Great Sand Dunes National Park

At the Great Sand Dunes

We had a very spontaneous trip to Santa Fe. We decided to go on Monday, hubby got his leave approved on Tuesday and on Wednesday I got a hotel booked and a suitcase packed. We didn't really have a list of places to go to and just decided as we went. I am quite obsessed about planning so this was a truly awesome experience for me!

To get from Denver to Santa Fe you pretty much need to stay on I-25 all the way. It's like the easiest trip ever if you don't count the exhaustion of driving for 6 hours. While driving we decided to go to the Great Sand Dunes National Park so at Walsenburg we turned onto US-160 W towards Alamosa. It makes the drive to Santa Fa longer but the dunes are worth the visit and the drive is much more scenic. 

The entrance to the park is $3 per adult. We stayed there for about an hour and I think it was money well spent. The park's main attraction is the sand dunes but there is more to do if you have the time.  

On the way to the Great Dunes National Park

Have you seen the panoramic photo of the dunes from the previous post? If not click here. 

The dunes are spectacular and climbing them is an interesting experience as you loose the sense of perspective. We started climbing the dunes and once we reached a top of a hill (see photo of me on top) we realised that there is a huge drop. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to climb to the top but I'm sure the view from the top is amazing.

For those going to the dunes and plan on climbing to the top or a fair bit up, bring lots of water and closed shoes as the sand is very hot. The walk to the dunes starts with some flat area which looks like a beach except the obvious lack of water or even a fresh, sea-smelling breeze. 

For those interested in the photography, all photos are taken with my one and only camera Nikon D40x and a kit lens 18-135mm. I used exposures of 1/60-1/80 (less than isn't recommended unless you use a tripod) and the closest aperture possible (to get as much of the photo in focus), ISO 100. I love landscape photography and can't wait to get a wide angel lens. 

Next post will be about our wonders around Santa Fe. 

Cheers!