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Great Sand Dunes - 2009

Created on: 07/14/10 12:38 AM Views: 1899 Replies: 1
Great Sand Dunes - 2009
Posted Tuesday, July 13, 2010 07:38 PM
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Great Sand Dunes NP and Preserve

It is amazing to see the sand dunes next to 13,000' mountains.  One would expect this at Death Valley but not here.  We really didn't want to climb a 750' sand dune so we went part way up to just get the feel of it, then returned quickly leaving the younger generation to climb to the top.  This is a recent national park that until 2004 was a national monument.  I did unexpectly get a cancellation for the Old Spanish Trail(OST) Northern Branch which goes through North Pass through the Gunnison Valley on to Green River, Utah.  This fired my interest to investigate the OST.  This summer I plan to get a cancellation at Moab which represents a middle branch of the OST that goes through Durango then passes near Mesa Verde then on to Moab.

One day at the Great Sand Dunes NP was enough for us.  Earlier in the year would have been better in that the Medano river would have been more than just a trickle.  We would have been able to see the "surge flows" where the sand makes small 'dams' on the river that are breached resulting in a 'wave' of water. These are best seen in May. All picnic table were in use so we went to the San Luis State Park to picnic.  On the way to Mesa Verde NP, we drove through hail just past where we crossed the continental divide at Wolf Creek Pass.

I should mention that we, on purpose, passed through San Luis the oldest town in Colorado.  Now how many of us knew that.  I certainly didn't until my cousin told me prior to our visit.

 

 
RE: Great Sand Dunes - 2009
Posted Sunday, September 28, 2014 07:27 PM

September 2014 - Polly and I visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park a couple of weeks ago.  This park is only a few miles off the main road.  It is amazing to see sand piled up that high.  We were not as energetic as Bill & Marilyn Hyams so we only walked to the first dune, which is a small task in itself as it is deep sand.  We watched others climb other dunes and slide down them.  It is possible to rent boards for that purpose at a lodge/RV campground store just before arriving at the parking lot to walk to the dunes.

 
 



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