Sandboard Central: Great Sand Dunes NP, overlooked by the Sangre de Cristo mountains (Ted Stedman)
Southern Colorado's Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, located about ten miles northeast of the quirky burg of Alamosa, boasts the tallest sand dunes in North America. It's also the nation's newest national park, having only been officially designated in fall 2004. Here, winds whipping through the San Luis Valley have sculpted about 170 billion cubic feet of sand into a scene right out of the Sahara, with the massive 12,000-foot peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains acting like a sand-catching backstop. You'll find dunes that tower more than 750 feet off the valley floor—about the same amount of vertical, or even more, than many East Coast ski hills—all the way up to 8,700 feet above sea level. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before people would come with boards in hand, anxious to carve serial S's down the dunes' flanks.
Sandboarding doesn't mean skiers are excluded from the thrills of abusing gravity. While most folks who hoof it up the dunes here tend to be 'boarders, a healthy number of skiers and even telemarkers show up—often at night in the blue light of a full moon—to rip down dunes unofficially named Sheik Peak or Mondor. It's best not to use boards you are particularly fond of, as riding down a dune—though offering the fluidity and grace of turns that feel surprisingly like a run down packed snow—will trash the bottom and edges. You are, after all, mashing the planks into a massive sheet of sandpaper.
Dunes by nature are terribly exposed to wind and sun, and those at Great Sand Dunes are no exception. During the summer months, temperatures on the sand can top out at a brain-boiling 135 degrees Fahrenheit, while the winter months can bring enough snow for you to glide the white as well as the golden. Fall and spring are excellent times to visit, but it can get extremely windy, with sand in your eyes and mouth a virtual guarantee. The best time to hit the hills is early morning after a cool night, because firm, cold sand makes for an easy hike up and a fast ride down. Of course, catching an edge and pulling off a spectacular face-plant in those conditions feels nothing like a fall in champagne powder.
The park feels out in the middle of nowhere, which it basically is. While Alamosa has options for spending the night, best to bring a tent. Rangers allow camping just about anywhere on the dunes with a few minor restrictions. Get a free camping permit from the visitor center and be sure to bring lots of water. The sandboarding might be epic, but sleeping out under the stars in such a surreal landscape is what will keep bringing you back.
For more information on Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, call 719-378-6399 or visit www.nps.gov/grsa.
Great Sand Dunes NP, Colorado | 
