The Dunefield — Great Sand Dunes National Park

Backcountry dispersed camping in Great Sand Dunes National Park offers an unforgettable and truly unique wilderness experience. If you’re seeking solitude and raw, untamed landscapes, this is the perfect spot to pitch your tent. With no designated sites, you have the freedom to find your ideal spot beyond the busy dunes and under an expansive star-filled sky.

The journey begins with a hike deep into the park’s rugged terrain, where you’re surrounded by towering sand dunes, alpine forests, and sweeping views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The lack of light pollution makes stargazing an absolute highlight—this is one of the best places to witness the Milky Way.

Keep in mind, this is true backcountry camping: no facilities, no water sources, and you must pack out all waste. Permits are required, so be sure to plan ahead. The environment can be challenging, with extreme temperature swings and strong winds that shift the sand beneath your feet. Good preparation and Leave No Trace practices are a must.

The rewards are well worth the effort. From sunrise hikes to the serene sound of nothing but wind across the dunes, this camping experience immerses you in nature’s raw beauty like few others can. It’s an adventure you’ll carry with you long after you’ve left the dunes behind.

Highly recommend skipping the tent and sleeping under the stars!

Stayed here 1 night with the backcountry permit through recreation.gov to see the stars and stay the night in the dunes. The hike in over the dune to a camp site with all your gear is frankly not easy, but it's short distance so it's manageable. Climbing in the sand is challenging with the extra weight of the pack and if the wind picks up you get whipped with sand BUT it is 100% worth it. We hiked in around 5/5:30pm at the end of the heat and were set up eating dinner around 8pm. Took a lot of breaks hiking in and went through a lot of water. In total we brought about a gallon of water each, and by the time we hiked out the next morning we were down to the last couple of ounces. Just the tent, no rain fly and using our sleeping bags as quilts was perfect in June. Even if you don't camp out the dunes are open for star gazing, and I highly recommend that. I tried hiking in both sneakers and just socks. Just socks was much better keeping your feet light and reducing cramping. Note: bugs come out at dusk so be ready with lots of spray and cover your limbs and bring good sunblock, you will get toasted.

One of our favorite camp“sites” after visiting all 59 national parks was also one of the first we experienced. When we heard that it is possible to camp anywhere in the Dunefield at Great Sand Dunes National Park, we figured it would be a good way to leave the crowds behind and immerse ourselves into the heart of the park. We had no idea how right we would be.

First and foremost, camping in The Dunefield requires a free permit from the visitor center. These are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, so try to arrive to the visitor center early enough to grab one for the day you’ll be camping. The rangers will tell you exactly where to park and display your permit. The only hiking direction we received was to climb all the way over the first visible dune ridge, and anything beyond that would be fair game for setting up our tent. Don’t forget to bring way more water than you think you’ll need, and wear sturdy shoes for hiking on the sand.

The Dunefield was one of the most serene and unique camping experiences we have had. Once we crossed over the day use area, it was like being in another world. We didn’t see another soul, and the only noise all night came from the sand blowing in the wind around our tent. We would definitely recommend setting up camp in a shielded area, as the winds blew pretty hard all night.

We spent four days in Great Sand Dunes in August 2015. One of our favorite activities was to sleep in the Dunefield, but we’d also recommend climbing High Dune (and Star Dune if you’re adventurous!) and hiking in the alpine or sub-alpine areas of the park (we loved the hike to Music Pass, from the backside of the park).

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Great Sand Dunes)