The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado!

Did you know that the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve has the tallest dunes in North America?

The Sand Dunes of Colorado can reach as high as 750 Feet!

The sand dunes constantly shift with the wind, water and time sculpting its appearance and beauty.  The dunes are in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristo (“Blood of Christ”) Mountains.

The Dunes stretch across 30 square miles with an average elevation of 7,500 feet.

Interesting Facts About the Sand Dunes in Colorado:

1) Members of the Ladies P.E.O. sponsored a bill to Congress asking for national monument status for the Great Sand Dunes. The bill was signed into law in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover.

2) In 2000-2004 the Sand Dunes in Colorado was expanded into a national park and preserve.

3) About 500,000+ people visit the Great Sand Dunes every year because of the oddly beautiful combination of desert dunes and high mountain peaks, the spring-time flow of Medano Creek, and dark, quiet nights in the Dunes wilderness.

4) Camping, hiking, and photography opportunities are plentiful in the area.

“Visitors must walk across the wide and shallow Medano Creek to reach the dunes in spring and summer months. The creek typically has a peak flow from late May to early June in most years. From July through April, the creek is usually no more than a few inches deep, if there is any water at all.

Hiking is permitted throughout the dunes with the warning that the sand surface temperature may reach 150 °F (66 °C) in summer. Sandboarding and sandsledding are popular activities, both done on specially designed equipment which can be rented just outside the park entrance or in Alamosa.” Source…

---

The Great Sand Dunes of Colorado is a “Must See” Attraction!