Fun in the sandbox

So, where do you think the tallest sand dunes in North America are? Somewhere in Mexico? Maybe California, or Texas, or Florida? How about Cape Cod? In fact, the tallest sand dunes in North America are located at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado. Pretty surprising considering Colorado is famous for its mountains and not a place you'd expect sand dunes. This is a part of Colorado that most people don't get to, but if you happen to be in the area, it's well worth a visit. We hit this place on our drive from Boulder, Colorado to Taos, New Mexico.

The dunes in the park rise up to 750 feet from the floor of the valley and are surrounded by mountains in the Sangre de Cristo Range, with many mountains above 13,000 feet. A pretty dramatic setting all around.

You can bring your own sled, snowboard, skis etc. and have some fun. The national park website even gives you some tips about the best methods (e.g. cardboard does not work). We were actually pretty fortunate when we visited because it was overcast and had just rained before we got there. That meant it wasn't too hot, the sand was cool, and the sand wasn't being whipped around and blowing in our faces.

I climbed to the top of some of the dunes while Karen took a nap at the base. Knowing how difficult it is to walk on a flat beach, you can only imagine how difficult it was to climb a couple hundred feet up these sand dunes. Hard work, but I was rewarded with some great views.

One interesting aspect of the park was the stream flowing through. As it gets a lot of sand deposited in it, it forms little sand dams. After a while, these mini dams break, creating a mini wave in the water. The combination of many of these breaking dams creates larger waves, leading the stream to be permanently choppy. Interesting to watch up close.

Here are pics from various vantage points.



































And I liked this picture from the park's website so I'll include this one too.