Hiking the Montville Nature Loop Trail in Great Sand Dunes National Park
Distance: 0.5 miles / 0.8 km
The Montville Nature Loop Trail in Great Sand Dunes National Park is a relatively short and easy day hike at the base of the foothills of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
This unique adventure allows visitors the opportunity to follow along with numbered trail markers and an interpretive guide to learn more about the trail and the park as a whole.
On a different note, the shaded Montville Nature Loop should be highly considered during the hotter summer months in Great Sand Dunes, as venturing out into the exposed 30-square-mile dune field can be extremely dangerous if you visit the park during this time of year!
Montville Nature Loop Trailhead Parking
The Montville Nature Loop Trailhead is located just past the visitor center on the right-hand side of Highway 150.
That said, the Montville Trail is not the most popular adventure in Great Sand Dunes National Park, meaning that finding a spot to park is typically never an issue throughout all times of the year.
Google Maps Directions: Montville Nature Loop Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Great Sand Dunes
Here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Hiking the Montville Nature Loop Trail
The beginning of the Montville Nature Loop is also the junction with the 0.25-mile (0.4 km) access trail between the visitor center and Montville Trailhead.
This is important to mention because the National Park Service does not allow RV or trailer parking at the Montville Trailhead, meaning that the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center is the best place for larger vehicles to park.
The trail markers on the Montville Nature Trail begin shortly after the trailhead and continue throughout the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) loop.
With that in mind, trail guides can be found at the Montville Trailhead or by asking the staff in the visitor center just down the road.
Montville Nature Loop Trail
Almost immediately after beginning the hike, the Montville Trail splits into the 0.4-mile (0.6 km) loop, with most visitors choosing to go right, in the counterclockwise direction, to follow the numbered markers.
This is all to say that I chose to go right as well.
After roughly 0.1 miles (0.2 km), the Montville Nature Loop leaves the National Park and enters the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve.
That being said, both the National Park and National Preserve operate together under the National Park Service, meaning there is truly no difference in visitor experience that one might notice.
The difference really only comes into play in terms of the specific regulations governing activities like hunting or resource use, which most visitors won’t encounter during a typical visit to Great Sand Dunes.
Montville Nature Loop-Mosca Pass Junction
When the Montville Nature Trail reaches the far eastern end of the loop, the trail splits with the Mosca Pass Trail, which climbs from here to the park boundary with the Rio Grande National Forest.
In any case, go left here to continue on the Montville Nature Loop Trail, or you can use the link below to learn more about the full hike up to Mosca Pass.
Read My Separate Post: Mosca Pass Trail
Montville Nature Loop-Wellington Ditch Junction
Not long after beginning the return loop, the Montville Nature Loop splits once again with the Wellington Ditch Trail, which connects Montville to the Piñon Flats Campground, about 0.9 miles (1.4 km) away.
This one-way adventure is best served as a great trail to see the sand dunes from above, which can be especially beautiful at any one of a number of different viewpoints at sunset.
In any case, go left again to remain on the Montville Nature Loop, returning to the beginning about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) down the trail.
Read My Separate Post: Wellington Ditch Trail
It’s important to mention that Black Bears are more common in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Range than in areas closer to the dune field.
This includes hikes in Great Sand Dunes, such as the Montville Nature Loop, Mosca Pass, the Wellington Ditch, the Dunes Overlook Trail, along with a number of other backcountry adventures that are far less popular.
This is all to say that hiking with bear spray is truly up to your own discretion, but it’s important to be aware of their presence.
Montville Nature Loop Junction
After crossing back over Mosca Creek, the Montville Nature Trail completes the 0.4-mile (0.6 km) loop.
At this junction, go left to return to the trailhead and visitor center, and remember to return any trail guides you may have taken, so that future hikers can use them when they arrive.
