Trail Overview

ATVs and UTVs are not permitted anywhere in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. All vehicles must be highway-legal in Colorado. Colorado does not recognize ATVs and most UTVs as highway-legal.

Photos of Medano Pass

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Difficulty

Moderate. Mostly easy with a few steep, rocky spots. Soft sand inside the park may require airing down tires. Narrow in spots. Numerous water crossings can be deep in the spring during peak flow.

History

The Great Sand Dunes National Monument was designated a national park in 2004. Medano Pass, in its early history, was not used by wagons because of the challenging sand on the south side. Since then, it has continued to be ignored for development. To the delight of backcountry travelers, the route, with the exception of signs and gates, remains much the same today as it was a century ago. 'MA(c)dano' means 'dune' in Spanish. In English, there is no accent mark on the 'e,' but emphasis in pronunciation is still put on the first syllable.

Technical Rating

Mike Naes

Jun 21, 2026

Open

Very dry, no mud, water crossing are not an issue. Nice Sunday drive, near the park sand was very dry and a little slippery. Airing down made the entire trip very uneventful.

Hunter

Jun 20, 2026

Open

I did not need to air down for the soft sand section (stock 1999 Land Cruiser). About 50% of camping spots were taken when I arrived at 4pm on a Friday and it was a National Holiday.

Gk6.3

Jun 20, 2026

Open

Lots of traffic. Water level was no concern. Sand needed 4L and about 15mph momentum. No lockers at all. Medano side of the dune is leeward from 50mph winds and a much easier walk. Saw turkeys, beaver, and antelope.

David Phillips

Jun 20, 2026

Open

Awesome trail! The water crossings were pretty shallow and mostly still water. Eastern side is very rocky for a bit but once you get through that it smooths out and turns to sand. Definitely air down.

John S

Jun 18, 2026

Open

Water levels were low. Had to deflate to 20 psi for the end so we did it at the beginning of the trail.

Mike S

Jun 13, 2026

Open

Great adventure! Camped at 4.5–great spot! Didn’t have an issue finding a spot at 5pm on a Friday, but there were definitely more than half taken. Deep sand at start. More rocky on the back side of the pass. Didn’t need lockers, but was in 4Lo w 22psi. Water levels presented no concerns

Steve P

Jun 12, 2026

Open

Levi Oelrich

Jun 03, 2026

Open

Bulldozer work being completed after 2nd water crossing. Expect some delays and downed trees.

James Buck

Jun 03, 2026

Open

Open, dry. Bull dozer out doing trail repairs, but moves out of the way when vehicles went by.

Ripping Raptor

May 28, 2026

Open

Bit muddy on the east side but manageable. Hard pack sand. Smooth sailing

Savage Sasquatch

May 16, 2026

Open

Shashank Racherla

May 11, 2026

Open

Tanner Epp

Mar 19, 2026

Open

Austin Tolison

Jan 04, 2026

Open

Closed at Castle Creek Parking area

Luis Alfonso Castro López

Nov 27, 2025

Open

Closed

Medano Pass Trail can be accessed by the following ride types:

High Clearance
Full Width

Medano Pass

Trail Overview

Photos of Medano Pass

Difficulty

History

Technical Rating

Status Reports

Medano Pass Trail can be accessed by the following ride types:

Medano Pass Map

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