We are excited to announce our 3rd annual camping weekend at the great sand dunes national monument. We will be camping at the group sites in Pinon Flats Campground, which is located right at the base of the sand dunes! We will have 75-90 slots for the weekend. Here is the itinerary for the weekend:
There are two ticket options you can choose from when booking. Just the camping trip ticket which is $21.00 or the camping ticket + food that includes 4 meals ( Friday Night Dinner, Saturday Breakfast, Saturday Lunch, and Saturday Dinner) which is $50.00.
Friday July 21st Arrive at the campground will your car pool between 2PM-10PM. We will get car pools together for everyone as we can only fit about 25 cars at our campsites! The drive from Denver is about 4 hours without traffic. We will plan on doing a star gazing excursion into the dunes Friday night right after sunset as long as the weather permits. (potentially silent disco in The dunes as long as weather permits). We will grill some hot dogs and grilled asparagus for everyone that bought a food ticket between 6PM-7PM.
Saturday July 22nd Anyone that wants to wake up for sunrise can go adventure in the dunes. We will be serving breakfast (eggs, sausage, hash browns, coffee, and pancakes) from 7:30AM-9:00AM for all those that purchased the Saturday breakfast/lunch/dinner option. After breakfast we can all head into the dunes to sand board and hangout in the sun. We will serve Lunch (Build Your Own Sandwich Bar) between 11:30 AM-1:30 PM. After lunch we will do a Zapata Falls Hike about 20 min drive down the road for anyone interested in cooling off in the icy water. We will split up into 2 groups with 1 group going every hour to not over crowd and so we can find parking. The hike is easy from the parking area about 1.3 mile out and back hike to the falls. The afternoon will be rest and relaxation as it will likely be pretty hot! Last year we did a mini beer olympics with random teams to socialize that was pretty fun. We will serve dinner (Build Your Own Burger Bar, Hot Dogs, Veggie Burgers, and Chips) from 6PM-7PM. After dinner we can have some bon fires and hangout at the campground.
Sunday July 24th There is no plan. We can leisurely wake up and clean up the sites. We all have to be gone by 1:00 PM check out.
Communication - If everyone has an Instagram we will do a big group chat on Instagram. If numerous people don't have Instagram's, we will use the GroupMe app. I will put everyone in a group chat so we can all communicate and coordinate rides.
Camping Gear If you don't have a tent/gear, don't fret. We should be able to find you a tent to share! We will have to share tents anyways as we cant fit 100 single tents on these group sites.
Restroom with sinks, flush toilets, dishwashing sink, and water spigot with drinking water are available in our loop. There are no showers available.
Pets are welcome in the campground, however, pets must not be left unattended. Please keep pets leashed and under control at all times, and clean up after them.
Tents only- RVs, pop-ups, and trailers do not fit and are not permitted in the group tent camping sites.
The use of hammocks is prohibited in the Pinon Flats Campground as well as any backcountry campsite within the National Park.
Please do not bring firewood from outside the San Luis Valley. Help protect our public lands by buying local firewood in or near your destination campground. Firewood can spread insect pests and diseases that kill native trees.
Regionally harvested firewood may be available at the Campground Store in Piñon Flats Campground during the busy warmer months; and at the Oasis Store just outside the main park entrance. Collecting firewood is illegal in the national park.
Black bears are potential visitors in the campground area. Safeguard yourselves and the bears by storing all food and aromatic items in the bearproof lockers provided at each site. Try to minimize food odors in your site and vehicle. Do not leave food, coolers, or trash in unattended sites.
BYOB and BYOW
*Must be at least 21 years old to attend.*
**This event will be rain or shine**
***MTN KDS is not responsible for any accident or injury on any meet ups. You are responsible for keeping yourself and valuables safe. Know your own limitations.**