Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is in southern Colorado. It’s known for huge dunes like the towering Star Dune, and for the seasonal Medano Creek and beach created at the base of the dunes. The backcountry Medano Pass Primitive Road winds through a canyon toward the Sangre de Cristo mountains. Trails lead to forests, wetlands and alpine lakes like Medano Lake, which is home to trout and tundra wildlife.

There’s some beautiful places to camp for free:

My favorite is

Sacred White Shell Mountain, Alamosa, CO

Also known as Lake Como Road (GPS: 37.52189, ‑105.60170) – 16.3 miles to Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center – This is probably the most popular choice for free, dispersed camping near Great Sand Dunes. This road goes by several names; Lake Como Road appears to be the most popular name. The Bureau of Land Management calls it “Mount Blanca Road” or officially enumerated as BLM Road 5410. This area is also known as “Great White Shell” in reference to Blanca Peak, one of many “fourteeners” found throughout Colorado. There are several places to camp along this road. Most of the camping is found on the flat within the first mile of the highway. After that, you begin ascending up the peak. There’s actually a few campsites that are still easily reachable by most vehicles and RVs along this elevation. But after that, you will need high clearance 4WD to get any further.

This is also a good one:

Medano Pass Primitive Road Campsites (GPS: 37.80269, ‑105.49696) – 5.9 miles to Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center – These are a series of 21 campsites located inside the National Park boundaries, northeast of the sand dunes. These sites are located along Medano Creek Road and require high clearance 4WD vehicles (not AWD) to get there. There are many soft, sandy areas along the way, and you will get stuck if you attempt without 4WD. However, these sites are free, and are the only free, dispersed camping found inside the Park itself.

I recently found out about this one and I’m told it has amazing views. Unlike the other free options, this one has a small fee:

Zapata Falls Campground (GPS: 37.61976, ‑105.56030) – 12.4 miles to Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center – This is a developed campground managed by the Bureau of Land Management. While it’s not a dispersed camping area, it is, however, a popular and cheap alternative. At $11.00 per night, you get a great view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the San Luis Valley. The sites are small, however. Most sites are suitable for small to medium-sized RVs. There are only a couple of pull-through sites. No hookups of any kind here. No reservations are allowed here either. This is strictly first-come, first-served.