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Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

A View Of Great Sand Dunes National Park And Preserve From San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area

The view from San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area toward a broad, flat valley below a distant dunefield and mountains beneath a blue sky, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

If you are interested in the geology of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, a great place to view the overall geologic system of the park is from San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area just off of Lane 6 N, almost halfway between the community of Mosca and the turnoff onto Colorado State Highway 150 toward the park. From this vantage point, you can see all four primary components of the Great Sand Dunes geological system: mountain watershed, dunefield, sand sheet, and sabkha.

Rebecca Latson

The View From A Tall Sand Dune, Great Sand Dunes National Park And Preserve

A view from a tall sand dune looking out toward the east, across the snow-covered expanse of flat land where frozen Medano Creek usually flows, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Hike to the top of any sand dune within this national park and you've got a great view of the land below and beyond. In this image, you see the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east, with the flat, snow-covered flat expanse of land below where Medano Creek will flow during spring and summer. Look closely enough and you might even be able to see the trail in the snow created by hikers leaving the parking area and heading toward the dunefield.

Rebecca Latson

A Magnet On A Sand Dune, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Three images showing a magnet in a black patch of sand on a sand dune at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

How many of you have hiked the dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and noticed black patches or black ripples in the otherwise beige palette of the soft sand? What you are seeing are black magnetite grains in the sand. Magnetite is magnetic, and if you place a magnet on the sand, you'll pick up clumps of black magnetite grains. For real, and not an April Fool's joke! Cool, right?

Rebecca Latson

Photography In The National Parks: Great Sand Dunes In Winter

Picture-perfect Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado is filled with contradictions and superlatives: North America’s tallest sand dunes surrounded on three sides by the broad, windswept San Luis Valley, with a backside snuggled against the rugged, snowcapped Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Winter is a great time to visit with your camera.

Planning And Preparing For A National Park Trip

Nowadays, a visit to a unit of the National Park System requires at least a minimal amount of planning and preparation. Whether you fly, drive, cruise, or ride the rails, planning your park travel ensures a much more enjoyable stay. Contributing photographer and writer Rebecca Latson shares her own planning and preparation routine for a safe and enjoyable park visit.

Three Winter Days At Great Sand Dunes National Park And Preserve

There’s something to be said for spending a few winter days at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Crowds are non-existent and there’s plenty of solitude. Despite the season, there’s plenty to do and see for three days’-worth of activities and contributing photographer Rebecca Latson writes about her own February trip to this park.

Photography In The National Parks: Abstracts In Nature

How many of you out there appreciate abstract art? Even if you don’t like it, how many of you have photographed something abstract because it caught your eye while visiting a unit of the National Park System? Contributing photographer Rebecca Latson discusses ways to photograph (or even create after the fact) abstracts framed within your national park compositions.

Star Dune And Crestone Peaks, Great Sand Dunes National Park And Preserve

Orange light of sunset bathing Star Dune and the Crestone Peaks with fluffy yellow clouds overhead, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

"The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Stay on a moonless night to experience countless stars in this International Dark Sky Park!" Arrive before dark with your camera to photograph the sunlight bathing dunes and peaks as the sun sets.

NPS/Patrick Myers

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