Best For: Feeling like a kid at a playground
The Campground: Few campgrounds sit so squarely in the middle of a park’s main attractions. Piñon Flats commands impressive views of North America’s tallest sand dunes, towering up to 750 feet high on one side, and the snowcapped peaks of Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo range, with summits topping out above 14,000 feet, on the other. Hit the campground at the right time in spring, and intermittent Medano Creek flows through right at your feet, carrying rushing snowmelt from the Sangres—and when it hits the sandy bottom near the campground, it rushes off in unpredictable directions, creating a labyrinth of rivulets that make for the best natural sandbox playground in the Rockies. Just be ready for the surge flow, a phenomenon that occurs when creek water dammed by the sand breaks free and rushes forth in waves that can be up to a foot high.
What's Out Your Door: It’s easy: Just wander from the campground into the 30-square-mile dune field. At roughly 750 feet above the valley floor (though the measurement varies as winds shift the sand), Star Dune is the tallest dune in North America and makes a good objective for hard-core hikers, but it can be just as much fun to simply wander and play. Or just bring some inner tubes and beach toys and play in Medano Creek.
Book It: Half (44) of the sites here are first come, first served. The other half can be reserved up to six months in advance of a visit during the summer season (May 4 through September 18). Group sites can also be reserved in advance for the summer season.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/lists/national-parks/best-campgrounds-parks/