Great Sand Dunes National Park
Elopement Guide

You should elope in Colorado’s Sandbox!

When most people think of Colorado, they picture the majestic Rocky Mountains, miles of pine forests, alpine lakes and streams, wildflower meadows… but Colorado has another natural hidden gem that is totally unique from its other amazing landscapes: Great Sand Dunes National Park (or as I affectionally call it, Colorado’s sandbox).

These massive, rolling sand dunes, tucked between pines and aspens, with snow-capped mountains looming in the background, are a totally unique and surreal environment with so many opportunities to adventure and take stunning, once-in-a-lifetime photos.

If you’re seeking a location for your elopement unlike any other on Earth, don’t pass up Great Sand Dunes National Park! In this guide, I’ll walk you through where—and how—to elope in this natural wonder, and all the best ways to explore the dunes.

Not sure how to do this?
Howdy! I’m Sam, Your
Colorado Elopement
Photographer & Planner

I know there are so many options and things to consider when planning an elopement. I absolutely adore helping couples through this process + reducing stress! Great Sand Dunes is one of the many national parks I know like the back of my hand.

Hiring your elopement photographer + planner is the perfect first step in planning your Great Sand Dunes National Park elopement – even if you aren’t 100% sure of when or where yet! I’ll help you through every step of the process, from choosing a time of year/date for the perfect weather conditions, to picking a spot with amazing views, to securing any necessary permits, to finding other vendors and planning wedding outfits that are perfect for adventuring.

Hopefully the information below will help you decide if the sand dunes are right for you guys! Let’s go over everything you need to know about eloping in Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Chat with Me

We’re gonna chat about all of this:

Where to Elope in
Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park has two options for wedding ceremonies: the dunefield and the amphitheater. I'll go over the pros and cons of each spot – and how to secure a permit for your dream Great Sand Dunes elopement location!

The Dunefield

Group Size Limit: 15 people

If you have less than 15 people (including you, your guests, and any vendors), you can hold your ceremony anywhere on the open dunefield at Great Sand Dunes National Park! This means you can share vows with your partner right in the middle of the stunning dunes.

The Amphitheater

Group Size Limit: no limit

For larger ceremonies, the amphitheater offers bench seating and a covered stage – but you’ll lose the panoramic backdrop of dunes and mountains.

Ceremony Site Permits

In order to have a wedding or elopement ceremony at either site in Great Sand Dunes National Park, you'll need to snag a permit from the National Park Service.

Permits are granted on a first-come, first-serve basis. You can apply for a ceremony permit starting on January 1st of the year you're planning to elope (and no later than 7 days before your elopement day).

To apply, you’ll need to fill out an application and mail it, along with the $200 fee, to the address listed on the NPS website.

You can also reserve the South Ramada picnic area for a small reception or post-ceremony meal. For more info, check out the NPS website.

Other Rules for Great Sand Dunes Elopements

  • Both ceremony locations are friendly to (leashed) dogs, which makes Great Sand Dunes National Park a perfect option for a Colorado elopement with your four-legged friend!
  • Ceremonies are limited to two hours. Ceremony locations are open to the public, and a permit does not grant you exclusive use of that area.
  • Tables, chairs, carpets, tents, floral displays, generators, banners, streamers, and hanging objects are all prohibited. Arches are allowed only at the amphitheater. And you can't throw or scatter petals, rice, birdseed, or other objects.

Adventuring During Your
Great Sand Dunes Elopement

Sandboarding & Sledding

Sandboards and sand sleds are special equipment, like snowboards and sleds, made specially to slide down sand dunes – and they’re SO much fun! I'd highly recommend renting a few for your Great Sand Dunes elopement!

Since most people don’t own a sandboard (and regular snowboards won’t slide well on the sand), the best option is to rent them from one of these nearby businesses:

For more information on sandboarding and sledding safety and regulations, check out the NPS website.

Off-Roading

The Medano Pass Primitive Road is a four-wheel drive trail through Great Sand Dunes National Park, with 21 first-come, first-serve primitive campsites along the path. Four-wheel drive vehicles are required to traverse the road, which runs 11.2 miles from the visitor center to the top of Medano Pass, 10,000 feet above sea level.

If you don’t own a Jeep or other four-wheel drive vehicle, Mountain Master Off-Road Tours offers Jeep tours of the road, and Great Sand Dunes Lodge offers Jeep rentals.

Medano Pass Primitive Road experiences frequent closures due to weather and unsafe conditions, but you can find the current operating status on the NPS website.

Hiking

There are several ways to explore Great Sand Dunes National Park on foot, both on and off the trail.

