Great Sand Dunes National Park Backpacking Guided Tours
If you are interested in Great Sand Dunes National Park guided backpacking tours, join us at Kaiyote Tours!
Overnight Backpacking: The park has three main trails for hiking and backpacking. Backcountry sites are limited along the trails, and there are only seven sites.
*Backpacking location: Our favorite backcountry campsite is the Indian Grove site, located amongst the cottonwood trees and ponderosa pines at the base of the dunes, and along Medano Creek. Elevation at the site is approximately 8,300 feet. From the trailhead, it is almost a 4 mile hike each way to the campsite, with very little elevation gain, only a few small hills for some up and down. Once we have set up our camp, we day hike on the dunes, adjacent trails, and along the 4x4 road.
Call us at +1 970-556-6103 or email us at KaiyoteTours@gmail.com to book your trip!
2025 Dates
June 17 - 18, 2025: Indian Grove site, 1-night/2-days, (easy), 8 - 12 miles, spots left = 5
June 21 - 22, 2025: Indian Grove site, 1-night/2-days, (easy), 8 - 12 miles, spots left = 5
June 25 - 27, 2025: Indian Grove site, 2-night/3-days, (easy), 8 - 15 miles, spots left = 5
*Please see the above description of the Indian Grove site.
Or let us know what other dates work for you
Pricing for over-night backpacking trips
$265 per person, per day (based on a minimum of 2-people and a maximum of 5-people), $420 per day for a solo traveler private trip.
The backpacking fee includes food, gear, and backcountry permit.
Reservations: At the Great Sand Dunes National Park, back-country sites can be reserved three months in advance and many backcountry sites book up on the first day, so please make your plans early in the year for the best options.
Payment and cancellation policy: At the time of reservation, a non-refundable fee of $20 per person per day is due. The remaining balance is due 5 months prior to the trip and is non-refundable, but if you need to cancel, you can receive credit for a future trip for any of our domestic tours. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express.
Not included: Transportation to and from trailhead and National Park entrance fee for your vehicle. If you will not have a car, we can possibly make transportation arrangements for you, based on availability.
If you want to go backpacking and are concerned about carrying the weight, you can have your gear carried by a porter. Our porters can carry up to 50 pounds. One porter can carry the gear for almost two people, or one porter can lighten the load for a group. It is best to figure on having one porter per two people. The cost is $185 per day. You can hire a porter for only the hike in, if you want to carry your gear out.
Included in overnight backpacking fees
1) Tent
2) Sleeping bag
3) Sleeping pad
4) Backpacking pack
5) Bear canister (hanging food prohibited)
6) Stove and fuel
7) Water filter
8) Food: Let us know if you require coffee/caffeine, vegetarian, or anything special.
Although we provide all the necessary gear, you can also bring your own gear.
You can read a short story about my backpacking adventures
by clicking here: My Osprey Backpack
Private and custom tours at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
Kaiyote Tours is authorized by the National Park Service, Department of Interior, to conduct services in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
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