Great Sand Dunes
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
Online Colorado Parks
Olle's Colorado Fishing Guide & Atlas (Book) by Jack Olofson
Gives info on not only every fly-fishable lake, stream and river in Colorado, but detailed maps on how to get to them, including hiking trails. Covers National Forests and Recreational Areas, RMNP, State Parks, Trust lands and Wildlife Areas, plus metro Denver and the Front Range.
Merchant: Online Sports
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
Merchant: Online Sports
Rocky Mountain National Park: The Climber's Guide - Estes Park Valley (Book) by Bernard Gillett
This comprehensive guide has more than 900 routes on the lower elevation cliffs that lie along the eastern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, including some of the best traditional and sport cragging in Colorado. Text and topo maps describe every route.
Merchant: Online Sports
Complete Colorado Campground Guide (Book) by Outdoor Books and Maps
Provides info on over 500 campgrounds in state and national parks, national forests, state wildlife areas, Bureau of Land Management areas: directions, regulations, general description of surrounding areas, fees, number of campsites, phone numbers, facilities, etc. 160 pages.
Merchant: Online Sports