Added: 11/11/2005 |
The Great Sand Dunes: Hiking, Sight Seeing and Great Sand Dunes CampingThe great sand dunes of Colorado provide a breathtaking and unique experience for everyone. The great sand dunes provide a plethora of activities that range from hiking, to sight seeing, to great sand dunes camping.
The great sand dunes of Colorado form the unique landscape of desert meeting the snow capped alpine peaks of the Rocky Mountains. The great sand dunes, which are bordered by the Sangre de Cristo mountains, are the tallest in the country and span for over 35 square miles. Some of the oldest archeological sites are found near the great sand dunes, as well as a wide variety of plants and animals. Some of the insects found in the great sand dunes are unique only to this specific dune system. The great sand dunes, which are part of the Great Sand Dunes National Park, span over 33,000 acres.
One of the best ways to experience all that the great sand dunes have to offer is by hiking the trails in the park. There are a large variety of trails with hikes that are short or long (1 mile-10 plus miles), and range from easy to strenuous. No matter what type of hike one chooses, it is important to remember that everyone is responsible for their own safety, so don’t forget important items like water and sunscreen. Hiking provides an opportunity to become immersed in the vast terrain of the great sand dunes and understand their immense proportions and dominance of the landscape.
Great sand dune camping can be done in a variety of ways dependant on what one is looking for. Camping is permitted anywhere in the great sand dunes outside of the day use area. Free back country permits are required for great sand dunes camping, and can be obtained at the Visitor’s Center. If car camping in the great sand dunes is a better fit, it is allowed anywhere along the national preserve. Finally, if ones definition of camping means staying at a hotel, there are many options including the Great Sand Dunes Oasis, where dining, laundry and telephones may make a camping adventure a little more like home. Whether the idea of camping is closer to backcountry living or the Great Sand Dune Oasis, the beauty and uniqueness of the great sand dunes will be easy to enjoy.
There are many other things to see in the great sand dunes. Check to see if the Medano creek is flowing. This water begins as snow in the Sangre de Cristos and flows down through high alpine lakes, spruce and fir forests, beaver meadows and large aspen and cottonwood groves before it reaches the dunes. Once the water arrives at the dunes it appears to vanish into the sand only to reappear as ponds and wetlands throughout various points of the great sand dunes.
At the nearby San Luis Lakes State Park there is boating and fishing. One can also try to catch a glimpse of the rare whooping crane or one of the other species of cranes at the Alamosa or Monte Vista Wildlife Refuges. Additional leisure activities offered at Great Sand Dunes National Park include sand castle building, kite flying, summer concerts and photography workshops.
The great sand dunes of Colorado provide a majestical setting for a wide variety of activities. Whether it is a short day hike, an overnight desert adventure, or an all encompassing, activity filled adventure, the experience of the great sand dunes is worth the trip.
Article comments:
No comments for this article yet. Post your comment now!
