 The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve near Blanca, Colorado, is the most unique national park Taylor and I have had the pleasure of visiting out of the dozen we have been too. The park’s namesake dune field covers thirty square miles and reaches heights of over 700 feet. During Taylor's first trip to the national park in March (which you can read about, here) she wasn’t able to camp among the dunes, but we spent the last Friday night in September doing just that.
 Camping on Lake Como Road near Blanca Peak and Great Sand Dunes National Park Prior to our night in the dunes, Taylor and I camped on Lake Como road after leaving Denver Thursday evening. The 4x4 road ascends to Lake Como where many hikers begin their climb of Mount Blanca. There are stone fire rings that help define cleared pull offs along the road. We found a vacancy with no trouble. Our car camping platform was the perfect place to dream about the dunes in our future  Early Friday morning, Taylor and I prepared a campfire breakfast, checked our packs, and made our way toward Great Sand Dunes National Park. Just outside of the park, we stopped at the Great Sand Dunes Oasis. Taylor purchased raw shea butter and we rented two Monarch sand sleds. Less than four miles down the road, we showed Taylor’s National Parks Pass and were soon walking into the small but rich visitor’s center. Taylor purchased raw shea butter and we rented two Monarch sand sleds. Less than four miles down the road, we showed Taylor’s National Parks Pass and were soon walking into the small but rich visitor’s center.
The Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center featured general park information, infographics, models, magnified sand particles, and a gift shop. I found a bandana with a park map printed onto it, and Taylor purchased a Great Sand Dunes decorative picture. While in line, Prickly Pear Jelly Beans were spotted, and we couldn’t refuse them. After our purchases, a park ranger met us in the backcountry office, and we completed the backcountry permitting process.
 Driving to the Castle Creek parking area. Not forty five minutes after entering the park, we were driving toward our designated parking lot. We chose to park at Castle Creek lot even though the ranger warned us about the sandy road leading in and the steeper hike up. Taylor and I were eager to take on the challenge of hiking over the top of the dune field’s ‘front range’. We enjoyed a prepared lunch and discussed how to best climb the monstrous piles of sand. We decided to navigate a series of slopes whose length and difficulty gradually increased. Aiming southwest, we started down to Medano creek. The creek trickled in the summer heat as we approached the first slope and climbed our first slope of the day.
These first 40 feet of elevation gain were a wakeup call. Nursing full stomachs and questioning our goals, Taylor and I gathered our wits and pressed onward.   The next hill was the steepest of our climb and approximately 100 feet tall. We had to take short breaks all the way up this hill and when we reached the top, we realized this wouldn't be our tallest climb. The next hill was 260-foot tall behemoth. Temporarily exhausted from reaching the top of the last mound, I scouted the highest parts of the ‘front range’ for our best route.
 We initially decided to take follow the eastern, more gradual route. That didn't last very long. As the saying on the brochures in the Visitors Center said, "for every two steps up, you take one step back", so the longer but less steep route was more taxing that anticipated. We quickly moved back to the front, steeper, side and tried our hardest to push ourselves up. We eventually, after many breaks, made it to the top. We passed one tent along the way and kept climbing the ascending ridge searching for a bird’s eye view of the sandscape. Soon, we found our overlook and our campsite.   The dunes rolled out before us, and we decided to we should setup camp at the bottom of the ridge we stood upon. Two sand sled wipeouts later and 70 feet lower, camp had been reached. A quick setup and some much needed water were all that stood between us and sand sledding celebration.
Taylor and I explored the surrounding dunes with our feet and our sleds until the last light lingered on the horizon. We tackled 100 foot hills, learned how to use our hands as brakes, and used nearly half of our board wax.
As the sun dimmed, stormy clouds grew darker atop the lush mountains and distant rainmakers struck the tundra with lightning. All of this unfolded against a reddish orange and deep purple sky revealing glimpses of an electric blue nearest the fading light.   Tan dunes hosted more color than I could have imagined as the sun sank in the sky. Black shadows of invisible sand clouds whipped and danced across the steepest faces leaving Taylor and I in awe of something we’d never seen. Low winds blasted the perfectly shaped sand waves surrounding us. The entire scene was remarkable.  Before darkness consumed the dunes, Taylor and I made our way back to the tent. The temperature had fallen drastically, and we had more clothes waiting in our tent. After bundling up, we discovered that the dark clouds had only grown to cover the night sky we’d been so excited for. The Great Sand Dunes is an international Dark Sky location, and we had planned this trip according to the moon calendar to see the darkest sky possible. Sadly, our only glimpse of this wondrous dust was the night before at Lake Como Road. Taylor and I woke up Saturday morning with our tent in the shade of a dune. We climbed to the top of the ridge we’d followed into the dunes with our sleds. The morning sunshine felt so good that we decided to stay another day.  After a breakfast in our tent, we packed up a small day pack and journeyed back down sand, in a much faster and stylish way. Sledding down our route without packs was a thrill and set the tone for a beautiful morning outside the dunes. It took us only about 20 minutes to get down from our perch, where as the day before had taken us some two or three hours to hike up.  Once our sand sled rentals were extended and our new backcountry permits were in hand, we spun down the rutted, sand road excited for another spellbinding evening. Before championing the climb to our tent, Taylor and I decided to explore Medano Creek. We walked further down the 4x4 road watching the humble creek roll away from Mount Herard. Bushy trees, wetland grasses, and gnarly trees nearly concealed a young buck across the creek from us. We watched him pull leaves, dart his tail, and peer through the green woods toward any slight sound or movement. When he hopped away and over the hill, Taylor and I decided to start our journey back to camp.  We took a different route up the dunes, hoping it would be easier. The only thing that was really "easier" was the fact we didn't have packs on, and this time a new challenge awaited us. Blustering winds slapped us with sand as soon as we reached the top of our first, grassy sand dune.  From 40 feet to 140, Taylor and I climbed a well-defined ridge to the foot of our longest climb of the weekend. As the winds punished us, we gradually scaled 280 feet of steep sand. While we sat at the top of the sand wall, the wind continued relentlessly. Our eyes and spirits wouldn’t be the only casualties of the sandstorm. As we neared the campsite, we noticed our misshapen tent. The tent material had been mangled by the wind and had nearly snapped our tent poles.  As we pulled the tent material back into position, the corners became more and more difficult to anchor. Eventually, our strategy turned to indoor sandbags. It didn’t leave much room inside the tent for us and our sand-riddled equipment. With grit-filled gear and clothes, our primary concern was the potential that the winds continued into the night as we tried to sleep. We decided to abandon the second night of camping and made our way out of the dunes, after a very windy and difficult pack up. The slow walk out was quiet between us. Mainly, because the roaring winds did not relent, but also because neither one of us wanted to cut our trip short. Though we’d just been beaten by Great Sand Dunes National Park, we knew what an incredible adventure our time there had been. Incredible mountain scenery hosting a geological oddity ripe for exploration was enough for me to consider it a contender for my favorite National Park, even as we were driving away.  If you want to see more of our sand boarding, and actually see how violent the sand storm was, check out our YouTube video from the weekend!
1 Comment
Tonya Warmenhoven
6/9/2020 06:16:25 pm
So cool to meet you Taylor at Dominguez Canyon this past weekend! Leave a Reply. |
Talkin' 'bout Tacos:
I'm Taylor, aka Tacos! I am sharing my journeys and experiences from across the world hoping to inspire travel and adventure in all who read. Archives
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