![]() The traditional Ute word for the Great Sand Dunes is Saa waap maa nache,"sand that moves." Though the locations of the larger dune forms have remained fairly constant for centuries, some smaller dunes may grow and migrate across grasslands. Sand is dormant, but the forces of wind and water that move geological structures are very much active. Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service.Īt Great Sand Dunes, you can witness geology coming alive. Sand that moves Elk Dune's namesake stroll in the grass in front of the dune. Visitors can climb and explore any part of the 30 square mile dunefield, but in summer it’s recommended to do so in the early mornings or evenings to avoid high surface temperatures. Great Sand Dunes protects the tallest sand dunes in North America, with the legendary Star Dune towering at 755 feet. Photo courtesy of Alex Xu ( Hiking the dunes is one of the most popular park activities. ![]() Sand dunes in the park tower at over 700 feet. Explore the tallest sand dunes in the continent You can watch robots navigate each April at the annual Colorado Space Grant Robotics Challenge. The two Viking spacecraft that first landed on Mars proved their astronomical fortitude in the extreme environment of dunes at the national park. The famous sand dunes resemble an alien landscape so much that NASA uses the geological conditions to test rovers. Photo by Patrick Myers, National Park Service. Mars is visible over the dunes at sunrise. Dive into some facts about Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve to inspire your next voyage. Today, visitors can surf an ocean of sandy slopes, observe the glow of planets and hear sand sing. Congress authorized a boundary change and redesignation as a national park in 2004. The park was originally established as Great Sand Dunes National Monument on Maby President Herbert Hoover. The park and preserve’s out-of-this-world geography incorporates 149,137 acres of tundra, forest, wetlands and soaring sand dunes in a spectacular array of the country’s most unique geographic formations. At the foot of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in Colorado, one small step into Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve may inspire memory of one giant leap for mankind.
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