Zapata Falls

Alamosa County, Colorado

4.7/5

based on 13 reviews

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Details

Distance

0.84 miles

Elevation Gain

325 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Billy DiMirra

This is a hike is right outside of Great Sand Dunes National Park, that leads to a 30ft. cave waterfall.

Driving towards the Sand Dunes, you will see a sign marker that indicates the road up to Zapata Falls. Turn right onto the road a follow it for about 2 miles until you hit the parking lot at the top. The road is in pretty rough condition so if your car doesn't have high clearance make sure you take it slow. Once you reach the parking lot, you will see an 10ft sign indicating the trail head. You will follow the trail up for 1/2 mile leading to the cave entrance. Depending on the time of year you will continue into the cave, either on ice or through water and you will see the falls in the back of the cave.

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Waterfalls

Zapata Falls Reviews

Wynn Wiley

Scout

Zapata Falls

11/11/25

Makes a great escape from the heat of the great sand dunes! The hike is short and sweet but you will require some trodding upstream if you want to see the falls. I visited in mid August and found it quite crowded but glad to see people enjoying it.

5.0

Teddy Tinnell

Seeker

Zapata Falls

03/16/25

I’ve visited the Great Sand Dunes several times but never stopped for this quick, little adventure before! A great addition to our drive home from a weekend in Taos to Denver. Definitely worth the dunes detour. The hike up to the frozen falls only took 15 min. Even in March this does draw a decent amount of spectators for how relatively secluded the location is - so I imagine its potentially more crowded in warmer months.

4.0

Kenneth Jones

Wanderer

Zapata Falls

10/19/23

It was March, in Colorado. It was cold!

5.0

Explorer

Jared Beeler

Explorer

Zapata Falls

09/08/20

This is an incredible hidden gem. It is right on the way to the dunes so it is a great place to stop and cool off.

5.0

Alyssa Teboda

Trailblazer

Zapata Falls

07/08/20

I think the trip reports I read about the road leading up to Zapata Falls were a little over exaggerated. My Subaru Forester made it up just fine and there was plenty of parking at the trailhead. Really cool views at the beginning of the hike of the sand dunes in the valley below. Short hike to reach the falls. They were half frozen and half running when I visited, I thought that was pretty cool. I saw some trails that went above the waterfalls, definitely will be back to check out more of the area.

5.0

Lorrie Hess

Wanderer

Zapata Falls

01/26/20

Absolutely loved looking at iced waterfall, listening to water run under the ice and being mesmerized by light play of water running behind waterfall ice front. Easier hike than expected. Glad we had ice crampons for short traverse if ice. Better road than expected, as I’ve driven Subaru up many worse to other trailheads. My granddaughters first snow hike. Wonderful introduction to playing in the winter!

5.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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Zapata Falls

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Zapata Falls Reviews

Leave No Trace

Nearby

Summit Little Bear Peak

Mount Lindsey (CLOSED)

Summit Blanca and Ellingwood Peaks

Mosca Pass Trail

Star Dune and High Dune Loop

High Dune

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