South Zapata Lake Trail

The South Zapata Lake trail lies just south of Great Sand Dunes National Park in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness. It offers great views of the park along the first few miles and the unspoiled wilderness along the final few.

Several abandoned cabins line the trail. We stopped for lunch at the last one.

We were unable to make it to South Zapata Lake despite having microspikes. After we crossed South Zapata Creek around mile 3 we were forced to turn back when we could not take a step without our legs sinking down past the knee.