Sand Dunes Loop

Start your hike from the visitor center parking lot on the Mosca Pass Trail. After crossing 150, you'll parallel the road for a short distance before coming to the Mosca Creek Trailhead parking lot. Shortly after passing the backside of the parking lot and heading through a dense grove of aspen and cottonwood, take a left onto the Montville Nature Trail. This short trail crosses Mosca Creek on a small wooden bridge. From here you'll climb the hillside in a series of three switchbacks through a stand of short pinon pine. Be sure to stop and look back at the sand dunes through the breaks in the trees as the views are impressive even with this small elevation gain. After the switchbacks, you'll parallel Mosca Pass Trail and Mosca Creek through stands of aspen and narrow-leaf cottonwood until the trail comes to a junction where you'll want to take a left onto the Wellington Ditch Trail. The Wellington Ditch Trail is an easy, mostly level trail that connects to the southeastern end of the Pinyon Flats Campground. The trail skirts along the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos, weaving in and out of stands of scrubby pinon pine trees and rocky mountain juniper. The trail passes through a more sunny, arid climate so you'll see lots of prickly pear cactus and yucca along the trail. To the west, you'll have great views across the valley of the sand dunes and Medano Creek. Once the trail ends at the campground, continue through the campground to pick up the Dunes Access from Campground Trail which is a straightforward singletrack that cuts down to the sand dunes. Once you exit the pinon pine that populate the campground, you'll be hiking through rabbitbrush, yucca, and other sand sheet vegetation while heading toward the dunes.About 2/3rds of the way down the trail look for the junction with the Dunes Parking Lot to Campground Connector Trail. Take a left onto this trail and continue to hike parallel to the dunes and Medano Creek (when it is flowing which is typically October - July with peak flow being in May. The creek's depth and duration is dependent on snowpack so it will vary from year to year). This section of trail can be a bit sandy so be ready for slightly slower going along this stretch. This trail will connect you to the main parking lot for the dunes. From here you can choose to take a break and venture out onto the dunes themselves or continue your hike by cutting through the parking lot to the southwestern corner where you'll pick up the Dunes Access from Visitor Center singletrack trail. This is another easy to follow singletrack trail through the sand sheet vegetation between the dunes and the foothills of the Sangre de Cristos. Keep an eye open for pronghorn and deer along the way. At the end of this trail, take a right onto the Sand Sheet Loop Trail where you can enjoy a last short loop before heading back to the Visitor Center. The Sand Sheet Loop Trail features a variety of interpretive signs and informational plaques so take your time to learn a bit about the park before finishing your hike.