Outside Denver - Part 3! Great Sand Dunes National Monument

Great Sand Dunes National Monument

Located in the San Luis Valley, the Great Sand Dunes National Monument is unique among Colorado’s many parks and natural spaces. The tallest dune is about 1200 feet high, making the dunes the tallest in all of North America. The scenery here is unlike any other part of Colorado, making Great Sand Dunes National Monument a great place to visit!

So what made these strange sand dunes? Thousands of years ago, lakes covered the floor of the San Luis Valley. Over time, the lakes dried up, leaving behind the sediment from the bottom. As winds blew across the valley, the sediment was pushed against the mountains and created the stunning dunes you can see today.

The Great Sand Dunes are about as close to a beach vacation as you can get in Colorado! Medano and Sand Creeks flow in front of the dunes, so bring your swimsuit, cool off in the water and build some sandcastles! There are a lot of campsites at the dunes, but you’d better come early if you want to get the ones closest to the water.

You can get an amazing view of the valley if you climb the dunes – but get started early or it will be very hot! Bring a sled with you, and you can sled down the sandy faces of the dunes.

Nearby Zapata Falls is a great short hike if the dunes are getting a little too hot for you! The water cascades down an enclosed canyon which is cool and damp – a great break from the heat in the valley below!

Sediment: matter (sand, dust, rocks, etc) that settles at the bottom of a liquid