Day 2 – Sliding In Sand

Dunes, towering over flatlands like mountains. The San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains border the sides, and the Medano Creek flows in the middle, creating quite a picturesque scene. In short, welcome to the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.

What a pleasant start to your day, driving around a mountain range. That was the morning of June 29th for us, our official first day in Colorado. Heading towards the Sand Dunes Oasis first, and later the Great Sand Dunes National Park itself, I was really excited for a day full of fun and adventure ahead.

OUR DAY AT A GLANCE:

Jump to a section!

1. The Drive To the Dunes
2. The Sand Dunes Oasis
3. The Visitor Center
4. The Great Sand Dunes
5. Road To Canon City, CO
6. Recomendations & Takeaways

Our first stop after leaving our hotel in Alamosa, CO, was the Sand Dunes Oasis. After eating a nice breakfast at our hotel, we hit the road to the dunes. Leaving around 8:30 AM, there was really no traffic, and the roads were as clear as can be.

This was our first official day in Colorado, and we really got to experience the views. On the way to our first stop, the Sand Dunes Oasis, we first saw plain grasslands, just like the ones we saw in Texas on the way to Alamosa, CO. Let’s just say just like the weather, the landscape can also change pretty fast in Colorado. Gradually from the flat grasslands, emerged the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range.

Views of the Road:

Transition from Grasslands to Mountains…

The road was straightforward, but eventually, we took a left onto another long road heading in towards the Great Sand Dunes. After 10 minutes, we could see glimpses of the dunes, bright in the sun as we approached the Great Sand Dunes Oasis.

First Stop: The Sand Dunes Oasis! The place is like a huge store along the right side of the road. Offering items such as food, dining, gears & tools, souvenirs, and most importantly sandboards and sand sled rentals, it’s a must-stop location before heading to the dunes.

The reason we went there was to rent the sandboards and sand sleds they offered. Once you park, you walk to their line, which at around 9 AM was pretty long. It went by pretty quick for us although it looked as if it might take a bit.

While you are waiting, they hand you clipboards with a piece of paper on it that essentially your order. You had to list down the users of the sandboards/sleds (in our case – all of us), their ages, and how many items you want to rent. We decided to rent two, one for me and one for my sister, with our parents taking turns with us. I wasn’t really sure if I wanted the sled or the sandboard. In the line, my father and I met 2 young adults who were in front of us. One of them had experience and recommended the sandboard if you know how to ride a skateboard. I know how to ride a RipStik Casterboard, so I chose the sandboard as a new challenge. My sister chose a sand sled as she didn’t really know how to balance on a sandboard.

Finally, it was our turn. The cashier there guided us on pricing, how to wax your sandboard, how to use it, and when to return it. We had the boards till 7PM, and it cost us around $42.

After all of us got back in the car, we started driving again. In a minute or so, we got an amazing picture opportunity with the national park’s entrance sign:

To start of our day at the dunes, we decided to tour the visitor center first, so that we could know more about the park, the wildlife here, and especially how the dunes got here in the first place.

The visitor center was big and beautiful on the inside. Walls were covered with photos and information, and every corner had a special display. 7 main areas of the Visitor Center featured unique things: the entrance, the information desk, the gift shop, the restrooms, the information and wildlife display, the theater, and the outdoor patio.

After looking around a bit, my sister and I found that we had a unique opportunity to become Junior Rangers at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We went up to the information desk to ask what we had to do to become Junior Rangers. Jokingly, the ranger said 50 cents each and later told us that he was kidding. He explained the process and told us that we’d have to fill out a booklet filled with challenges by age. For my age group (13+), I had to complete all activities marked with binoculars on the top corner of the page.

We learned so much about the animals of the park and what regions they lived in, such as the American Pika, which lives in the Alpine Tundra region of the Great Sand Dunes. We also found that many Native American Tribes called this national park home:

After accomplishing our task of becoming Junior Rangers and being satisfied with the new things to know about the park, we headed out to the patio of the visitor center. The most unique part of this was the gorgeous views of dunes that we could view from miles out! There were binoculars there, in which if you looked in, you could see different colors of sand and small ant-sized people.

Pictures from the Patio:

Don’t the dunes just look so beautiful? Well, yes they do. But how did such a wonder appear? How did the Great Sand Dunes form?

The Formation of the Great Sand Dunes, Kartik Lakhwani, June 29, 2024

Years and years ago,
from rift valleys and glacial flow
Sand was seen in deposited traces,
and where the wind blew,
the sand did too,
creating
The Great Sand Dunes

After a while, it was time to leave the visitor center and start to explore the dunes! Before heading out, my sister picked a magnet set as a souvenir, and we went to a park ground for lunch. As I ate my taco, I couldn’t stop thinking of how sliding in the sand would feel like…

I put my feet into the straps, tightened them, and started to work my way into the sand to make the wax smoothen the board. And then, it was all effortless and straightforward from there. I slid down the small dune perfectly and came to an easy stop. My sister tried the same with her sled, and she did well too! Sliding down on the sand was fun, but it had just begun!

After effortlessly descending another gentle dune, we encountered a real test: a steep ascent to the summit of a sizable dune, offering panoramic views and a daunting height. While not towering, it presented a significant challenge for our sandboarding adventure. To begin, my mother and I hiked to the peak of the dune, utilizing our boards for support, by driving them vertically ahead and using them for leverage.

Once at the top, the views were just marvelous. On one side of you, there would be mountains (Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range), and on the other side, towering dunes! The sand dune formations were like waves of an ocean, rippling through the dune field. Behind us was a dune formation like a crater, going down into the ground. A perfect panorama view!

