Byways Rivers & Lakes 2019

Summit of Star Dune, the tallest dune in Great Sand Dunes National Park. Photo courtesy Brian W. Schaller and Wikimedia Commons.

Colorado. Still pushing southwest, and confused about May to early June in most years. From July through the location of the Arkansas River, Pike crossed the April, the creek is usually no more than a few inches Sangre de Cristos just above the Great Sand Dunes. deep, if there is any water at all.

Hiking is permitted throughout the dunes with the Park Created in 1932 warning that the sand surface temperature may reach The Park was originally designated Great Sand Dunes 150 °F in summer.

National Monument in 1932 by President Herbert Sand-boarding and sand-sledding are popular activiHoover. A boundary change and redesignation as a ties, both done on specially designed equipment which national park and preserve was authorized by an act of can be rented just outside the park entrance or in Congress in 2004.

Alamosa.

The park encompasses 107,342 acres while the preThe Park Visitor Center features a 20-minute movie serve protects an additional 41,686 acres. Nearly about the park and interactive exhibits. The Park store 450,000 people visited the park last year. offers a wide selection of books, postcards, magnets, TShirts, posters, and more.

Tallest Sand Dunes in North America The closest parking to the dunefield is the Dunes The “Park contains the tallest sand dunes in North Parking Area, located 1 mile north of the Visitor Center.

America. The dunes cover an area of about 30 square For more information, visit: miles and are estimated to contain over 1.2 cubic miles, https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm 5 billion cubic meters of sand.

Visitors must walk across the wide and shallow Medano Creek to reach the dunes in spring and summer months. The creek typically has a peak flow from late 50 • Byways