The sand dunes are visible from miles away but they are not white like White Sands and the great sand dunes are next to the Sangre de Cristo mountains. While they are visible you are not sure they are the dunes since they are so close to the mountains. The dunes were created by sand and sediment from the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountains washed into a huge lake that once covered the valley floor. The water evaporated and the sand and sediment stay and was swept into the dunes by the prevailing winds from the West. Storm winds from the East come over the Sangre de Cristo mountains and blow the sand higher into the dunes, since the prevailing winds send the sand to the East. It is said that the dunes are less than 400,000 years old so a young dune. Hiking can be done within the park on the dunes but know that it is sand and sand gets hot, over 140 degrees fahrenheit, so be sure to hike in the early morning or later in the evening. Also it should be noted that the hikes are not on trail but sand dunes so be prepared for some hard hiking. The park is also open year round so maybe come see this in the cooler months of November could be an option to not have to hike early in the AM. My first day at the park I arrived at 5pm so after the visitor center for my passport stamp I went to the campground. The campground is 2 miles from the entrance to the park and the visitor center is 0.5 miles from the entrance. As the sun went down over the dunes it created some wonderful colors in the sky. A side effect with no sun is that the heat of the day 87 was quickly leaving with a cool breeze coming down off the Sangre de Cristo mountains. The breeze is flowing nicely into Dundee and blowing all my papers around but it is a welcomed breeze. The park is very dark, except for the campfires so the night sky is very dark and you can see plenty of stars. I will use my knowledge from last evenings program in the Black Canyon of Gunnison to view the stars with new found knowledge. Many people ride sleds or snowboard sleds down the dunes but the NPS does not rent them you have to utilize a vendor in town for your rental. You could bring an old saucer from home or even a school lunch tray if it is stout and will not break.
Pinon Flats Campground – The campground is made up of 3 loops being loop 1, 2, and group. Each of loop 1 and 2 have 44 sites in the loop and there is running water in the campground but not at any sites. Electricity is not at the sites either so be ready with full batteries. The sites are a bit on the small side and they are very close together so privacy maybe an issue for some people. Each of the loops has 2 bath houses but no showers. There is a little camp store that is between the two loops which sells firewood, ice and other camper needed items.
High Dune on First Ridge – The hike says that elevation gain is 688 feet and is 2.5 miles long. The trailhead is at the parking lot for the dunes and is easy to find since there is not really a trail. From the parking lot you have a few options to get to the sand and walk to the dunes. The sand is soft sand and it is worth the hike. The length of the hike sounded doable for me but I have to say that walking in the sand kicked my butt. I got about 3/4 of the way up the ridge and it was all I had to get to this point in the hike. To start with you are walking on soft sand and the dunes are very high without a trail. The best way I can describe the hike was walking in the soft sand on a beach but up and down the dunes a few times. The trail was what you thought was the best way to go or a path that someone else had gone on in the past, with footprints. It is said to stay at the top of the ridge line of the dunes for the easiest hike, but I did not listen to that advice. When I was nearing the top I saw a “trail” that went sideways to the next ridge line and I was like that is for me. Well walking on the side of a dune kicked my butt to the point that I called it quits about 7/8 to the top of the dunes. It was sad that I was done as I was told by many that the views at the top were amazing but my fat broken down body did not have it in me today to finish the hike. Observation: I found a bunch of people hiking with rubber boots (Wellingtons) and it seems to keep the sand out of your shoes/socks. I could have created a Childs sandbox with the sand in my shoes/socks and on my feet when I was done the hike so maybe some rubber boots would work.
