The Dunes

Many playgrounds have a sand pile, this playground just happens to have North America’s biggest sandpile.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve really is a playground, a place where the young and the young at heart conjure up an infinite variety of ways to play in the sand.

Some walk awestruck up, around, over and through 30-square-miles of sand dunes. Some jump off dunes, roll down dunes, scramble up and around dunes. Others bring old snowboards to ride the sand, or use a simple piece of cardboard to make a nice sand sled.

People splash in the seasonal flow of Medano Creek at the base of the dunes. They build sand castle and sand caves. They even boogie board the “surge flows” that change the character of the creek by the minute. They sunbathe and relax. They giggle. They ooh and aah.

About 300,000 people a year visit to play and have fun, because that is what people do in a playground.

One wonderful aspect of sand is its regenerative powers. Unlike other habitats, thousands of people can trample a dune and come the next breeze, all vestiges of their presence is gone. This is one reason park rangers can allow and even encourage people to frolick on the dunes. Despite seven insect species that live only on these dunes, the dunes are able to handle the impact of thousands of visitors without being damaged. Park rangers even allow pets on the dunes as long as they are on a leash 6-feet or shorter. (Pet owners be aware that the sand can reach temperatures of 140 degrees – hot enough to burn Fido’s feet.) 

Congress created Great Sand Dunes National Monument in 1932 with original boundaries that protected only the sand dunes and the area immediately surrounding them.

In 1976, the Great Sand Dunes Wilderness area was established to protect the wider ecosystem of the area. In 2000 the two areas were merged to create the 150,000-acre Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Elevations of the park range from 7,515 feet to 13,604 feet. Protected within are a variety of life zones and ecosystems.

While recent legislation assures the area will be protected forever, the Dunes have long been popular. Archeological evidence suggests prehistoric tribes wandered the area 11,000 years ago.

They were followed by nomadic Indian tribes. As early as 1598, Spanish explorers had visited the area.

The first known writings of the dunes appear in the 1807 journals of U.S. Army Lt. Zebulon Pike. Pike was sent to explore the southern reaches of the Louisiana Purchase, but trespassed in Spanish territory to visit the San Luis Valley. He described the dunes as “a sea in a storm.”

Other early explorers to visit the dunes were John Fremont during his 1848 quest for a railroad route and Capt. John Gunnison of the U.S. Topographical Engineers, who crossed part of the dunefield on horseback in 1853.

Prospectors and settlers followed in the late 1800s. By the early 1900s, local San Luis Valley residents led effort to have the area protected.

The dunes are undeniably the top draw of the park, but with such a diverse landscape protected there is something for everyone.

Besides climbing the two highest dunes  – High Dune at 650 feet and Star Dune at 750 feet – hikers will enjoy a 3.7-mile jaunt up historic Mosca Pass, which was a primary entry point to the San Luis Valley for early settlers. Mosca Pass was originally built as a toll road in the 1870s, but is now a hiking trail.

Four-wheel-drive enthusiasts will want to try Medano Pass where soft sand, creek crossings and a rocky roadbed combine for some adventurous driving. The reward is a tremendous view.

Campers have many choices. The park offers a developed car camping campsite near the visitors center, but also four-wheel-drive access car camping along the Medano Pass road. Backpackers can find seclusion in their own campground miles from vehicle-bound visitors.

The primary car camping area in the park is first-come, first-serve. For those wanting reservations, the San Luis Lakes State Park campground about 15 minutes from the park accepts advanced reservations.  www.coloradostateparks.reserveamerica.com.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is on the east side of the San Luis Valley tucked up against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Nearby are several 14,000-foot peaks including Kit Carson and Challenger Point, Crestone and Crestone Needle, Little Bear and Blanca Peaks.

Nature lovers will find several wildlife sanctuaries and refuges in San Luis Valley. They include the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Blanca Wetlands and Wildlife Habitat Area, San Luis Lakes State Park and Wildlife Area and Russell Lakes State Wildlife Area.

Near the park is another type of wildlife. The Colorado Gator and Reptile Park makes use of naturally warm well water to create a highly out-of-context habitat for alligators and other reptiles. Tours and photo opportunities await anyone who wants to see an alligator and a snow-capped mountain peak at the same time.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is 250 miles from Grand Junction. Expect the drive to take a minimum of 4.5 hours.