firewood, as well as sunscreen and the like if you forget an essential. We had excellent views of the dunes as well as the neighboring Sangre de Cristo mountains. The campground was a short walk from the visitor center along a beautiful trail that offers access into the wilderness area that shares a boundary with the park. The sites are also a

Pinon Flats Campground is a National Park Service campground nestled in the grass of the high plains at the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range, Great Sand Dunes and along the Medano Creek.

Nearly every site is a good one. There are 88 regular tent/RV sites divided evently between the first two lower loops and 3 group sites in the upper loop. Check out the National Park Service's webiste: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/pinonflatscampground.htm
for more complete information.

If you are not reserving a site, get there early...and early or mid-week serves up better selections. Weekends are packed during the summer.

There is plenty to occupy your time if you are a hiker, brought your MTB, or your snow saucer. Hiking to the top of the Dunes is invigorating, but taxing. I highly recommend utilizing trekking poles and bring plenty of water. Mid-summer, I would also encourage you not to wear open toe sandals, as the sand gets blistering hot. Reported summer temps are between 80-140 degrees. Evenings were cool and we bundled up.

The views from the campsite are breathtaking, wildlife abundant, and stargazing is, well... stellar! In mid-summer the mosquito's were thick but with topical agents, we were fine at dusk.

The panoramic view from atop the Dunes were fantastic! Give yourself an hour to make the climb, especially if you have some little ones. Tote that snow saucer for a wild ride down the Dune, beware that speeds can get frighteningly fast...but hey, its sand.

Storms rolled in over the Dunes unannounce each day but blew in, over and out quite rapidly. Sunsets were captivating and colorful. Medano creek was shallow but refreshing by mid-July...but is a wild playground in May and June with snowmelt runoff from what we heard.

While camping there, hike the trails, hike the Dunes, visit the Visitor's Center...and definitely make time to drive up and hike into Zapata Falls, which is about eight miles outside of the GSDNP&P. There is a small sign along the road coming in, drive a dusty 3+ mile gravel road up to the parking area and hike the remaining half mile. Pack your sandals or water shoes. The waterfall is secreted inside a mountain crevase and you must walk the frigid mountain water in. Yes, your feet will go numb...but it is worth it...a 30ft cascade at 9400 foot elevation.

This trip was a highlight and we anticipate a longer return stay...a definite must do!

I won't lie, having never visited the Sand Dunes before I was skeptical about the campground. I assumed it would be crowded with little shade or privacy.

I was so very wrong regarding Pinyon Flats! As I drove through the loop, I was impressed by the beauty of the sites and surroundings, the amount of shade, the active wildlife and the spacing privacy available in most sites.

The campsites and facilities were all very well maintained. We are tent campers, so appreciated the level tent pad, picnic table and fire pit. I unzipped my tent to find some local deer preparing to nibble the rain fly - it was a wonderful experience to see wildlife throughout the campground. There we lovely birds as well.

I give the Pinyon Flats campground an A+. For a popular, full campground it was remarkably quiet and peaceful, and just lovely.

You can reserve space at Pinyon Flats through the Recreation.gov website. It is best to reserve several months in advance of your stay, particularly if you are visiting in peak season for the Park.

Piñon Flats is a campground within Great Sand Dunes National Park. It's a biologically diverse area in Southern Colorado, where high winds that blow through the Rockies deposit sand at the Southernmost tip . We made camping reservations about six months in advance. The campgrounds are tidy, with trees, bbq pits and space between camp spots ( loop 2 is best!). There are walking trails all around, and a river to splash in, depending on rain levels. You can trek the sand dunes, and even snowboard down the dunes, but sand gets hot and it's best during the cooler hours of the day ( and it's great exercise!) I would highly reccomend it for kids, and a big bonus is that it's dog friendly . Pack a good stash of food and drink because the campground is far away from a grocery store. There are hot springs you can swim in, located just west of the park. Don't miss the night show in the amphitheater with the singing/ guitar playing ranger who tells stories about the critters that inhabit the park! It was delightful. We got to touch and hold rocks from the moon and rocks from Mars . If you are an avid stargazer, this place is the Mac-daddy location , in one of the most remote locations in the US far from city lights. We saw some Persiod meteor showers. The American Indians worshipped this place as sacred, and it's easy to understand why.

This campground was a pleasant surprise. Nice sites with some amazing views. My friend and I got to the campground very late the first night and found my reserved spot had been taken by someone else. Luckily enough I found a different one not that far away. It was well after midnight by the time we got setup. Then the group next to us (all of whom were very drunk) were being very loud and acting like idiots. So my friend went over to their area and told time to please keep it down it is after quiet hours. They eventually quieted down. The next morning we woke up to the most spectacular view I have ever seen. The sand dunes and all there glory were lit up by the morning sun. It was fantastic! The camp manager stopped by later and we told him what had happened. He proceeded to tell us that we could have come and gotten him and he would have happily kicked the noisy people out and moved the people in our spot. We told him it was fine and went to find another site in the non reservation area. We found a very nice (but very sunny) spot. And spent the rest of the day wandering around the park and playing in the creek. Overall it was a good time and I would highly recommend the sites, just be warned that it does get louder than most other areas I have been to. A lot of people use it for quick excursions or overnights so lot of turnaround.

I would advise bringing some shade (umbrella or other) and lots of cool things to drink. Also definitely rent a sled from the nearby shop. We didn't and wish we had. It looked really really fun. Overall it was a very nice park and worth the frustration the first night. Lesson learned on finding (and befriending) the camp manager who is usually more than willing to help you out and give you tips about the part.