Great Sand Dunes National Park

Since we moved out to Colorado, I’ve had my eye on the Great Sand Dunes National Park. I’ve always wanted to visit Dubai or Morocco, to experience riding camels through a never-ending ocean of sand. While I hope to one day visit a real desert, the national park in Colorado was our closest option. So when summer began to fade and the ninety-degree days were few and far between, David and I finally made the trip south to the Great Sand Dunes.

We woke up with the sun and made the four-hour trek from Boulder through scenic mountain roads to the park. Our route was on par with our trip west on I-70 through Glenwood Canyon – absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring. We weaved through the mountains, hitting pockets of high plains with stunning views of the Collegiate Peaks towering over small towns and farmland.

David and I noticed a drastic change in the landscape, so we knew we were getting close. The lush trees and mountainous terrain faded into endless grasslands covered in a blanket of clouds. Soon enough the sand dunes came into view. From a distance it was hard to grasp the vast scale of the dunes, but once we crossed the river and were standing at its base, the enormous size became very apparent. We watched people hike up the impermanent trail, each person getting smaller and smaller until they were just another speck of sand – and they were only halfway up the dunes!

David and I postponed our hike to the top of the high dune to try out the makeshift wooden sled David insisted we rent at the Oasis store. We started off small, sliding down the bunny hills, to learn how to keep control of the sled. We soon moved on to bigger slopes, and found it easier to sled down together. After we had our fill of sledding, David and I made a final push to hike to the top to take some pictures and enjoy the view.

Hiking in the sand is not easy – but reaching what we agreed was ‘our’ top of the dunes made it completely worth it. We had an amazing view. In one direction we saw the surrounding river and endless plains, and in the other the Sangre de Cristo Mountains shrouded in clouds, casting shadows on the sand. After a long rest, rather than hiking back, we mapped out a route and rode our sled back down to the base of the dunes.

The drive back took us through the small town of Alamosa, then back up I-25 through Pueblo where we stopped for a quick bite. One of the best sights was pulling off our exit at sunset to be greeted by Longs Peak welcoming us home.