Dunes Exploration

If you want to get up-close and personal with the sand dunes, you can explore the 30-mile dunefield—which does not have any established trails—in any direction you wish! I highly recommend going further into the dunes during your elopement, to really experience them. Some of the neatest dunes to hike to include:

  • High Dune on First Ridge, 693 ft high and 2.5 miles of hiking, which provides a view of the entire dunefield
  • Hidden Dune, 742 ft high and 7 miles of hiking, which is tied as one of the two tallest dunes in North America
  • Star Dune, 741 ft high and 6 miles of hiking, the other tallest dune in North America
  • Eastern Dune Ridge, a tall steep dune face accessible from Castle Creek Picnic Area

Forested Nature Trails

If you’re looking to follow a more established path, there are also several nature trails through the forested areas of the park:

Backpacking

Great Sand Dunes National Park offers two ways to backpack in the dunes: at one of seven designated sites along the Sand Ramp Trail, or throughout the dunefield backcountry. Any backpacking in Great Sand Dunes National Park requires a backpacking permit. You can reserve one three months before your trip at Recreation.gov.

Designated Sites

These backpacking sites in Great Sand Dunes National Park are marked along established trails. There are sites for all levels of backpacking experience—and I’m happy to help you choose the perfect one for your elopement night.

  • Buck Creek (1 mile from Amphitheater Parking Lot)
  • Escape Dunes (2.8 miles from Horse Parking Lot)
  • Indian Grove (4.2 miles from Horse Parking Lot)
  • Little Medano (5 miles from Horse Parking Lot)
  • Aspen (7 miles from Horse Parking Lot)
  • Cold Creek (10.1 miles from Horse Parking Lot)*
  • Sand Creek (11.6 miles from Horse Parking Lot)*

*These sites are described as very difficult, grueling hikes by the National Park Service and are best for very experienced backpackers.

Dunes Backcountry

This is the most popular option for backpacking in Great Sand Dunes National Park! Starting from the Dunes Parking Lot, you can hike 1.5 miles past the dunes’ first ridge, which marks the end of the day-use area, and camp anywhere in the sprawling dunefield.

Camping in the dunefield under the stars, a tiny speck in the miles of sand hills, is completely surreal and would be such a remarkable way to spend your elopement night!

Stargazing

Great Sand Dunes National Park is certified as an International Dark Sky Park. The park has very little light pollution, which makes it perfect for observing the stars—and photographing them!

Astrophotography is an amazing addition to your Great Sand Dunes elopement timeline, and I can help you plan the perfect location and timing for star photos. We can coordinate your elopement for a night when the Milky Way is on full display and the moon is dark, for the most stunning elopement portraits with a celestial backdrop that looks too amazing to be real.

You can find more information on nighttime in Great Sand Dunes National Park on the NPS website.

Hot Springs

If you’re willing to venture a little outside of the park, Great Sand Dunes is nearby several beautiful and relaxing hot springs! What better way to unwind from the stress of your wedding day than by soaking in a natural spring-fed hot tub?

There are three hot springs spas throughout the nearby San Luis Valley:

  • Joyful Journey Hot Springs is 54 miles from the park and offers multiple pools at different temperatures heated by the springs, a full menu of spa services, and on-site accommodations including hotel rooms, yurts, and campsites.
  • Sand Dunes Recreation is 28 miles from park and has several large heated pools, an adults-only area, restaurants and bars, and rentable cabins and campsites.
  • Valley View Hot Springs is 62 miles from the park and is an off-the-grid, clothing-optional resort with spring-fed pools, spas, and saunas.

Medano Creek

In the spring, snowmelt fills the creekbed of Medano Creek, which runs through the dunes of Great Sand Dunes National Park. When the creek is full, visitors can swim, splash, and even skimboard and float down stream!

We could plan some amazing, unique elopement portraits as you wade into the creek in your wedding attire, or float down side-by-side in tubes.

Medano Creek’s flow is highest in late May, but you can check up-to-the-minute conditions on the NPS website.

Where to Stay During Your
Great Sand Dunes elopement

Great Sand Dunes National Park is a bit out of the way of major cities, so you’ll probably want to plan a multi-day trip to experience the park to the fullest, and relax and unwind before and after your wedding day. Whether you want to be out in nature or enjoying creature comforts, there are several options for where to stay during your Great Sand Dunes elopement.

Airbnbs

The area around Great Sand Dunes National Park has lots of rentals available on AirBnb and VRBO, including some very fun and quirky houses—but be careful! Lots of rentals advertise being near the park, but are actually miles from the entrance. Make sure you note the distance between the rental and the park’s visitor center before you book.

That being said, I always recommend AirBnBs for eloping couples if you’re looking for ultimate privacy, comfort, and a beautiful place to get ready for your elopement day!

Hotels

In the nearby town of Alamosa and the surrounding area, there are many hotels and resorts if you prefer to relax in ultimate comfort on your elopement night. Here are some of my recommendations:

Several of the hot spring spas I recommended above also offer cabin or hotel room rentals!

