Fun at the Great Sand Dunes

One of this country's most dramatic natural curiosities appears, at first glance, to be just a huge pile of sand. In fact, about 300,000 annual visitors to the Great Sand Dunes--just off the Old Spanish Trail in Southern Colorado's San Luis Valley--enjoy this renowned national park as if it were a giant sandbox: running or sliding down its 700-foot slopes, wiggling bare toes in its warmth and, yes, building sand castles. The dunes are a delightful playground for children, and they clearly bring out the child in most adults. But there is more here than meets the casual eye, starting with the question most people ask as they approach these massive dunes, that dominate a valley about the size of Connecticut: What could possibly have caused such a phenomenon? Fortunately the National Park Service, which manages the dunes and operates a visitor center there, not only answers questions but also enhances guests' experience with a full schedule of programs related to the dunes and the adjacent wetlands, grasslands and mountain tundra. Popular activities include hiking, off-road vehicle trips, wildlife viewing, exploring the shallow waters of two creeks adjoining the dunes, and camping in the adjacent campground, featuring an amphitheater where frequent interpretive presentations are offered. For non-campers, rustic luxury is available at nearby Zapata Ranch, which is also home to a large buffalo herd. And a surprising bonus awaits visitors to the area: the opportunity to learn about the historic pack mule and trapper route known as the Old Spanish Trail, one of 15 nationally-recognized trails in the U.S. The Old Spanish Trail skirted the Great Sand Dunes along their western edge, because the solid layers of packed sand gave good footing to horses and pack mules. The trail traveled over lands with an ancient history, which today motivates Smithsonian researchers to conduct digs in search of the bones of extinct bison and the Clovis Age tools of the men who hunted them. Simple but historic trails lead from the dunes to the nearby Rio Grande and San Isabel National Forests and their wilderness areas, where Ute Indians, Taos Pueblo people, Jicarilla Apaches and Spanish colonists encountered each other. Other visitor attractions are abundant in nearby communities. Details are available at the following websites: oldspanishtrail.org (info about the historic trail); nps.gov/grsa (National Park Service info on the dunes), slvguide.com (general info on the San Luis Valley).