That was just the start of it though! We kept on going up and down repeatedly to slide down again and again! And the moment came when I perfectly went down that slope and came to a smooth stop. My father applauded me from the top of the slope and my sister gave me a thumbs up. YES! After a small moment of self-pride, I got back up, celebrated, and trekked to the top of the dune again. My mom and sister were sitting at the bottom because they were tired, and my sister was a little cranky due to the heat, she figured that she’d be fine digging a pit instead.

My dad and I sled down together once, which was a fun experience too! After resting and getting hydrated, all of us, including my sister climbed to the top to admire the view and rest there. Lots of picture-taking opportunities, behold! We met a group of 3 boys who were sandboarding too, except they decided to go all the way. They told my dad & me to remember their names, and ventured off into the sand, all the way to the highest dune. They were surprisingly fast too, climbing 2 dunes in less than 1/2 an hour. From our viewpoint, they looked like tiny ants after a while.

I started sandboarding on the smaller slope on the other side while we took pictures and enjoyed the view. Once my sister and my parents went down, things got really windy up top. The sand was flying everywhere, so I had to face the other way to protect my face. I successfully went down the slope again to meet my parents at the bottom, who had met another family that came to Colorado from Texas (Houston, TX), just like us! While they talked, I kept on going up and sliding down, but due to the wind, things got uncontrollable and I kept on falling in the middle and injuring myself.

After a few more minutes, we decided to start heading towards the trailhead. We took some last photos and then began our hike with the other family. I felt accomplished but hurt as well as I pulled the back of my right shoulder from an earlier fall. Still, I walked on happily with my family, but this time, tired and ready to get sand out of my face, ears, hair, and clothes. After saying goodbye to the other family, we met up with the 3 boys we saw earlier! They said they successfully made it to the top and came down, and we took a memorable selfie together.

To be honest, the dunes were just simply amazing. We spent around 5 hours there and did so many things that I can’t fully describe our time there! It was just so much fun. After washing up and getting some sand out of our hair, it was getting late, and it was time for us to eat dinner, and start to head out of the Great Sand Dunes and drive towards our next location: Canon City, CO.

Conveniently, the national park had established a shower and changing station on the opposite side of the dune parking lot. Believe me, our hair, ears, and necks were full of and covered with sand. We walked over and washed our hair with the refreshing cold water. Afterward, once we were clean (not fully, just our hair), we walked back to the park ground for dinner.

During the satisfying meal, I thought over our day. A mountain view drive, time at the visitor center to become Junior Rangers, and sliding in the dunes – so much fun! I started acting like a news reporter and asked every one of my family members how they’d rate our day at the Great Sand Dunes and a word to describe the day. My parents & I gave the day a 10/10 and called it marvelous and adventurous, while my sister gave it a 9/10 just because she felt the sand was “too hot”.

We packed our car and headed out of the park. We were near the end of our time at the Great Sand Dunes, so after final glances, we drove out. Taking a stop at the Oasis to return our boards around 6 PM on our way out, it was the last time we’d be near the dunes that day.

Our luck was on our side. The reason I say this is because just after we left the sand dunes for the Oasis, it started raining on the dunes. Even the clerk at the Oasis said that we were lucky we got out because it rained like that almost every day. As we handed our boards in, the clerk had a funny thing of shredding the order receipt with my dad’s credit card number on it as a way to confirm that we turned our boards back in. The boards also had identification/unit numbers that helped him know they were the ones we rented.

After going inside to check out the Oasis store, and bidding farewell to the dunes, we drove out of the majestic place. What a day. Fun, adventurous, marvelous. I’m really short of words to describe our time at the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.

Scenic views never stop in Colorado. On our way to Canon City for our next day full of adventure, we saw many views of the Arkansas River, gorges, and mountains.

At last, we arrived at our hotel: Econo Lodge, Canon City, CO. After getting our hotel card and taking our bags upstairs, it was time to hit the sack. Rest was necessary, as our next day would be action-packed just like this one.

If you’re gearing up for a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, I’ve got some fantastic recommendations and valuable takeaways to enhance your experience!

• Drive to the Dunes:
  • Hotel Stay – We stayed in Days Inn by Wyndham, Alamosa CO. I recommend it for any group. It offers free breakfast, parking, and cable TV.
    • Eat a filling breakfast before you leave from your home/hotel
  • Depart early around 8AM, as there will be fewer crowds and the sand’s temperature will be cooler
• Sand Dunes Oasis
  • Arrive early to get in line for sandboards and sandsleds.
  • Choose the sandboard if you know how to balance and have experience skateboarding, otherwise, choose the sandsled.
  • If you need anything, don’t worry! The Oasis has it all: from gas to food and camping items, you are covered.
• The Visitor Center
  • Make sure to tour the visitor center thoroughly! There is so much information presented in an interactive way.
  • Grab a souvenir to take home! There are tons to choose from.
• The Dunes
  • To avoid crowds arrive early in the morning before 9AM or late in the afternoon after 3PM.
  • Watch out for windy sandstorms and rainstorms in the late afternoon.
    • Get to lower elevations to avoid windy sand getting in your face and exit the dunefield if there is any sign of rain.
  • Be mindful of sand temperature: Sand temperatures may soar to 150 degrees F if you visit in the summer like we did, so always plan your time at the dunes in the early morning or evening to avoid burned feet, heat exhaustion, or fatal lightning strikes.
  • Make sure to take pictures!
  • Wear full sleeves and pants to keep the sand out and off of your body. Also, bring a hat and sunscreen to protect yourself from blowing sand and the blazing sun.
  • If you are sandboarding, be careful! You may fall and injure yourself. I sure did – I flipped backward and pulled something around my right shoulder (lol)!
• Road to Next Location
  • Depart with the travel time in mind so that you can reach on time.

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