Great Sand Dunes National Preserve
Phone: Main 719-378-6300
Visitor Center 719-378-6399
Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 750 feet high against the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The wind shaped dunes glow beneath the rugged backdrop of the mountains. This geologic wonderland, containing 30 square miles of dunes, became a national monument in 1932. With the passage of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000, resources now also include alpine lakes and tundra, six peaks over 13,000' in elevation, ancient spruce and pine forests, large stands of aspen and cottonwood, grasslands, and wetlands--all habitat for diverse wildlife and plant species.
Please click on "IN DEPTH" at right for the Great Sand Dunes expanded home page, containing detailed information, photographs, and links.
Directions
Plane - Limited air service is available to Alamosa, Colorado. Airports in Colorado Springs, Denver, and Albuquerque are all within 4 hours drive.
Car - Great Sand Dunes National Monument is located 35 miles northeast of Alamosa,Colorado, reached by US Highway 160 and Colorado Highway 150 from the south. or from Colorado Highway 17 and County Six Mile Lane from the west.
Bus - Greyhound Bus Lines serve Alamosa and Blanca, CO, but do not enter the park.
More info at http://www.nps.gov/grsa
Great Sand Dunes
Wild Colorado (Book) by Donna Lynn Ikenberry
This guide to 51 roadless recreation areas in Colorado provides a sampling of hikes, backpack trips, snowshoe hikes and backcountry ski trips in the Weminuche Wilderness (Colorado's largest), as well as the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park, Great Sand Dunes New Mexico, and
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