Great Sand Dunes NP

Ok, so I admit, I am slightly late in getting this posted. Hopefully I can get things more up to date in the near future.

So, in February I had a trip to Colorado Springs for work, and had a spare day to kill. Since it was sunny and warm (really, it was close to 70), I decided to go check out Great Sand Dunes NP. It was a nice drive through the mountains to get here, and the sand dunes were, as advertized, very big. They are also a very unexpected contrast with the mountains behind them. Nothing at all like White Sands.

From Great Sand Dunes National Park

There are no trails there, but you are allowed to walk wherever you want across the dunes. Walking up a 700ft tall dune is not like walking up a 700ft tall hill. In some places, there is a little crust to the sand and you can walk without sinking in. In other places, you sink in and slide back a half step for every step you take. It is a hard, hard climb to the top. Getting down, though, is pretty fun. You can just run down the side of the dune and use the resistance of the sand to slow you down. I sank well above my knees doing that, so it could get a little dicey for the shorter people.