Camping

In addition to the backpacking sites mentioned above, there are a few other ways to camp in Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Piñon Flats Campground is open April through October and located 1 mile from the park’s visitor center, and can accommodate tents and small RVs. The campground does not have hookups, but there are restrooms with sinks and flush toilets, as well as potable water spigots, throughout the campground.

The National Park Service recommends reserving campsites well in advance, especially during the peak flow of Medano Creek in late spring and early summer. Individual campsites (which can hold up to 8 people, 2 tents, and 2 vehicles) can be reserved up to 6 months in advance, and group sites (for 15 to 40 people) can be reserved up to a year in advance, through Recreation.gov.
For more information about the Piñon Flats Campground, check out the NPS website.

If you prefer to camp slightly outside of the park, there are several other campgrounds within 25 miles of Great Sand Dunes National Park:

  • Oasis Campground, just outside the park entrance, is open April through October and has 90 sites, including RV sites with full hookups, and cabins.
  • Zapata Falls Campground, 11 miles from the visitor center, is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) primitive campground with views of the entire dunefield.
  • San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area, 15 miles from the visitor center, is a first-come, first-served primitive campground.
  • Rustic Rook Resort, 19 miles from the visitor center, is a glamping resort with fully furnished canvas tents and is open mid-May through September.
  • Lake Como Road Free Dispersed Camping, 20 miles from the visitor center, is a BLM-managed area open to primitive dispersed (no designated sites) camping.
  • Ramble at Great Sand Dunes, 25 miles from the visitor center, is a private tent and RV campground with amenities including bathrooms, bike rentals, a general store, and access to BLM trails.

Medano Pass Primitive Road, described above under “Off-Roading,” has 21 first-come, first-serve primitive campsites marked along the road, the first one located 5.2 miles from the beginning of the road near Piñon Flats Campground. The sites are free but fill up quickly during peak season. For more information about these sites, see the NPS website.

The Best Time to Elope in
Great Sand Dunes National Park

Seasons & Weather

Weather is a huge concern in Great Sand Dunes National Park, with highs and lows fluctuating from the single digits to the high 80s, and good weather drawing bigger crowds of visitors.

My recommendation for a Great Sand Dunes elopement is to plan for spring or fall! These seasons have the best temperatures, with highs in the 60s and 70s, and make great camping weather. Fall brings some of the best weather, less crowds, and the turning of aspen groves to a beautiful golden. But spring brings back Medano Creek!

By July and August, temperatures are rising and can become unbearably hot on the dunes, where there’s no shade or water. The dunes themselves can reach a temperature of 150 degrees during midday! I wouldn’t recommend a summer elopement in the park unless you’re seeking a sunrise or sunset ceremony (and love hot weather).

Winter can be very cold in the dunes, with daytime highs sometimes never reaching the 20s. Trails and roads can become impassable, and most campgrounds and hot springs in the area close for the season.

For more info about average weather conditions in the park, check out the NPS website.

Timing isn't just about the season. Consider weekdays, mornings, and evenings for more privacy on your elopement day.

Because elopements are a little less structured than traditional weddings, and often have less (or no) guests, we have more flexibility for the time of day, and day of the week.

One of my biggest pieces of advice to all eloping couples is to consider a weekday! There are always less visitors to the park midweek, which will offer you more privacy and flexibility for your ceremony, photos, and activities—and as an added bonus, hotel and AirBnb prices are often cheaper on weekdays.

I also recommend morning and evening ceremonies, and this is especially key in Great Sand Dunes National Park, where the sun can make the sand unbearably hot. We can catch the sun rising or setting over the dunes, get that gorgeous golden hour light, avoid midday crowds, and leave plenty of time to adventure during the day if we time your ceremony strategically.

Finally, consider what activities you’d like to do. Some of my favorites, like star gazing and Medano Creek are seasonally variable! When you hire me as your Great Sand Dunes elopement photographer, I’ll plan a custom itinerary for your whole elopement day that takes all these factors into consideration.

Let's chat about your ideal day

Great Sand Dunes
Elopement Packing List

  • Elopement formalwear (consider comfort, mobility, and packability when choosing suits and dresses, especially if you plan to hike to your elopement site)
  • Base layers and warm jackets for cold weather (choose light-colored base layers that can be worn under formalwear—the wind is brutal during colder months and temperatures drop quite a bit before sunrise/right after sunset)
  • Good hiking boots and socks (there’s pretty much no way to wear heels or loafers on the dunes, so I recommend leaning into the hiking-boots-and-wedding-attire vibe and choosing some cute boots or honestly, just plan to ditch the shoes altogether!)
  • Athletic clothes and backpack for hiking and other activities
  • Swimsuit (if you plan to splash in Medano Creek or hit up the hot springs)
  • Water bottles and/or Camelback (we’ll need to pack lots of water no matter the time of year, because there’s no natural running water in most of the park, and dehydration and heat exhaustion are huge risks in the summer)
  • Hiking and adventuring snacks
  • Vow books, florals, rings, and other elopement details
  • Camping gear (if you’re camping, glamping, or backpacking)
  • Sunscreen, sunglasses, and hat (the sun is intense year-round at such high elevation, and sunglasses will protect your eyes from blowing sand)
  • Pet supplies (if you are bringing your four legged friend along, make sure to pack gear for them too! Their leash, treats, toys, water, and accessories can all make the day fun for them too.)

