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Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area)
Location	Colorado, USA
Nearest city	Alamosa
Coordinates	37°43′58″N 105°30′44″W / 37.73278, -105.51222
Area	84,670 acres (343 km²)
Established	September 13, 2004
Visitors	258,660 (in 2006)
Governing body	National Park Service

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a United States National Park located in Alamosa County and Saguache County, Colorado, United States. Originally designated Great Sand Dunes National Monument, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve was created by an act of the United States Congress on September 13, 2004. The park contains approximately 85,000 acres (340 km², 130 mi²).

Contents 1 Natural history 2 Other features 3 Access 4 Park history 5 Geography 6 References 7 External links

The park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America,^{[citation needed]} rising about 750 feet (230 m) from the floor of the San Luis Valley on the western base of the Sangre de Cristo Range, covering about 19,000 acres (77 km²). They are perhaps 12,000 years old.

The dunes were formed from sand deposits of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, flowing through the San Luis Valley. Over the ages, westerly winds picked up sand particles from the river flood plain. As the wind lost power before crossing the Sangre de Cristo Range, the sand was deposited on the east edge of the valley. This process continues, and the dunes are slowly growing^{[citation needed]}. The wind changes the shape of the dunes daily.

There are several streams flowing on the perimeter of the dunes. The streams erode the edge of the dune field, and sand is carried downstream. The water disappears into the ground, depositing sand on the surface. Winds pick up the deposits of sand, and blow them up onto the dune field once again.

Digging a few inches into the dunes even at their peaks reveals wet sand. If the streams were to dry up, the dunes would disappear; in fact part of the motivation of turning the Monument into a National Park was the extra protection of the water, which Colorado's cities and agriculture covet.^{[citation needed]}

It is very easy to experience the dune-building process. This is a very windy region, as hikers on the Sand Dunes will attest, as on many days they will be pelted by sand and even small rocks when hiking on the dunes. The wind carries sand and rocks from many miles away.

The dunes contain areas of black sand which are deposits of magnetite, a crystalline black oxide of iron.

The park also contains alpine lakes and tundra, six peaks over 13,000 feet (3,940 m) in elevation, ancient spruce and pine forests, large stands of aspen and cottonwood, grasslands, and wetlands — all habitat for diverse wildlife and plant species.

One of the most unusual features of the park happens at Medano Creek, which borders the east side of the dunes and is located next to the Visitor Center and Bookstore. Because fresh sand continually falls in the creek, Medano Creek never finds a permanent and stable streambed. Small underwater sand dunes that act like dams continually form, and break down. So waders in the stream see surges—which look like waves—of water flowing downstream at intervals of just a few seconds to a minute or more. In a high-water year, these surges can be as much as a foot in height, resembling ocean waves. Building sand castles with the creek sand is a popular visitor activity.

Getting to the dunes requires walking across the wide and shallow Medano Creek, which only flows spring to early summer. Hiking is permitted, with the warning that the sand can get hot in the summer, up to 140° Fahrenheit (60° Celsius). The area gets snow in the winter.

The closest city is Alamosa, though Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver and Albuquerque, New Mexico are not far off. The U.S. Post Office at Alamosa (ZIP Code 81101) serves the national park.^[1].

The dunes and surrounding area were designated a National Monument in 1932. On November 22, 2000, United States President Bill Clinton signed the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000, aiming at ultimate national park status. With the help of the Nature Conservancy, the federal government purchased 97,000 acres (390 km²) of the Baca Ranch, which in effect tripled the size of the park. The purchase includes those sections of the ranch which previously bordered the park on the north and west sides and also included 14,165 feet (4,317 m) Kit Carson Mountain and 14,080 feet (4,292 m) subpeak Challenger Point, and the water drainages to the south. The land purchased was split into three sections. Part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains would be transferred to the Rio Grande National Forest, another section to the west would be set aside as a wildlife area and would host a wild bison herd and the last section to the east would be transferred from the Rio Grande National Forest and would be open to some hunting.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located at 37°43′58″N, 105°30′44″W (37.732870,-105.512120).

• Great Sand Dunes National Park (official site)
• Great Sand Dunes National Park: information from The Nature Conservancy
• The Essential Guide to Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
• Great Sand Dunes @ SummitPost.org
• U.S. National Monuments on Great Sand Dunes
• DesertUSA on the Sand Dunes
• AmericanSouthwest.net on the Sand Dunes
• Visitor Study .pdf file
• Some photos of the Sand Dunes, Images may freely be used for any purpose whatsoever.

• Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is at coordinates 37°43′58″N 105°30′44″W / 37.732870, -105.512120Coordinates: 37°43′58″N 105°30′44″W / 37.732870, -105.512120

v • d • e Protected Areas of the State of Colorado
Federal	National Parks: Black Canyon of the Gunnison • Great Sand Dunes • Mesa Verde • Rocky Mountain National Monuments: Canyons of the Ancients • Colorado • Dinosaur • Florissant Fossil Beds • Hovenweep • Yucca House National Historic Sites: Bent's Old Fort • Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Trails: Old Spanish Trail • Pony Express Trail • Santa Fe Trail National Recreation Areas: Arapaho • Curecanti National Wildlife Refuges: Alamosa • Arapaho • Baca • Browns Park • Monte Vista • Rocky Mountain Arsenal • Two Ponds National Forests: Arapaho • Grand Mesa • Gunnison • Pike • Rio Grande • Roosevelt • Routt • San Isabel • San Juan • Uncompahgre • White River National Grasslands: Comanche • Pawnee National Wilderness: Black Canyon of the Gunnison • Black Ridge Canyons • Buffalo Peaks • Byers Peak • Cache La Poudre • Collegiate Peaks • Comanche Peak • Eagles Nest • Flat Tops • Fossil Ridge • Great Sand Dunes • Greenhorn Mountain • Gunnison Gorge • Holy Cross • Hunter-Fryingpan • Indian Peaks • James Peak • La Garita • Lizard Head • Lost Creek • Maroon Bells-Snowmass • Mesa Verde • Mount Evans • Mount Massive • Mount Sneffels • Mount Zirkel • Neota • Never Summer • Platte River • Powderhorn • Ptarmigan Peak • Raggeds • Rawah • Sangre de Cristo • Sarvis Creek • South San Juan • Spanish Peaks • Uncompahgre • Vasquez Peak • Weminuche • West Elk National Scenic Trail: Continental Divide Trail
State	State Parks: Arkansas Headwaters • Barr Lake • Bonny Lake • Boyd Lake • Castlewood Canyon • Chatfield • Cherry Creek • Cheyenne Mountain • Crawford • Eldorado Canyon • Eleven Mile • Golden Gate Canyon • Harvey Gap • Highline Lake • Jackson Lake • James M. Robb - Colorado River • John Martin Reservoir • Lake Pueblo • Lathrop • Lone Mesa • Lory • Mancos • Mueller • Navajo • North Sterling • Paonia • Pearl Lake • Ridgway • Rifle Falls • Rifle Gap • Roxborough • San Luis • Spinney Mountain • St. Vrain • Stagecoach • State Forest • Staunton • Steamboat Lake • Sweitzer Lake • Sylvan Lake • Trinidad Lake • Vega • Yampa River State Forest: Colorado State Forest State History: Byers-Evans House • Colorado History Museum • El Pueblo • Fort Garland • Fort Vasquez • Georgetown Loop • Healy House and Dexter Cabin • Pearce-McAllister Cottage • Pike Stockade • Trinidad • Ute Indian Museum
Other	National Historic Landmarks: Beaver Meadows • Burlington Carousel • Black Hawk • Central City • Colorado Chautauqua • Cripple Creek • Durango-Silverton Railroad • Georgetown • Granada • Leadville • Lindenmeier Site • Lowry Ruin • Mesa Verde • Pikes Peak • Pike's Stockade • Raton Pass • Shenandoah-Dives Mill • Silver Plume • Silverton • Telluride • U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Area National and Regional Trails: American Discovery Trail • Colorado Trail • Continental Divide Trail • Great Divide Trail • Kokopelli's Trail • Paradox Trail • Tabeguache Trail Scenic and Historic Byways: Alpine Loop • Cache la Poudre-North Park • Colorado River Headwaters • Dinosaur Diamond • Flat Tops • Frontier Pathways • Gold Belt • Grand Mesa • Guanella Pass • Highway of Legends • Lariat Loop • Los Caminos Antiguos • Mount Evans • Pawnee Pioneer • Peak to Peak • San Juan Skyway • Santa Fe Trail • Silver Thread • South Platte River Trail • Top of the Rockies • Trail of the Ancients • Trail Ridge • Unaweep/Tabeguache • West Elk Loop
Colorado Department of Natural Resources (web)

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