Sand Dunes

Great Sands National Park & Preserve is located next to the middle of nowhere and on the edge of somewhere. We camped at San Luis Lakes State Park which is actually the middle of nowhere and 10 miles from the dunes. The park ranger informed us that San Luis is the lowest part of the valley which was clearly under the sea at one time. It feels like you are standing in the middle of the desert. There is sand everywhere, cactus, and a few low bushes that hide tiny rodents and large jack rabbits. The lake that is still filled with water is only five feet deep now, but has “Swimmer's Itch” so swimming is not allowed. It is a national wildlife refuge for several species of migratory birds though I have only spotted a few different ones so far.

Actually located near Alamosa, CO, the sand dunes are here because of a phenomenon of the wind patterns that occur due to being surrounded by the mountains. It’s amazing to find dunes of sand located in Colorado backed up against forest-filled mountains. The contrast is shocking. People actually travel here to “ski” down the dunes. At a nearby campground just before entering the park you can rent sand boards that look like snow boards and can get up to speeds almost as fast as on snow. They are made out of a hard plastic and come with a stick of wax that you are supposed to use in between each “run” down the slope. Of course we didn’t discover this option until after we visited the dunes this morning, but I’ll keep it in mind for next time if I feel ambitious. To give you an idea it probably takes at least an hour to walk up to the top of the dunes. They can be compared to small mountains.

Just walking towards the dunes can be a hike. It’s like walking on a very dry, sandy beach. In the Fall there is a river running in front of the dunes which is shallow enough to walk through to cool off just before reaching them for a hike. At this time of year in August there is no water. Adam, Sequoia and I started on our journey at 6am in the morning. We wanted to take advantage of the best light for photographs and the coolest part of the day. Planning just to scout out the site for the best vantage shot we found several fabulous landscapes before we even entered the park. Surrounded by ranchland the fields were covered in yellow flowers that look like daisies with black centers. We think they were Black-Eyed Susans which, ironically, is the Maryland state flower. Because of the location of the sun the shadows showed us every footprint and well defined the dune peaks. It was beautiful.

Though we weren’t really supposed to let him off the leash, there was too large an expanse and so few people around not to let Sequoia run. We ended up watching him tear it up in the sand. He used to do figure eights in our old backyard and he did the same thing here on a much larger scale. I think he thought it was like snow because he kept trying to dig and eat the sand. He was happy once I gave him water and by then it was only 7am. I don’t recommend bringing dogs on a hike up the dunes. The sand gets very hot once the day warms up.

If you find yourself in either the Pueblo or in the other direction, the Durango area, you are actually only a few hours away from this unique park. It’s calm, serene, and interesting to discover the oxymoron of sand dunes resting against the Colorado mountain ranges. Sometimes it’s nice to go to the middle of nowhere and hear the silence, listen to yourself think, and while you are at it, maybe take in a sand slope or two. 

my view of Adam taking pictures