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Photo: Andrew Russell / CC BY 2.0 · source

Canyons & deserts

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Mosca, CO · San Luis Valley, Colorado$$25 per vehicle; $15 on foot or bike

About

Medano Creek runs across the foot of Great Sand Dunes only in spring and early summer, when snowmelt spreads it into a wide, beachy stream people wade in. Behind it are the tallest dunes in North America, up to 750 feet high, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at their back. Star Dune and High Dune are the ones to climb, and people sandboard or sled back down.

Highlights

North America's tallest dunes, up to 750 feet highStar Dune and High Dune ridgeline climbsSandboarding and sand sledding the slopesWading Medano Creek in spring and early summerSome of Colorado's darkest night skies for stargazing

Getting there

Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center, 11999 State Highway 150, Mosca, CO 81146

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