Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

26Jun12

As you drive up to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve you have to wonder how this amazing place came about.

The drive throughout Colorado to the national park gives you no indication that you are about to approach something out of the ordinary. Nestled against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the Great Sand Dunes seems out of place when you see the high mountain peaks and sparkling streams that surround the billions of grains of sand.

The dunes are the largest in North America. Eroded from mountains, shattered by freezing and thawing, tumbled and moved by streams and the wind, the sand grains cycle through the Great Sand Dunes system as if it were a living thing.

I made a quick stop recently at the national park while driving back from Las Vegas to Iowa. My exploration of the park was limited to the main sand dunes close to the visitor center.

My first obstacle – crossing the Medano Creek – was actually much easier than I anticipated because the creek was at such a low level. Still I was glad I had switched from my tennis shoes to my hiking boots.

Then I got to the sand. I made it across the flat section of the dunes before attempting my climb. It was really like walking on a beach, but only uphill and without a view of the ocean.

I can’t image climbing the tallest dunes (Star Dune, 750 feet, and High Dune, 650 feet) in the park. But I could see people had accomplished that feat and many were sledding down the dunes.

This part of the park is the most accessible. You can journey up a dirt road and if you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle you can go even further to Medano Pass and a trip to Medano Lake in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. My little Corolla rental car didn’t seem up to the task so I cut my losses and continued my journey home – amazed that such a natural wonder as the Great Sand Dunes could exist where it does.

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