Great Sand Dunes in the slow season

A long lifetime will pass before I tire of visiting the Great Sand Dunes. 

On a severe clear Sunday, I took a friend west of the Sangre de Cristo, rolling across the San Luis Valley, a that feels unique no matter how much time I spend. Tumbleweeds churn across the highway that enters the valley. Cars slow for the few towns clinging to life on the way to Alamosa, the valley's population center.   

Almost from the turnoff, the dunes rise 15 miles away below the steep peaks that block the sand grains from moving further and made the dune field possible. We didn’t pass a single car on the road. No one bothered with the dunes on a November day. 

The national park lies two and a half hours from Colorado Springs, making the distance from Denver prohibitive for a day drive. From the Springs, the drive pushes the day trip limit, but it always works out. 

Closer up, the dunes seemed to shimmer, an effect created by the winds cutting across the valley, the same winds that weathered mountains on the valley’s west side and deposited tiny particles here. 

The beach parties and drilling athletic teams of summertime had left the dunes. Only a few dozen people traversed the dunes. A few minutes up the dry creek bed and everyone slipped from sight. I couldn’t deliver on my favorite part of Dunes. 

Medano Creek had retreated further up the mountains and no water ran. The sand still felt wet, and days earlier the creek might have reached the dune field. The previous week snow covered the dunes. Just a dusting, but enough to cast them in a fresh light. 

Just look at him ....

The snow mostly vanished by Sunday, but in a few places where the sun doesn’t reach, the thinnest snow still held on. The higher elevations fared better, although many-peaks Mount Herard had none of the snowcap it usually claims later in winter. 

The sun warmed the dunes enough to combat the altitude (8,100 feet) and the time of year. The San Luis Valley has Colorado’s biggest temperature swings and can stay cold all day, but the thin air gave the sun some extra strength. I was down a layer in 30 minutes. 

Moisture under the top layers of dunes holds them in place. This Sunday, the moisture stayed close to the surface. At noon, when the spring and summer sun can push the sand temperatures above 150 degrees Fahrenheit, the sands felt soothing on bare feet. 

If there was no water to sooth the water, we could cope with sand that alternated between cold and comfortably warm. Rough patches of sand and spots of debris pushed down the mountain by the creek almost felt like a pedicure. I like that we just missed the snow and whatever remained of the Medano Creek. 

On my apartment-hunting trip, I trekked to the dunes not knowing if I might ever come back. Three years and almost ten trips later, I can’t skip the chance to come back. 

Even if the dunes are stable, they always change. The sands will ripple differently, fanning out in a pattern that might not ever repeat. The waters might run, snow might coat the dunes, or cold winds might fling sand at anyone who dares to walk the creek bed. 

To know what goes on among the Great Sand Dunes, you must visit. It’s a challenge I’m eager to meet every time.