Day 7: Great Sand Dunes

My alarm sounded at 7 AM, signaling that we had survived the night. A combination of hand warmers, extra layers, and Shane’s blankets kept all three of us relatively warm. I slowly rose from my sleeping pad and donned my trail running shoes, determined to do another training run.

Slog Through the Sand

I looked to the 2.7-mile Dunes Overlook Trail to host my morning run. With the trailhead on the other end of the campground, it was the perfect candidate.

As the run began, I quickly realized how cold it still was. Though the sun was up, it was still about 20°F, which wrought pain when I breathed. In combination with the high elevation (~9,000 feet), I was in for a difficult run.

I passed a group of deer in the campground and began running on the trail. Quickly, the run got even harder. The trail – fittingly – largely consisted of sand. This made every step – especially the uphill – lots of work.

The struggle was worth it for the overlooks along the way. As the trail rose and trees became more sparse, great views of the dunefield appeared. Once I reached the top of the trail, I found a bench where I could take a rest and enjoy the scenery. With the rising sun, blue skies, and brisk morning air, the view was stunning. Despite my aching lungs, I felt at peace in the moment.

Zapata Falls

When I returned to the campground, Shane and my dad were up and eating breakfast. I joined them, and before long we began our day at Great Sand Dunes. Our first stop sat outside the park boundaries, a few miles south of the entrance. I’d seen some hearty recommendations for this stop – a 0.8-mile hike to Zapata Falls – on AllTrails. I was ready to see if these recommendations were merited.

As it turned out, they absolutely were.

The short hike led to a frozen creek exiting a steep canyon. We stepped onto the ice – careful not to slip – and rounded a couple of corners. Once we reached the waterfall, our jaws dropped.

Zapata Falls was completely frozen, with a trickle of water appearing behind a sort of “window” on the right side of the falls. The layers, textures, and colors of the ice looked like something out of Ice Age. My dad – the hydrologist – was overjoyed. Shane and I were astounded by the sight, too.

High Dune

After soaking in the view at Zapata Falls, the three of us returned to the national park. We stopped at the visitor center for passport stamps and souvenirs. Then, we made our way to the parking lot for the dunes.

Plan your trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park

Our objective? High Dune on the first ridge. At nearly 700 feet tall, it’s one of the tallest dunes in North America. It’s a far cry from the 100-foot dunes at my local national park, Indiana Dunes.

We removed our shoes and crossed Medano Creek, then made our way to the dunes. Once we reached the dunefield proper, it felt like we’d entered a different world. It suddenly felt like we navigating the Sahara Desert in search of a long-lost treasure. It was positively awesome.

With 700 feet of climbing on loose sand, we underestimated the effort it’d take to reach the top. My dad especially struggled, thanks to a lack of altitude acclimation and the strain on his calves. The climb to the top was slow but steady. Finally – after passing a pair of false summits – we made it.

While my dad sat down to catch his breath, Shane and I ventured to the far end of High Dune’s ridgeline. There, we found a sweeping view of the entire dunefield: a breathtaking sight with the mountains in the background. We admired the view for a few minutes before returning to my dad and beginning our descent.

Rescue Mission

The return to the bottom was much faster than our ascent. We ran/free-fell down a series of steep faces of sand. Even when we jumped far and fell several feet, the sand would gently break our fall. On the way down, Shane and I experimented with the old snowboard that I’d brought. Unfortunately, we discovered that we would have been better off renting specially-designed sandboards to enjoy the slopes. At least we tried.

As we neared Medano Creek, we witnessed a scary accident. A girl crashed her sandboard at high speed at the bottom of a small dune. Due to the angle and speed of her impact, we initially thought she’d severely injured her back. As her boyfriend ran to check on her, we approached to see if she was OK. Though her back was fine, her ankle was not, and she could barely walk.

Since none of us had cell service, Shane, my dad, and I promised to go alert the park rangers about their situation. We quickly hiked back to the car, drove to the visitor center, and reported the incident to the rangers. Once we recounted their location to a law enforcement ranger, he hopped in his vehicle and went to find them. After he left, we carried on with our day.

Mosca Pass

After lunch, clouds created a gloom in the park. High winds started to howl, threatening the hazard of blowing sand in the dunefield. So, we decided to seek our hiking miles elsewhere. We ventured to the Mosca Pass Trail, a chill trail that navigates forests, rocky cliffs, and meadows in the adjacent national preserve. Though the trail doesn’t offer much of a “climax” per se, it provides consistently pretty scenery and a unique perspective of the dunefield below.

Our trio completed the 6-mile hike quickly, in just over 2 hours. During the hike, we talked plenty, faced gusty winds, and developed a massive appetite for our Mexican-themed dinner.

Taco Friday

We returned to our campsite around 6:15, where Shane and I feverishly began cooking dinner. Once we finished our scrumptious taco mix, we devoured the food. While my dad cleaned dishes, Shane and I got started on another campfire.

Though the forecast predicted a warmer night (with a balmy low temperature of 25°F), the wind was noticeably stronger than the previous night. So, we took great pleasure in enjoying our campfire. None of us wanted to leave once it began to die down after a couple hours. Even as the last embers glowed, we stayed close to the firepit.