Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes NP is a park with lower visitation, probably because it's kind of out of the way in southern Colorado near Alamosa. These dunes are big... the tallest in North America. 

The dunes are formed by the wind which blows mostly against the mountains and sometimes back the other way. They are constantly changing but always present. 

Great Sand Dunes National Park

We attempted to walk up to "High Dune" but the going was very slow... walk 2 steps forward and slide 1 step back. We made it part way and enjoyed the view.

Look closely to see 2 hikers walking on the ridge line

You can get an idea of the scale by looking at the photo above with the 2 hikers (left middle). They say that walking along the ridge is easier, and that may be true but it's still a slog. 

Part way up... the place was pretty empty

We happened by a sand-boarder

We gave up on the hike after a while and returned to our car. The view was nice from the campground and we decided to have a picnic. 

View from campground

We really enjoyed our visit to this different National Park. We liked the solitude and uniqueness of the dunes, and it's worth a visit if you are in southern Colorado.