Where the forest rises from the dunes

San Luis Valley sunrise

Half hour later

Just like that, Medano Creek became a tradition. I spent the last day of my apartment-hunting trip beneath the Great Sand Dunes and the intimidating mountains in the northeast corner of the San Luis Valley, figuring I might have a hard time returning. Five trips later, the snowmelt that swells Medano Creek brings a sensation I crave in springtime. 

I can visit at other times in the year, but nothing offers the contentment of the creek. This ribbon of mountain water that flows along the eastern border of those sandy foothills surges with unexpected currents and riffles, bringing cold waters down from the Sangre de Cristo range. I cannot stand in the water too long, nor must I – the cold sensation sticks with my feet long after traipsing through a few surging streams. 

 After a mild winter, the water is low in 2022, with Medano Creek expected to disappear by July. In the wetter 2021, the creek ran well into August. Any encounter with the snowmelt is enough, since Medano Creek. The dunefield is the park’s signature feature, but it also extends up to ridges that surround them, encompassing a wide range of ecosystems. At some point, I need to attempt the Medano Pass, although it’s a longer, more arduous journey. 

Still, most of the Mosca Creek trail unfurls without sight of the sand dunes. At best, the dunes were visible from a break in the foothills. Tim and I took a forested path away from the dunes, into places that receive light visitation. 

The protected areas outside the dunefield are technically Great Sand Dunes National Preserve, a classification which is open to uses not allowed in national parks, like hunting. A mile into the hike, the preserve enters the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, where any motorized uses are prohibited, even chainsaws for cutting trees downed on the trail. 

The Mosca Pass Trail winds more than 3 miles into the Sangre de Cristo range. The stony trail is what remains of the Mosca Pass Road, where Native peoples and settlers once crossed the Sangre de Cristo Range, but fell into disrepair after flooding washed it out more than a century ago. This route proved challenging as soon as we left the woodlands and moved up along the path of Mosca Creek. 

At times the trail stood 40-50 feet above the creek, its small canyon walls alternately rocky and forested. The air stayed cool for the first two miles. The trail increases 1,500 feet over 3.25 miles, the rocky creek canyon gives way to thick patches of aspen and pine. Bird song broke long stretches of quiet. A few raptors soared in the mountain winds. 

 We were feeling our leg muscles by the time I spotted the fence where the national preserve and Sangre de Cristo Wilderness ends and the San Isabel National Forest begins. 

Barely 100 yards from barriers preventing vehicles from entering the preserve, there sat a pickup truck and campsite in a thicket. There were wide open spaces along Mosca Pass, with a number of mountain peaks nearby. 

Top of Mosca Pass

None of the mountains here were above the tree line, and they were close enough to block views of Blanca Peak, a 14’er near the dunes and the SLV’s tallest peak.

Don't come late

But this was the first time I had hiked to a mountain pass, and I enjoyed the feel of standing where people had the foresight to find a natural low spot in the mountains. Reaching the park at 6 a.m. might seem excessive, but high altitude and the popularity of Colorado’s only natural beach demand such a start. 

By 11:30, people dotted the dunes and the line of cars at the entrance station stretched more than a mile. The beach camps had not started to rise this close to daybreak. 

 In seven miles above the dunes, we crossed paths with a whopping 10 people in four groups. I expected greater traffic, and a full lot at the bottom of the trail. 

Instead, we wrapped up the trail in a lot with just Tim’s car and one other. People circled the lot adjacent to Medano Creek and the dunes, even though a short trail connected this lot to the dunefield. 

Despite the wild country that surrounds them, nothing can eclipse the attraction of the dunes or the waters that briefly turn them into Colorado’s best beach.

Always look back on the trail