Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Colorado, USA

Jun 11, 2022 | Nature Scene, Park, USA: Colorado

The 30 square mile sand dune field, with no designated trails—invites you on an adventure

Great Sand Dunes and Preserve: 11999 CO-150, Mosca, Colorado, USA

The park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America. The dunes cover an area of about 30 sq mi (78 km2) and are estimated to contain over 1.2 cubic miles (5 billion cubic metres) of sand. Sediments from the surrounding mountains filled the valley over geologic time periods. After lakes within the valley receded, exposed sand was blown by the predominant southwest winds toward the Sangre de Cristos, eventually forming the dunefield over an estimated tens of thousands of years.

The visitor center

Spanning view of the Sand Dunes from the visitor center.

The trail that goes to the dunes is a short drive from the visitor center.

The view of the dunes from the trail start.

Spanning view of the dunes.

In front of the dunes is a water stream that one must cross.

The view after the crossing.

Looking back at the parking lot.

Going forward

Start to climb

Looking back

Looking forward

Looking at the left side, spanning view from left to right

Another look at the left side

Looking back

Looking back at the right side

Going forward

Looking back

Spanning view of the left side

Going forward

Spanning view of the left side

Spanning view of the front side, left to right

Looking back again as I climb up

Spanning view from the left side to the front side

Looking back again

Looking forward

Spanning view of the right side

Looking forward

The walking path I will take

Walking forward

Looking down

This was as far as I climbed, and this was the view looking below. Most of the people were staying lower than I was. I think I made about at the mid-point from the top of the dunes. If I had gone all the way to the top, I would have seen the other side dune field, which would be much lengthier than I saw here.