Great Sand Dunes National Park

· 4.5/5 ·

Great Sand Dunes National Park is truly astonishing. Given I am from Kentucky, I have not seen many desert landscapes; I felt like I was on another planet. This park is home to the tallest dunes in North America, the tallest being 750 feet tall (at an elevation of 8,200 feet), surrounded by the Sangre De Cristo Mountains. You are allowed to climb up the dunes, I even saw people sledding. The parks service offers ranger-led hikes and four-wheel-drive tours, but there are also plenty of campgrounds and backpacking options. Although I did not spend much time at this park, I recommend spending some time there, especially at night because it is fantastic for stargazing.

The two photos above show how vast this area really is. I took the first from the road into the park because I was so shocked at how low the clouds looked. If you plan on visiting Great Sand Dunes, I advise you to bring glasses or goggles (maybe a sled if you’re feeling a little rowdy) because it is incredibly windy, and the sand gets into your eyes, but that is the only real downside. Great Sand Dunes National Park is a must-see location!

Silverton Colorado is a beautifully quaint and colorful little town, four hours away from Great Sand Dunes. At the time of my trip, this was the closest town that would not take us off our route, but it is quite a bit out of the way. In Silverton, my Dad and I stayed at the only open hotel in the entire town (due to it being April, off-season), The Teller House. Not only was it the only open hotel in Silverton, but we were also the only people staying there. The Teller House is not your typical huge hotel, though, it is a historical building with only a few rooms. We chose to stay in a mountain view room, out of the eight rooms in the entire hotel. The owners were very kind and welcoming and the rooms were clean and cozy. It was wonderful, if you have the opportunity to stay there, you definitely should!