Hiking the Wellington Ditch Trail in Great Sand Dunes National Park
Distance (One Way via Wellington Only): 0.9 miles / 1.4 km
The Wellington Ditch Trail in Great Sand Dunes National Park follows the path of a historic ditch built by some of the park’s earliest settlers, the Wellington family, who homesteaded in this formidable environment in the 1920s.
This ditch was used to divert water to their cabin, which can still be seen from the visitor center and trail today. Furthermore, names like Wellington, as well as others like Herald, explain why certain places within the park bear the names they carry to this day.
Today, park visitors can enjoy the Wellington Ditch Trail as a one-way or out-and-back hike that follows along the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, parallel to the dunes.
By this, I mean that the Wellington Ditch Trail can make for a great one-way adventure if you have someone in your party who isn’t interested in hiking the full trail. Alternatively, the entirety of the trail can be hiked both ways, connecting both the Montville Nature Loop Trail and Piñon Flats Campground for a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) roundtrip hike.
Wellington Ditch Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Wellington Ditch Trail is located at either the Montville Nature Loop Trailhead or the Wellington Ditch Trailhead within Piñon Flats Campground.
That said, parking within Piñon Flats is strictly limited to a small area, as the vast majority of parking stalls within the campground are designated for campsites. Please read the signs carefully.
Google Maps Directions: Montville Trailhead / Wellington Ditch Trailhead (Piñon)
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 Wellington Ditch Trail
Personally, I chose to hike the Wellington Ditch Trail from south to north, beginning at the Montville Trailhead, but I think that it truly makes no difference whichever direction you choose to hike.
On a different note, 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.
To skip past the Montville Trail to the beginning of the Wellington Ditch Trail, click here.
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.
However, the fastest route to the Wellington Ditch Trail is to the left, as shown in the photos below.
By going left on the Montville Nature Loop, the trail to the Wellington Ditch junction will follow the numbered markers in reverse, from high to low.
Wellington Ditch-Montville Nature Loop Junction
After 0.2 miles (0.3 km), the Montville Nature Loop finally reaches the beginning of the Wellington Ditch Trail.
At this junction, go left, like a switchback, to begin hiking toward Piñon Flats, or to read about the rest of the Montville Loop to Mosca Pass and back around, click on the link below.
Read My Separate Post: Montville Nature Loop Trail
Wellington Ditch Trail
Once on the Wellington Ditch Trail, the trail simply follows the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains through a predominantly Pinyon Pine–Rocky Mountain Juniper forest, with very little elevation change between Montville and the trailhead in the Piñon Flats Campground.
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.
Wellington Cabin
Between 0.2 - 0.4 miles (0.3 - 0.6 km) after leaving the Montville Loop, the Wellington Cabin starts to become visible through the Pinyon Pine and Juniper trees below the trail.
It can be seen in the photo here, which you can find on Google Maps using the link below.
Google Maps Directions: Wellington Cabin
These middle sections along the historic Wellington Ditch Trail are among the best to enjoy views of the dunes or even the sunset if you are looking for a nice, uncrowded place in Great Sand Dunes to catch it!
When the Wellington Ditch Trail leaves and begins to re-enter the Pinyon Pine-Juniper forest on the northern end, it’s a nice sign that you’re nearing Piñon Flats.
Piñon Flats Campground
As previously mentioned, the northern end of the Wellington Ditch Trail is located within the Piñon Flats Campground, which park visitors can reserve using the link or widget below.
In any case, the Wellington Ditch Trail is a fairly easy, straightforward adventure that many in the park often overlook because it’s not the most traditional out-and-back hike with two trailheads. However, this is what can make the hike more special, as very few visitors hike the historic trail compared to other, more popular hikes, like the High Dune.
Book Here: Piñon Flats Campground
No information is collected by this website when using the Recreation.gov booking widget, and all reservations made here are secure through the official website.
