Time to take a few days off from skiing. The legs were pretty sore. The next stop on the trip was a place I’d been looking forward to visiting for some time. Great Sand Dunes National Park. I made the drive after skiing the day and stopped near Alamosa which is about a 40-minute drive from the park.
I found a little parking lot outside of the small nature reserve near town and slept there for the night. Holy shit was it cold! I think it dipped down to negative ten or fifteen during the night. It’s never good when you wake up and there is frost on the ceilings and the walls.
I was at the park at 9 o’clock and stopped in the gift shop to buy a few goodies for Alexandra and Luke. There was only one hike that was available during the winter. Through the dunes to the highest one, giving you a 360-degree view of the dunes and the Sangre de Cristo mountain.
There were a handful of people out and about but not so many that it felt crowded. I’d imagine it is a beautiful place to be during the summer. But I think it’s more peaceful during the winter because of the lack of people.
The hike was not overly challenging. It probably took me close to an hour to get to the largest dune that I could see. The only frustrating part is that you’re hiking uphill on the sand. So every step you take to go up the hill you are sliding half a step back.
When I got up there the views were unreal. It’s one of the more unique vantage points I’ve ever had. It’s like you’re in the Sahara Desert but you have these snow-capped mountains in the background. I was the only one up there for a while and I meditated for a bit. It was so quiet and peaceful up there.
I finished up the hike around lunch and cooked a meal there at the picnic ground. I started off shortly after towards Zepata Falls which was about 10 miles back down the road. A short hike but it was really cool to walk up the frozen river to the waterfall. I don’t think you can actually hike to the falls when the water is flowing.
I guess I was the only person that brought crampons because I got up there and everybody was slipping and sliding all over the place. And I’m just walking along the river without a care in the world. Everyone was like “Woah that was such a good idea”. But I was surprised no one else brought some. Whenever I hike in the winter I bring my spikes.
There was a campground close by to the hiking trail and I decided to stay there for the night. Really beautiful views of the Great Sand Dunes and the plains. It was the first time on the trip that I was able to make a campfire. So that made me happy.