Medano Pass

Known as the backway into the Great Sand Dunes, Medano Pass offers travelers a very unique experience you will not find anywhere else in Colorado. One of only a few primitive roads that cross the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Medano Pass follows the route of the 1806 expedition of Lt. Zebulon Pike, revealing breathtaking scenery, abundant dispersed camping, countless water crossings, and deep sand you generally only find in desert environments. The Great Sand Dunes are the tallest dunes in North America, rising to a maximum height of 750 feet from the floor of the San Luis Valley, covering about 19,000 acres. If you are looking for the only beach-like offroad experience you can find in the Rocky Mountains, Medano Pass is certainly a trail you need to see.