In an effort to “check off” all the National Parks on my journey I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
I have to say, I wasn’t expecting much except and ability to check one off the list but I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed this park and the visit there.
The uniqueness of the setting and the diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra made for a very beautiful and interesting park.
We took the opportunity to drive off-road again and get to an area of the park much less visited (the easiest to access dunes were quite popular and crowded).
Fortunately the sand was of good moisture content so we didn’t have to air down the tires although we would have if we had chosen to drive further into the park.
After a climb up one of the dunes (Matt climbed much higher than I did) and enjoying wading through the river we headed back out of the park to our campsite at San Luis State Park (just outside Great Sand Dunes).
At San Luis State Park campground we almost had the place to ourselves, as it appeared that the lake was closed to boating and swimming.
Our site included electric but no water or sewer hookups. The restrooms nearest our site were pit toilets with flush and showers available in the nearby loop.
Rising early the next morning and walking with Cory to the lake revealed a beautiful sunrise.
I have visited Great Sand Dunes numerous times, it is a very photogenic spot. My first visit was nearly 40 years ago on my first trip out west from the east coast. Did that pass road in my Toyota Land Cruiser and camped back there.