The Tallest Sand Dunes on the Continent

One might think that the tallest sand dunes on the continent would be in some exotic beach location that few people visit such as the Bering Strait of Alaska, or along the hurricane-ravaged southeastern coasts of the United States. I was surprised to learn that they are located hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean in, of all places, southern Colorado.

President Herbert Hoover declared the Great Sand Dunes a National Monument in 1932. It was re-designated a National Park by Congress in 2004. Sidenote: Presidents can declare an area a National Monument. Only Congress can designate a place as a National Park.

Leaving Taos and crossing into southern Colorado, we made our way north on CO 159 towards Great Sand Dunes National Park. Coming over a rise in the road, we were greeted with this view – pictured below – of the south side of Blanca Peak, the 4^th highest peak in the Rocky Mountains, and the highest summit of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Soaring to 14,351 ft / 4,374 m, it is one of the many “fourteeners” in Colorado. There used to be two glaciers on the north side of the peak, but they disappeared sometime after 1903.

We both usually shoot color photos of landscapes. Sometimes a black and white photo can be much more dramatic. On some of the photos in this post, we are using a feature where you can move the slider on the photos and compare the color and black and white versions of the same photographs. Leave a note in the comments and tell us which version you prefer.

Arriving at the parking area of Great Sand Dunes, we harnessed up Koda and headed out on the sand. Dogs are allowed on the flat sand portion, but not up on the higher dunes.

Even in person, the dunes are deceptive as to their height…when the wind conditions are right the dunes can rise to 750 ft / 228 m. Below is a photo of the dunes with several people hiking up to the top. Look closely; the people are the tiny dark dots scattered throughout the dunes. One day when I’m feeling really energetic, I might try to climb to the top of one of the larger dunes.

On our previous visit, the Medano Creek had several inches of water in it and was quite wide. We were hoping that Koda could have some fun romping in the chilled, shallow, and crystal clear water of the creek, but it was not to be. The sand was bone dry on this visit.

The dunes contain magnetite deposits which are dark in color, and are exposed by the blowing wind. The dark patches in these pictures are not magnetite. They are simply wet sand left from melting snow.

We waited around the dunes for sunset, hoping the clouds over the mountains would turn pink. We had no luck on that day, but did get a couple nice photos of the late afternoon sun on the dunes and mountains. Then it was time to move to our off-grid campsite on BLM land about 12 miles south of the Park, where we camped for free with no amenities and with dozens of other like-minded souls. We are happy to report that our first experience with the diesel-powered heater was a great success.