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Medano Pass Road

Scenic Fall Drive: Into the Land of Mountains and Sand Dunes

By Erinn Morgan

Getting Started

DIRECTIONS
From Salida, drive east on Colorado Highway 50 and south on Highway 69 into Westcliffe. The turnoff is approximately 26 miles south of Westcliffe and is marked by U.S. Forest Service and Huerfano County signs showing “Medano Pass Road.” If coming from Interstate 25, exit at Walsenburg and take Colorado Highway 69 west to Gardner. From here, drive about 8 miles until you reach the Medano Pass Road signs.

The 411
Go to www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htm
for info from the Great Sand Dunes National Park on Medano Pass Road, camping and Medano Creek conditions.
At www.4lo.com/trails/medano.html, you can check out a more detailed route description and map.

DRIVE TIME
Medano Pass Road from the turnoff on Highway 69 to the Great Sand Dunes National Park Visitor Center is about 2.5 to 3 hours. A fee is required at the park entrance. Driving is generally in the 5-10 mph range.

KEY KNOWLEDGE
Sand driving is best done with lower tire pressure: in dry conditions, most drivers should drop air pressure in their tires by about 15 lbs. to best navigate the sand. There is an air compressor at the western end of the road for refilling to macadam-worthy pressures.

It was simply just one of those days. Exhausted from an overzealous play schedule of mountain biking and hiking in Salida, Colo., we were at odds. He wanted to take the macadam road more traveled and I was angling to hit the dirt for an off-road odyssey.

His proposed path was simple and concrete; mine was unknown and convoluted. Our destination was the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve - and we were just on the edge of too late in the day to tackle something _ With only two (very different) ways to realize our destination, we sped along Highway 50 from Salida and down Route 60 into Westcliffe with our disparate views.

It was either female ingenuity or a prevailing sense of adventure (or perhaps the effects of a pint at Poag Mahone's Irish Pub) that won out, but after a satisfying stopover in the quaint and tidy little hamlet of Westcliffe, we were off, again, barreling toward the dirt road turnoff to Medano Pass.

After the signed turnoff, we wound for several miles on well-maintained county roads that passed in and out of private property. The real deal began with rocky, steep road that narrowed significantly and caused us to kick it into 4WD. (It also caused me to relinquish my driver's seat to the real off-road expert, my recently concrete-converted husband.)

The road shifted into a green tunnel flanked by lush trees, and our progress was slowed by the mountain bikes projecting from the roof. Soon, we rolled up onto a spot where signs marked Medano Pass (at 10,000 feet) and the route that appeared to bomb down into the Great Sand Dunes National Park through the stark and beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Pointing our nose downward into the National Forest, we rolled through open pastures, vast meadows and dense woods - and past private, primitive campsites. Few people (or vehicles) dotted the landscape; we passed only one gaggle of campers on the way down from the top - they had an arsenal of sandboards attached to their trucks.

Medano Pass Road scoots around and through Medano Creek the entire way down. On a hot summer day like ours, crossings are a welcome, wet break - and fairly simple to maneuver. A mud hole along the way provides unseen (but passable) challenges. In high water season, this 4WD road can prove difficult for some vehicles and drivers. Our low-water route was simple, but eroded banks and powerful currents in a different season could certainly up the adrenaline factor here.

On Medano Pass Road, you'll get the most bang for your buck in the fall, when the aspens are peaking, but this is a beautiful drive most anytime the road is passable - it is typically closed by winter conditions from approximately November through April. Late spring and early summer can be challenging for stock vehicles as the water crossing on Medano Creek can reach up to door height.

After crisscrossing Medano Creek countless times and descending through thick trees that caused me to cringe every time wood whacked a handlebar (I occasionally hopped out to guide our rides through the labyrinth of branches), our tires spun onto sand. This was the first sign of the spectacular scene of sand dunes that would soon unfold before us.

Not wasting any time, we dropped the tire pressure, and pushed on. The road morphed into a rollercoaster of sorts that wound through the lowlands of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument.

Twisting and turning around sandy corners with two-way traffic potential is unnerving, but necessary nonetheless. We learned this the hard way after a slow run through deep sand that had us out of the vehicle again, lowering tire pressure and digging out.

Out of the trees and into the open, the great sand dunes lay out before us. It is a spectacular sight to behold - these giant mounds of pure white sand sitting serenely in front of a wall of jutting Fourteeners. Wow.

After a heart-pounding jaunt and sunset photo session in the dunes, we rolled back up Medano Pass Road to settle in at a campsite. A few hundred yards up the road we are back in the woods, setting up the tent near the campsite's bear box. And we both agree this time - this off-road drive was well worth it.

Erinn Morgan is a Durango-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in many magazines, including National Geographic Adventure, Bike, Skiing, Muscle & Fitness and 5280.