how to Plan Your
Great Sand Dunes Elopement

If this guide has convinced you that a Great Sand Dunes elopement might be right for you, but you’re not quite sure where to start and feeling overwhelmed by the options, don’t panic! I’ll break down the steps to planning your dream elopement and do my best to make the process as stress-free as possible for you and your partner.

Step One:
Contact Me

First things first, fill out my contact form! No worries if you don’t have all the details figured out yet – reach out to me with your ideas, and I can help walk you through the rest of the steps from inquiry to elopement day. I pride myself on being not just an elopement photographer, but also a local expert, planner, and my couples’ best friend and support as they navigate the elopement planning process.

Let's chat

Step two:
Pick a Spot & Secure Permits

Our first task will be choosing a location! If one of the options above caught your eye, that’s fantastic—but there are even more hidden gems all over the area to suit your priorities, and my first step as your photographer will be to create a custom location guide to help you select the best fit for you. I’m super familiar with the permitting process for national parks, so I can help you navigate the application and nail down a date.

Step three:
Book Lodging

Once we know the ceremony location, I’ll help you sort through the best places to stay, whether you’re seeking ultimate comfort or a night under the stars. I can help secure campground reservations, scour AirBnb for the perfect house, or find an off-roading trail for dispersed camping or backpacking.

Step four:
Find Other Vendors & Nail Down Timeline

Once we have a location and place to stay, we can start building out the timeline for your elopement day, including hiring any other vendors you may need to make your dream elopement a reality. This might include florals, hair and makeup, reservations for elopement day activities or rentals, formalwear, and food. I have established relationships with several local vendors and can provide recommendations to help you pick the right professionals to execute your vision!

Step five:
Get Your Marriage License

If you’re planning to apply for a marriage license in Colorado, make sure you’re familiar with all the rules and regulations!

Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in Alamosa County, and the county clerk and recorder's office is about 35 miles away in the town of Alamosa. The office doesn't have appointments for marriage licenses, so you can walk in any time Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

Because Colorado is a self-solemnization state, you won’t need an officiant or witnesses to elope in Great Sand Dunes National Park! For more information on self-solemnization and rules for Colorado marriage licenses, check out my guide on How to Get Legally Married in Colorado.

Alamos County Marriage Licenses

Step six:
Brush Up on Leave No Trace Rules

Great Sand Dunes National Park is a truly unique environment, and it’s the responsibility of every visitor to do our part to protect it. During your Great Sand Dunes elopement, here are some specific things to consider to make sure we’re leaving no trace on the dunes:

  • Don’t feed or approach wildlife. It may not seem like it at first, but Great Sand Dunes has a thriving ecosystem of critters, including salamanders, frogs, 250 species of birds, kangaroo rats, badgers, pikas, mule deer, and black bear (in the forested areas of the park). These animals are often cute and exciting to see in person, and especially when it comes to small creatures like lizards and frogs, it can be easy to forget that they are wild and that feeding them can severely disrupt their natural habit and way of life. Enjoy from a distance, but give animals a wide berth! When camping in the forested areas of the park and surrounding campgrounds, make sure to secure food in bear boxes.
  • Pack out trash and waste. Make sure that anything you bring with you leaves with you! Be considerate of food wrappers, and make sure you dispose of any trash in the trash cans at trailheads and parking lots. If backpacking, you’ll need to pack out all trash. This also means we can’t toss flower petals, birdseed, confetti, etc. after an elopement ceremony.
  • Don’t take anything with you. Though it can be tempting, don’t remove any rocks, plantlife, or other natural objects from their natural environment.
  • Follow campfire rules. Campfires are restricted at many of the backcountry campsites in Great Sand Dunes National Park. Make sure you follow all rules regarding campfires, never light a campfire where it’s restricted, and put out campfires completely.

Read more about the Leave No Trace principles and how to protect Colorado's incredible nature on your elopement day in my blog.

How to Leave No Trace During Your Elopement

Step seven:
Elope!

With all the planning out of the way, and me on your team handling any last-minute details, all that’s left to do is marry your person and have the absolute best day ever.

Fill out my contact form below to start chatting, no matter where you are in the planning process!

Let's chat!

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