SpinDrift Sandboards

08/22/2026

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions are now in effect at Great Sand Dunes. These measures help protect visitors, staff, and the park’s unique natural and cultural features during the current period of elevated fire danger.

Under these restrictions, the following are prohibited:
• Fires outside of developed recreation sites
• Barbecues and charcoal grills
• Fireworks and other explosive devices
• Smoking, except inside an enclosed vehicle or building, at a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet across that is clear of flammable materials

Unlike the earlier Stage 2 restrictions, the following activities are now permitted:
• Fires in metal fire rings at developed recreation sites
• Portable stoves, propane campfires, and lanterns with shut‑off valves using liquified or bottled fuel

It is very important that all fires are completely extinguished—cold to the touch—before leaving them unattended at any time. Thank you for recreating responsibly and helping keep Great Sand Dunes safe.

Stay up to date with fire restrictions and other current conditions affecting your visit at the official NPS Great Sand Dunes website (link in bio).

07/24/2026

We got your furry four legged friends covered!
We rent doggles and booties for your dune adventure!

07/13/2026

What's In Bloom: Flower Highlight!

What’s that big purple flower growing along the road? You are likely seeing the Rocky Mountain bee plant (Cleome serrulata)! This showy flower can be seen blooming from June to September and grows to be three to five feet tall. Its flowers provide food to many pollinators like bees, butterflies, moths, and wasps. The tender leaves of young plants can be cooked and eaten like spinach. This plant can also be boiled down into a sticky resin, poured into corn husks, and then be used as an organic paint for pottery. Brushes for this paint can be made using fibers from the yucca plant.

NPS Photo/Patrick Myers

Image description: Many green plants with bright purple flowers, Rocky Mountain bee plant, stand in front of the grasslands and dunes.

06/29/2026

Great Sand Dunes has officially entered Stage 2 Fire Restrictions as of noon today.

Due to very dry, warm, and windy conditions the park has entered stage 2 fire restrictions to help ensure the safety of visitors to the park as well as reduce the likelihood of a wildfire in the park and surrounding area.

Stage 2 Fire Restrictions

Prohibited:

-Building, maintaining, attending, or using an open flame including fire, campfire, stove fire, charcoal grills and barbeques, coal and wood burning stoves.

-Smoking.

Permitted:

-Persons using devices such as stoves, grills or lanterns with pressurized gas canisters for isobutene or propane that include shut-off valves.

-Smoking is permitted within an enclosed personal vehicle or trailer.

NPS photo
Image Description: A park flyer announcing the prohibited and permitted activities during a Stage 2 fire restriction. All fires using wood, charcoal, or another material that cannot immediately be turned off by user are prohibited. Any item that uses gas, petroleum or pressurized liquid fuel that can be immediately turned off by user are permitted.

05/31/2026

The bears are out in the park! 🐻

What's in a name?

Recently, we've had some questions about if we have black bears or brown/grizzly bears here in the park, with the understandable follow up of "Then why are the bears brown?" And that's because the name "black bear" is a bit of a misnomer. While they are predominantly black colored in much of the east, in the western United States black bears (Ursus americanus) come in a wide range of colors, from black to brown to blonde to even white or cinnamon! So if you see a brown-colored bear here in the park, it's not a grizzly (Ursus arctos) - those were actually hunted to extinction in Colorado in the mid 1900s. It's just one of our confusingly named black bears!

NPS photo/Jake Edwards

Image description: A light brown colored black bear stands in a field, looking toward the camera.

05/29/2026

We made the news!!!

(SAN LUIS VALLEY, Colo.) — People from around the globe visit Southern Colorado for one thing: The Great Sand Dunes National Park. It’s the tallest dunes in North America; they were est…

05/20/2026

Can’t wait for the weekend to get here! We open at 8:00am to help you out to the park early!

05/17/2026

Just had some customers that came through that way! All trails lead to SpinDrift! 😎

Medano Pass Primitive Road is now fully open for the season! While we welcome you to come explore, these are some things to keep in mind while doing so.

- All vehicles past Point of No Return must be high clearance 4WD. AWD vehicles are not permitted.
- All vehicles must be Colorado highway legal - no UTVs, ATVs, or side by sides.
- One of the major hazards is the deep, soft sand. We recommend considering airing down your tires and carrying a portable way to pump them back up. While we have an air station at the campground amphitheater, this is not helpful if you intend to continue into the mountains.
- There are 21 primitive campsites in the mountain section of the road. These sites are first come first served and the park does not track their availability. 4WD is required to access any of the sites.

For more information and condition updates, see our website at https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/medano-pass-road.htm

NPS photo

Image description: A jeep passes through one of the creek crossings on the Medano Pass Primitive Road.