Fodor's Expert Review Hike to High Dune
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Family
Get a panoramic view of all the surrounding dunes from the top of High Dune. Since there's no formal path, the smartest approach is to zigzag up the dune ridgelines traversing about 2½ miles round-trip. High Dune is 693 feet high, and to get there and back takes about two hours, or longer if there's been no rain for some time and the sand is soft. If you add on the walk to the 741-foot Star Dune, plan on another two or three hours and a strenuous workout up and down the dunes.