Great Sand Dunes

[Doug S]

Jill took this as we arrived - Great Sand Dunes - sorry for the length - sort of

[mossemi]

Was the water running at the base of the dunes?  How was the campground, crowded?

Mossey

[Boudicca908]

I visited the park in 2018, but was not equipped to camp that time. I hope to visit again -- and I'm also interested in the conditions you found. It's lovely scenery! 

[Doug S]

3 hours ago, mossemi said:

Was the water running at the base of the dunes?  How was the campground, crowded?

Mossey

Haven’t been to the dunes yet. Am up in Pinion camp. Maybe 40% full. Completely blue skies, 35 degrees now, 25 last night. Just learned that it is a dog friendly park - I think everywhere. 

[Mike and Carol]

The campground (Piñon Flats) is nice.  No hookups and some sites are a little tight.  We were on the edge facing the dunes, a really great view out of the back window.  We really enjoyed our time there.  Mike

[John Dorrer]

Great Park. The hike up to Zapata Falls and into the cave to the falls was amazing. Need waders, that water will be cold.

[topgun2]

[Patriot]

My bride at the great sand dunes last Oct 23rd. If you think people look really close while visiting the dunes..well they are not.
Don’t ask me how I know. 😄
 

 

 

[Jim and Chris Neuman]

Spent 4 nights there summer before last early in September.  Really enjoyed the hiking and the relative quiet once off the main road.  Many of the sites are too small for even smaller trailers - we lucked into a great pull through but they were few.  Choose your site carefully and well in advance.

 

[Doug S]

7 hours ago, Boudicca908 said:

I visited the park in 2018, but was not equipped to camp that time. I hope to visit again -- and I'm also interested in the conditions you found. It's lovely scenery! 

It is really beautiful- the ranger said that it’s the nicest day of the year. The water is starting to run. A small patch right off the campground just appeared. We went into Alamosa a little after going out into the dunes and the truck thermometer said 61F at 1:30. The air is fresh and clear. All of the surrounding mountains have a respectable amount of snow. Clouds in the southwest style started appearing around noon. 

[ScubaRx]

Who knows why there are 700 foot sand dunes in South Central Colorado?

Edited April 4 by ScubaRx

[Doug S]

12 hours ago, mossemi said:

Was the water running at the base of the dunes?  How was the campground, crowded?

Mossey

Here is a photo:

[Doug S]

23 minutes ago, ScubaRx said:

Who knows why the are 700 foot sand dunes in South Central Colorado?

It was a huge sand deposit from the glaciation process in the surrounding mountains. Winds eventually pushed a fraction of the sand into the mountains you see behind. They are always changing on a small scale, but one photo taken in the 1850s (?) looks nearly identical to today. 

[Doug S]

7 hours ago, Patriot said:

My bride at the great sand dunes last Oct 23rd. If you think people look really close while visiting the dunes..well they are not.
Don’t ask me how I know. 😄
 

 

 

We share some of the same surprises of perception 

[Patriot]

12 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

Who knows why there are 700 foot sand dunes in South Central Colorado?

When we visited the Great Sand Dunes there was a really neat 30 minute movie talking all about the natural phenomenon that occurs in this part of CO. I did not commit all the information to memory, but here is the explanation of how Mother Nature created the Dunes which we both thought was pretty cool. 😊

In a snap shot - Wind from the northeast funnels through the Sangre de Christo Mountains and pushes against the opposing southwestern winds, which erodes additional sand from the mountain sides and brings it into the dune system.

Wait there is more- 
https://www.usgs.gov/index.php/geology-and-ecology-of-national-parks/great-sand-dunes-national-park-and-preserve#:~:text=Wind from the northeast funnels,it into the dune system. 

Edited April 4 by Patriot

[MAX Burner]

The Dunes are about a 90-minute drive northeast of our cabin near Mogote, CO; we go there often...  Never get tired of that location - very cool.  Thanks for posting @Doug S!

Cheers!

[mossemi]

Krunch and I climbed Star Dune in August of 2009.  The 750' climb was like walking in quick sand.  It being August, we started climbing before daylight to beat the heat.

Mossey

[topgun2]

3 hours ago, mossemi said:

we started climbing before daylight to beat the heat

Mad dogs and Englishmen?  😎

[Patriot]

5 hours ago, mossemi said:

Krunch and I climbed Star Dune in August of 2009.  The 750' climb was like walking in quick sand.  It being August, we started climbing before daylight to beat the heat.

Mossey

I salute you and your bride for your 750’ climb! So very wise to get it done early. 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 

[jd1923]

We visited this park June 1996. Our son Adam was born the year before and was only 17 months old! Chris' kids were with us, Joe (age 15) and I carried Adam in a baby backpack everywhere we hiked! The two teenagers in our family hiked to the top of the dunes, up and down and more.

We were staying in a cabin top of Monarch Mountain at 10K FT, west of Salida CO. Headaches every night (we lived sea level in the burbs of N IL), go figure. Each day we wanted a hike at 7-9K feet, not higher! 🤣

Per an earlier member comment, sand dunes make more sense between mountain ranges than on the beach, or perhaps the same. I rode the little dunes of Kitty Hawk and Nags Head of the Outer Banks, back in the day (late 70s) on my Honda XL350 Enduro! This is where I learned to handle a dirt bike!

Enjoyed many days on the beach in the Indiana/Michigan Dunes, a long drive from Chicago. What a great place, period!

GREAT post, we need to get back there again in the Oliver!

[Doug S]

On 4/3/2024 at 3:18 PM, Jim and Chris Neuman said:

Spent 4 nights there summer before last early in September.  Really enjoyed the hiking and the relative quiet once off the main road.  Many of the sites are too small for even smaller trailers - we lucked into a great pull through but they were few.  Choose your site carefully and well in advance.

 

Ours was one of the tight ones! Good site though. So far it is always easier to drive out than back in!

[SYoung]

All of the sights at pinon flats seemed to be too small for a double axle Ollie and a truck....am I missing something?

 

Sherrill

[Boudicca908]

On 6/26/2024 at 1:22 PM, SYoung said:

All of the sights at pinon flats seemed to be too small for a double axle Ollie and a truck....am I missing something?

 

Today I am looking at the Pinon campsite description: "Total combined length limit is 35 feet. RVs over 35 feet, or combined vehicle plus trailer length over 35 feet, are not allowed in the campground."  and "Choose your site carefully. If you arrive in camping equipment that is larger than the site, there will not be an alternative site available and you may have to find accommodation outside the park."  

@Doug S and others -- can you comment on this? 

[Mike and Carol]

Our site at Piñon Flats fit our trailer fine.  There was a 25’ Airstream two sites away.

[Mike and Carol]

A shot from the Dunes showing the Airstream.