When the state
of Colorado is mentioned, most people immediately think of Denver, the big city
a tad bit east of the Rocky Mountains. Sports teams, an amusement park, and an
abundance of snow often spring to mind next. While Denver is home to several
attractions and an abundance of history, there are other areas in the state
which are just as fascinating to explore. One such place is the Great Sand
Dunes National Park.
Bordered by eight
12,000+ foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the sand dunes evolved
after centuries of streams, creeks, melting snow and flash floods turned bits
of rock into sand grains. With the grains exposed to the elements,
southwesterly winds ignited a slow process of moving the grains toward the low
curve of the mountains. The grains piled up there to become the sand dunes,
reaching as high as 750 ft. The sand dunes are the only wilderness that is
defined as a saltbush-greasewood ecosystem. Several different type of plants
grow in the area, to include Indian rice grass and prairie sunflower, and the
dunes are the only place in the world that is home to the Great Sand Dunes
tiger beetle and the giant sand treader camel cricket. The dunes cover an area
of 30 square miles and became a national park/monument in 1932.
The Sangre de
Cristo’s border the park from the east. Marshy wetlands cover a portion of the valley
floor. Ponds hug the sand sheet’s eastern edge, and open fields surround the floor.
The wind blows more often than not, whirling the sand. Several species of insects
call the dunes their home and spadefoot toads have been seen.
The dunes make
for a great day trip or for a few days of camping. There are plenty of
campgrounds in the area to leave a tent or RV while you spend the day hiking through
the sand or exploring its perimeter. Air temps reach about 85 during the summer
and drop to 20 below 0 during the winter. The surface temps reach as hot as
140.
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| Spanish Peaks |
The nearby
mountains often more options for hiking, fishing and even horseback riding.
There are small towns near the sand dunes, but if you prefer a bigger town, Walsenburg
is not far to the east, and the Spanish Peaks near Walsenburg make for another
great area to explore. So leave Denver behind, head to the southern part of the
state and squish your toes in the sand, you might even spot a grouse, a
hummingbird or a Northern pygmy owl, not to mention a bald eagle or a crane or
great blue heron in the wet grasslands. Then again, you might see catch sight
of elk, a bobcat or a coyote. Occasionally, they sneak onto the dunes.
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| Northern Pygmy Owl |
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