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Drone Rules for Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Duncan, Colorado (CO)
• United States
Colorado, USA
Lat: 37.7659 • Lng: -105.624
Rules Edit History: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
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Mapped shape change
Old outline is gray. New outline is blue.
May 28, 2026 11:18 PM
Approved
• Added drone restriction profile for Great Sand Dunes National Park based on NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05, 36 CFR § 1.5, Wilderness Act, and Great Sand Dunes National Park Act Pub. L. 106-530.
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Approved
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Your proposed edit to the drone restriction profile for Great Sand Dunes National Park is approved. The information is accurate and well-supported by official sources, and the outline appropriately matches the selected location. Thank you for your contribution.
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/rules.htm
- https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/unmanned-aircraft.htm — NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 and 36 CFR § 1.5 prohibit all drone operations within Great Sand Dunes National Park boundaries. No exceptions without written superintendent approval.
Changed fields
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | Permission | NoFly |
| Summary | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. | Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve under NPS regulations, controlled by the National Park Service. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit from the park superintendent. Home to the tallest sand dunes in North America, |
Before
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
After
## Authorization Status - Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit - Wilderness: ❌ Great Sand Dunes Wilderness absolute motorized ban ## Geographic Boundaries Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in Alamosa and Saguache Counties, Colorado, in the San Luis Valley. - Total area: ~107,342 acres (park) + ~41,686 acres (preserve) - Coordinates: 37.7430° N, 105.5114° W - Includes Star Dune (750 ft — tallest dune in North America), Medano Creek, Medano Pass Primitive Road, and Sangre de Cristo Wilderness - Adjacent to Baca National Wildlife Refuge - Nearest city: Alamosa, CO (~35 miles south) ## Regulations - NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units - 36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority - 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval within park - Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — Great Sand Dunes Wilderness - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-530) — specific enabling legislation - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide - Airspace: Class G; no controlled airspace over park ## Penalties - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation - Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day - Equipment confiscation by park rangers ## Special Permissions - NPS Special Use Permit required - Scientific research with NPS-approved research permit - Preserve unit: coordinate with BLM for non-NPS areas Submit requests to: Great Sand Dunes NP Superintendent, 11999 State Highway 150, Mosca, CO 81146
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+ - Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit + - Wilderness: ❌ Great Sand Dunes Wilderness absolute motorized ban + + ## Geographic Boundaries + Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in Alamosa and + Saguache Counties, Colorado, in the San Luis Valley. + - Total area: ~107,342 acres (park) + ~41,686 acres (preserve) + - Coordinates: 37.7430° N, 105.5114° W + - Includes Star Dune (750 ft — tallest dune in North America), + Medano Creek, Medano Pass Primitive Road, and + Sangre de Cristo Wilderness + - Adjacent to Baca National Wildlife Refuge + - Nearest city: Alamosa, CO (~35 miles south) + + ## Regulations + - NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units + - 36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority + - 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval within park + - Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — Great Sand Dunes Wilderness + - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000 + (Pub. L. 106-530) — specific enabling legislation + - FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide + - Airspace: Class G; no controlled airspace over park + + ## Penalties + - NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation + - Wilderness Act: fines up to $5,000 + 6 months imprisonment + - FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day + - Equipment confiscation by park rangers + - NPS Special Use Permit required + - Scientific research with NPS-approved research permit + - Preserve unit: coordinate with BLM for non-NPS areas + Submit requests to: Great Sand Dunes NP Superintendent, + 11999 State Highway 150, Mosca, CO 81146
May 27, 2026 10:57 PM
Approved
• Rollback user history: Included broken and wrong link... In every post. Mass edit spam of national parks adding nothing specific.
Moderation feedback
Administrative rollback audit entry.
Changed fields
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | NoFly | Permission |
| Summary | Drones are prohibited in Great Sand Dunes National Park per NPS closure order. | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. |
Before
## Drone Rules - Great Sand Dunes National Park **Drone flights are banned** in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone use anywhere in the park - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - The unique dune ecosystem and sand sheet are fully protected ### Source - Great Sand Dunes NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/rules.htm
After
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
Show inline change markers
+ This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. - - ### Key Rules - - No recreational drone use anywhere in the park - - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - - The unique dune ecosystem and sand sheet are fully protected - - ### Source - - Great Sand Dunes NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/rules.htm -
May 27, 2026 10:17 AM
Approved
• Rollback user history: Bad outlines
Moderation feedback
Administrative rollback audit entry.
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Flight status | NoFly | Permission |
| Summary | Drones are prohibited in Great Sand Dunes National Park per NPS closure order. | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. |
| Mapped shapes | 83a469db-495a-4a59-8a25-9bdddab22ea7 | ab992ffe-03bd-4cbf-a612-4382fce4cd1b |
Before
## Drone Rules - Great Sand Dunes National Park **Drone flights are banned** in Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. ### Key Rules - No recreational drone use anywhere in the park - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - The unique dune ecosystem and sand sheet are fully protected ### Source - Great Sand Dunes NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/rules.htm
After
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
Show inline change markers
+ This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. - - ### Key Rules - - No recreational drone use anywhere in the park - - Commercial filming requires a Special Use Permit - - The unique dune ecosystem and sand sheet are fully protected - - ### Source - - Great Sand Dunes NPS Rules: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/rules.htm -
Changed fields
Mapped shape change
Click to load this change into the shared map viewer here.
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Rule category | — | Ground |
| Flight status | — | Permission |
| Summary | — | United States National Parks are restricted from taking off, landing, or controlling a drone within the park to those with permission. Which is rare to receive. |
| Mapped shapes | — | ab992ffe-03bd-4cbf-a612-4382fce4cd1b |
Before
After
## This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm
Show inline change markers
+ ## + This action applies to the launching, landing, and operation of uncrewed aircraft on lands and waters administered by the NPS. Jurisdiction by the NPS ends at the park boundary. The policy memorandum does not modify any requirement imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the use or operation of uncrewed aircraft in the National Airspace System. + + https://www.nps.gov/articles/uncrewed-aircraft-in-the-national-parks.htm