Adventure in the Sand

In Southeast Colorado there is an amazing and kind of perplexing park called Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. This park is bordered by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north and east. And in front of the mountains is the main attraction of the park, the sand dunes. These are the highest and largest dunes in North America and they are not at the beach, they are in Colorado next to a snowy mountain range, perplexing.

The dunes are formed here because sand and sediment from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the San Juan Mountains to the west were washed into a lake that once covered the valley. The prevailing southwest winds blew the sand towards the Sangre de Cristos where it was stopped by the mountains. Eastern storm winds blew back towards the collected sand, forming piles, and eventually huge dunes. Sand is still blown from the southwest and the dunes are continually growing and shapeshifting.

The drive towards the park was really great. First, I could see the beautiful snowy mountains and their surrounding pine forests. Then I could see the monumental dunes rising from a distance and I was amazed at the size. They are huge! And they have such a great backdrop of the mountains.

After stopping at a few pulloffs to take pictures and look at the beauty, I went to the visitors center. There, I looked at some exhibits, got some maps and info from a ranger, and I headed to Pinon Flats campground. The park has only one campground and it is very popular, so I wanted to get there early and grab a spot. I snagged a great site with a view of the dunes and shade from juniper and pine trees. I set up camp and then ventured to the dunes.

One great thing about being at the park this time of year (June 22-23) is that Medano Creek was flowing. This is a seasonal creek, typically appearing in late spring, that runs in front of the dunes, made of snowmelt from the mountains. It is a super popular place to play. There were kids of all ages playing in the water and mud. If it was a few days earlier when the creek was running stronger, I would have been able to see waves in the creek, called surge flow! To get to the dunes, I took my shoes and socks off to cross the creek and walked out into the sand. There were many people out exploring that day. A popular activity some people were partaking in is sandboarding and sandsledding. They carried their boards up to the top of a dune and would slide on down. It looked pretty fun except for the part of carrying the board back up hill. The sand got hotter and hotter within minutes and I could see people that were barefoot or in flip-flops tip-toeing really fast. Be prepared!

Being on the dunes was really remarkable. They were so big and the sand was so fine and soft. Plus, there was amazing views from the top. I watched the sledders for a little and then walked back down and headed to the Montville Nature Trail. There, I hiked through the evergreen and aspen forest. There was a book at the beginning of the trail that I brought with me hiking. As I hiked, there were numbered trail markers that related to a story in the book about the history of the trail. The trail followed where one of the original roads across the mountains was. It was also a popular spot to pan for gold, though no significant deposits were ever found. It was a very pretty trail along Mosca Creek. Lots of pine trees, firs, grasses, and wildflowers.

Then, I went back to my campsite and relaxed for a while before heading to sleep. Later, around 3 in the morning, a group of people drove into the campground and parked. I think they were looking for a trailhead. They were loud and woke me up, but I'm glad they did because I heard them shout out about the Milky Way. The Milky Way Galaxy is always something I have wanted to see, so I got up and looked to the sky, and yep, there was our galaxy! It was breathtaking! There was a band of bright clouds, full of stars, clearly across the sky. There were so many stars. Literally every spot in the dark sky was occupied by tons of bright stars. Spectacular experience!

The next morning I got up early to get to the dunes so I could hike to the top before the sand got too hot. I was planning to get to the top of High Dune because you're able to see the whole dune field from the top. There are not marked trails on the dunes, so you just get to trek around however you want. So I climbed to the top of what I thought was High Dune, but when I got there, there was a row of even higher dunes. I would have tried to keep going up, but by that point the wind was really picking up and I was getting covered in sand. It was blowing across my legs like thousands of needles stabbing me. So, I just enjoyed the experience and view that I had and made my way down. Going down was fun because walking down the dune was like walking on the moon (as I can imagine it). My feet would go down in the sand and pull me forward in big bouncy steps. It was very entertaining. Climbing on the dunes was fun, pretty, and felt like another world. I just wish it hadn't been so windy though, it almost ruined my camera.

I had such an incredible time at Great Sand Dunes NP. It is definitely one of my favorite parks. It was such an interesting place to wander and explore. Plus, I literally saw my place in this universe.

Visit the Gallery to see my pictures from the park!

National Parks, public lands, and really the whole planet are threatened by climate change. I encourage you to reread my post on reducing your carbon footprint and doing your own research on how you can help save this beautiful planet.

Be Green! Respect and Protect the Earth!