Alt Text Map of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains curve like a parenthesis up the right edge of the map to curl around the Dunefield south of center. The mountains are rendered in shades of green and the surrounding areas in beige. Extended Description Great Sand Dunes National Preserve encompasses approximately the inner half of the mountains, and the boundaries of Great Sand Dunes National Park extend around the Dunefield, Sand Sheet, and San Luis Valley to the west. Most of the park amenities and trails are around the eastern edge of the Dunefield where it meets the mountains. This description will begin at that junction to describe features north to south before giving more information about the park and preserve. Around the Dunefield The Sand Ramp Trail starts at the north tip of the Dunefield and curves around its eastern perimeter, where it meets the unpaved Medano Pass Primitive Road and then continues further south. The Medano Pass Primitive Road passes Castle Creek and Sand Pit, both of which have picnic areas. Medano Pass Primitive Road then reunites with Sand Ramp Trail at Point of No Return, which has parking and a trailhead. The Dunes Overlook Trail scurries east to the park preserve boundary. Sand Ramp Trail heads towards Piñon Flats, which has a campground and is the start of State Route 150, indicated in red. Continuing south from here, the road passes: Escape Dunes, which has horse trailer parking, Parking/trailhead with an amphitheater and tire air, RV dump, Wellington Ditch Trail, Offshoot of the main road leading to a picnic area and Dunes Parking near Medano Creek, Montville Nature Trail, Mosca Pass Trail along Mosca Creek, The Visitor Center and Sand Sheet Interpretive Trail, which has parking/trailhead, and Park Headquarters. Just south of the park boundary a privately owned site open May to September has a campground, lodging, food service, store, and gas station. Other Areas in and around the Park Liberty Road enters the park along the north edge and arrives at Liberty Gate (backcountry access) with parking/trailhead. Arrows show water flowing from the mountains and to the north of the Star Dune Complex, at the top northwest edge of the Dunefield. The San Luis Valley is to the west and Sand Sheet to the southwest. A large arrow reading “Prevailing Winds” points northwest across the Sand Sheet. Baca National Wildlife Refuge lines the map along the left edge, and, in the lower left corner, the San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area encloses San Luis and Head lakes and has campgrounds and picnic areas. In and Around the Preserve Peaks are labeled with elevations over the hairpin turn at the top of the preserve boundary, which follows a continuous ridgeline along the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. A network of trails connects Milwaukee Peak (13,522 feet, 4,122 meters), Upper Sand Creek Lake (11,745 feet, 3,580 meters), Lower Sand Creek Lake (11,473 feet, 3,497 meters), and Music Pass (11,380 feet, 3,469 meters) at the eastern park boundary. A trail continues south from the trail junction to Music Pass through the valley that curves west through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. An oversized white arrow labeled “Storm Winds” points down one flat side of a mountain ridge toward the Star Dune Complex, and another points downhill toward the Visitor Center. The Medano Pass Primitive Road, trail, and creek continue from the park into the preserve. A note alongside the road reads, “May primitive campsites along the road in this area. High-clearance 4WD only.” Parking/trailhead is near Medano Pass. A second oversized white arrow labeled “Storm Winds” points down one flat side of a mountain ridge toward the Star Dune Complex, and another points downhill toward the Visitor Center. From the Visitor Center, Mosca Pass Trail heads east to Mosca Pass (9,737 feet, 2,968 meters) along the southeastern border. Another oversized arrow labeled “Storm Winds” points towards the Visitor Center along Mosca Pass Trail. Rio Grande National Forest and San Isabel National Forest are below the southern park boundary and at the lower right corner of the map. From the Visitor Center, State Route 150 runs northeast-southwest to a note at the bottom of the map reading, “Visitor Center to U.S. 160, 19 miles, 31 kilometers.” From this junction, County Lane 6 North runs east-west to San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area outside the southeastern corner of the park, with camping and picnic areas. From there, County Lane 6 North continues out to a note reading, “Visitor Center to Mosca 23 miles, 37 kilometers.” A white arrow labeled “Prevailing Winds” points northeast from San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area back toward the main area of Great Sand Dunes National Park. Legend A scale along the bottom center of the map measures distances of 1 and 2 kilometers and 1 and 2 miles. A legend in the bottom left corner of the map reads as follows: White solid line with solid black casing for Unpaved road, White line encased in black dashed lines for 4-wheel-drive road, Black dashed line for Hiking trail, and Black dotted line for Unimproved trail. To the right, two columns of symbols represent Parking/trailhead, Campground, Picnic area, Lodging, Food service, Store, Gas station, and Horse trailer parking.