(Late September, 2020) Towering waves of sand breaking on the shore of a mountain-rimmed cove. That is the impression left by the dune-field at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. This was our first time visiting the dunes. We were excited to see and photograph such a breathtaking land of contrasts. Great Sand Dunes did not disappoint.

From La Junta, Colorado, our route took us west across the vastness of the eastern Colorado High Plains. Along the way we saw antelope and more of the Prairie Ghosts – abandoned homesteads, barns, and other roadside relics.

Scenery became much more varied and interesting as we passed Walsenburg and wound through a branch of the Rocky Mountains. Weather was good for travel, although there was poor visibility and high hazy clouds – smoke from the burning western states.

Arriving at our next stop in Alamosa, Colorado, we settled in for a week-long stay at the Alamosa KOA Journey. From here we took several day- and photo-trips to the Great Sand Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. About a 30 mile drive from the campground.

Despite being late in the season, there were still a surprising large number of people hiking in the dunes. Many had rented sleds and were sliding down the steep dunes. Looked fun! Once away from the crowds near the main dune-field access, we could relax and simply enjoy the lovely vistas.

I returned on several days for more serious photography – working mostly with my infrared camera. On most days heavy haze and smoke made normal daytime photography uninteresting. The IR camera cut though the haze to interesting effect.

Primitive Road Aptly Named

On one visit I drove the Primitive Road from the dunes through the Medano Pass. Then looping through Gardner, Walsenburg, and back to Alamosa. Total round trip distance the campground was about 163 miles.

The Primitive Road was just that – 22 miles of extremely rough one-track road. Just one lane wide and very narrow in places; some sections of deep sand; other sections that were steep, rough, and rocky, with repeated creek crossings.

The worst part was meeting traffic coming from the opposite side of the pass. And there was a lot of that. On meeting, someone would have to back up to a turn out – often 50 or 100 yards – or more. I had to backup repeatedly. Most people were courteous and would back up, if the last turnout was closer on their side.

Several frustrating encounters did occur. Most irritating was several discourteous individuals being aggressive about not backing up. That and dishonest about having no suitable turnout nearby – even though was just behind them.

Worst was running into a caravan of jeep campers being lead by someone pulling a ruggedized trailer. There was no way for them to backup. I had to back a long distance back through a creek and up a steep slope before finding a notch carved in heavy brush to wedge in allowing passage of group.

Interesting adventure and experience, but never again!

Great Sand Dunes – Snapshots

Here are a few snapshots from our visits to the Great Sand Dunes NP:

Great Sand Dunes in IR

Photos from around Great Sand Dunes National Park in enhanced color IR:

Great Sand Dunes in IR B/W

Photos from around Great Sand Dunes National Park in enhanced color IR with black & white conversion:

Wrap Up

Overall, we had a great time on our visit to Great Sand Dunes. I would love to return to photograph at a different time of year or under differing weather conditions. Storm clouds over the park or even some snow could be dramatic.

That’s all for now – stay safe – stay healthy – stay positive.

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