Great Sand Dunes National Park Tours
Of the many magnificent landscapes that we embrace as a part of our hiking tours, perhaps none is more startling than that offered by Great Sand Dunes National Park. Nestled against the grand backdrop of Southern Colorado’s rugged Sangre De Cristo Mountains, the dunes are the centerpiece in the surreal setting that defines the magnificence of the Rocky Mountain West. Distantly removed from any ocean or desert, the dunes present an incongruous contrast with the snowclad peaks that hover above. Created by the persistent winds that blow across the San Luis Valley, the dunes soar to an elevation of 750 feet and are the tallest dunes in North America.
Explore Taos, Santa Fe
We combine this unique national park with several other fascinating regions in the area. Culturally, Taos is the center of the modern Puebloan people, and geologically it is a meeting of mountain and plateau. We experience both with a hike on the edge of the desert southwest and a chance to explore the local pueblo. Next we enter the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument where we hike into the massive Rio Grande Rift at the confluence with the Red River. The rift is a sign of our earth’s plate tectonics in action, and the resulting canyon is like a mini Grand. After our two day visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park, we top the tour off at the natural hot springs of Ojo Caliente with a desert walk on their property and a luxurious soak in the healing waters, before a last lunch in the artsy town of Santa Fe.
