Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

Some may think it might be challenging the hike on large sand mountains because it's hard to keep on trail if the trail isn't visible. Good thing that's not a problem, because there is no trail. No trail, no problem, right? You can explore any part of the 30-square-mile dune field as you wish. But that doesn't mean that you can't use a map to hike along the sand to get to a specific point. For example, you can get a map of different hikes you can do on the dunes; the difference is you don't need to follow this map in any specific way; it's just there to help you. The most popular trail isn't officially a trail. The main "trail" is the high dune trail. This dune is the highest in North America. It is only a distance of 3 miles, although I will admit it is a challenging climb. Unfortunately, I did not get to go onto the top because we got caught by the rain. But when the conditions are nice (which they usually are), Some decide that hiking down the dune after climbing all the way up is too much work, so they sandboard or sand sled down.

View on high dune trial

Note: Wearing sandals on the dunes is not recommended by the National Park Service because the sand will just cause chafing. close-toed shoes or boots are recommended.

But the question that is bugging everyone's mind is, "How on earth is there just a random dune field in the middle of the Colorado mountains." It happened to be the absolute perfect combination of wind water and sediment that formed these sand dunes. Creeks and rivers brought large amounts of sand into the valley, and wind from opposite sides pushed the sand squeezing them into sand dunes. This is a simple explanation, but it is really a combination of many parts of the ecosystem working in harmony.

 

Another thing that this park is known for is its night sky. Half of the glory and wonder of this park happens when the sun sets. In fact, this park is even ranked as an "international dark sky park". This basically means that it is uninfected by light pollution. Light pollution occurs when city lights are so powerful that they make our sky appear lighter even though the city lights can be miles away. but not in the wilderness of the great sand dunes, when the moon is low and the sky is clear, you can get an almost clear view of the Milky Way.

Another thing that lots of people don't even think about when they visit national parks is the visitor center. But for me, it happens to be the place where I learn a lot of what I can later observe. Specifically, i remember the Sand Dune National Park had an excellent visitor center, featuring large models, a movie theater, and lots of information.

To learn more about how the sand dunes were formed click here: Geology - Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

To learn more about star gazing click here:Experience the Night - Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

To learn more about the visitor center click here: Visitor Center - Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)