great sand dunes national park

date of visit: May 9 & 10, 2009

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, located in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado, is one of the more astonishing places in a state that has no shortage of amazing scenery. Great Sand Dunes promotes itself as “one of the world’s most diverse national parks,” and it’s hard to argue with that claim. The park includes 13,000 foot mountain summits, alpine tundra, forests, grasslands, wetlands, and—of course—the tallest sand dunes in North America. There’s also an abundance of wildlife. You’re almost guaranteed to see mule deer and pronghorn, while a bit higher up you might see elk or even a black bear.

The majestic sand dunes are the centerpiece of the park. They are the tallest (Star Dune tops out at 750 feet high) and highest (over 8000 feet above sea level) dunes in North America. Nestled as they are at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range, they’re a sight to behold.
Medano Creek is an unusual feature at the edge of the dune field. Fed by spring and early summer snowmelt, the creek flows around the eastern base of the dunes. You must slosh through the creek to get over to the dune field, so it’s a good thing the water is (mostly) just 1-3” deep in shallow, shifting, braided channels. One very cool aspect of the creek is a phenomenon called “surge flow,” where waves of water come pulsing down the creek pretty frequently.

For the best photography, Great Sand Dunes is definitely a morning & evening place. This is when the soft, direct light of sunrise & sunset will sidelight the dunes, casting contrasting shadows and accentuating the sinuous curves of the dunes. I had a very short period of good light on the morning (Sunday) I was at the park, but I was disappointed the previous evening (Saturday) when heavy overcast rolled over the area several hours before sunset. Ah, well… what can you do?

As you enter the park, you can stop and get a shot of the standard “official” Great Sand Dunes sign, which will be on your right… but immediately after you pass the sign, watch for a small pull-off on your left (just large enough for three or so cars). If you park here and then walk just a short ways down onto the plain, you’ll be able to get a killer shot with a small tree in the foreground, the grasslands in the middle distance, and then the dunes and mountain peaks in the far distance. You’ll see what I mean when you’re there, as there is no mistaking this spot. As you might guess, it’s best to use a long lens (I used my 70-300) to compress the distance between all the cool features in this composition. I absolutely hate that during my visit I was never able to catch any good light on the dunes for this shot, but I hope that you do.

There are also some other good panoramic shots to be had down near the park’s visitor center. Just before the center, there’s another of those small pull-offs on the left side of the road. You can park here and hike a short ways down into the grassland, toward the creek bed and dune field, watching for interesting compositions (this is where I went just after sunrise). Or you can just go down to the visitor center parking lot, as there are some trails out behind the center that are worth exploring (this is where I was for sunrise). These trails lead down toward the creek or out to vantage points in the grassland where you get some great views of the dunes and mountains.

I’ve already mentioned Medano Creek, and there are some neat shots to be had here along the creek bed. I got a few shots along the eastern bank of the creek, but my best shot came from stopping midway across the creek and setting up my tripod right there. This can be tricky, trying to juggle camera gear, backpack, & tripod while out in the middle of the creek, so I suggest you do as much preparation as you can before you actually head out into the water. Also, your tripod legs will begin to sink rapidly in the sand and flowing water, so just expect this to happen and compensate for it. And, hey, standing in the middle of a creek bed with camera & tripod will make you look like quite the heroic landscape photographer! Or a nut, which is probably closer to the truth. :-)

Once you’re out in the dune field, numerous compositions will begin to present themselves. Keep your eyes open, constantly scanning around, and just go for it. One word of caution: hiking up & down sand dunes that are hundreds of feet high when you’re at 8000 feet above sea level is exercise. Take water. I had on my hiking boots, but I saw numerous people walking around barefoot. I don’t know if I’d recommend this, as I’d hate to step on something in the sand & cut my foot, and be a mile and a half out in the dune field. Anyway, I went about halfway up High Dune on Saturday afternoon before the increasingly ominous clouds & then spitting rain convinced me to turn back. And on Sunday morning I didn’t even bother to attempt it again, since solid overcast started to roll in again shortly after sunrise. I was very disappointed with all this, but I guess I now have something to look forward to with a return visit in the future.

Unless you are camping at the park, I suggest you stay in Alamosa, which—although 35 miles away from the park—is the nearest civilization. “Civilization,” of course, being defined as having a Wal-Mart, fast food restaurants, and convenience store gas stations. And there are chain motels there, as well.

Thanks for reading about stuff I’ve photographed. ~Rich