Nasty 1-Star Reviews of Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park

The tallest dunes in all of North America, Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park has something for everyone. Well, almost everyone.

Nothing is safe from the power of the dreaded "1-star" review button found on sites such as Tripadvisor or Google Reviews. Check out these brutal, and hilarious, 1-star reviews of this Colorado treasure.

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Colorado's Magnificent Great Sand Dunes

If you've visited Great Sand Dunes National Park, roughly 30 miles northeast of Alamosa, Colorado, you already know how magnificent it is. You'll find everything - grasslands, wetlands, hiking, forests, camping, alpine lakes, sand sledding, tundra, and more. To top it off, it's also recognized as an International Dark Sky Park.

Easy To Visit

Great Sand Dunes National park is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You don't need reservations, and there are no limits to the number of visitors they can accommodate. The visitor center, on the other hand, is only so big, and can squeeze in only so many people at a time. When touring the visitors center, you may have to wait.

Be Prepared For Anything and Everything

I've visited Great Sand Dunes National Park many times over the years. You can be burnt to a crisp during the day, only to freeze your buns off at night. Great Sand Dunes isn't some quaint little campground. According to Google, the site measures an amazing 132.4 square miles.

Overwhelmingly Positive Reviews

Looking at Google, you'll see that Great Sand Dunes National park and Preserve received an awesome 4.8 stars out of 5 based on 7,850 reviews. Tripadvisor gives it a 4.5 out of 5 based on 971 reviews.

Common Theme Among the Negative Reviews

Reading the reviews, you'll notice several disenchanted visitors must have channeled Anakin Skywalker.

Why These Posts of "Negative 1-Star Reviews"?

To date, I've posted about 1-star reviews of the Colorado River, Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, the South Platte River, even Eisenhower Tunnel. Most are funny. All are weird.

There is another motive behind these posts. As stated earlier, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve packs a whopping 4.8 out of 5 stars on Google, based on 7,850 reviews. The handful of 1-star reviews is made up of mostly bogus reviews such as "too much sand" or "I got sand in my underwear," which ultimately bring down the overall rating.

In all fairness, some 1-star reviews complained of issues with park management and/or staff.

Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is well worth visiting. It's not exactly easy to get to, and the drive to the park is kind of like watching paint dry. Once there, though, you'll have a fantastic time.