U.S. Department of the Interior / Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Use the complete site name here (e.g. Palo Alto Battlefield Historic Site). / 11500 Highway 150
Mosca, Colorado
81146
719-378-6399 phone
719-378-6360 fax
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
News Release
Use a “short-hand” version of the site name here (e.g. Palo Alto Battlefield not Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Site).For Immediate Release—February 7, 2008 Contact: Jim Bowman: 719-378-6321
Policy Change for Hiking with Dogs at Great Sand Dunes
There is a change in the regulation regarding areas where one can legally hike with dogs within Great Sand Dunes National Park. Superintendent Art Hutchinson stated “This change affects a very small percentage of our visitors, but makes a difference for the wilderness and proposed wilderness areas within the national park.” This change does not affect the dog regulations for Great Sand Dunes National Preserve, which is entirely open to hikers with dogs on leashes.
The 2007 General Management Plan allowed for dogs in the national preserve and designated areas in the national park. Specifically, visitors are permitted to walk their leashed dogs in the main dunes area adjacent to the Dunes Parking Lot and upstream along Medano Creek to Castle Creek. Other areas include the Pinyon Flats campground, the parking lots, and park roadways including the Medano Pass Primitive Road. The following trails are also open to hikers with leashed dogs: the Wellington Ditch Trail, the Dunes Overlook Trail, and the Sand Ramp Trail between the campground and Point of No Return. Additionally, the Old Liberty Road corridor is open from the Liberty Gate to the National Forest Boundary. The wilderness and proposed wilderness portions of the national park are closed to dogs. Maps are available at the Visitor Center and on-line at http://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/pets.htm
Hutchinson emphasized that all visitors are encouraged to use “Leave No Trace principles whether they have their dogs with them or not. “The park is committed to remain as dog ‘friendly’ as possible,” he said. “However, pet owners need to recognize that dogs can be a threat to wildlife and certain plant communities, as well as other visitors.”
For more information, call the Visitor Center at (719) 378-6399.
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