Great Sand Dunes National Park

A special trip to Colorado brough Erin and me there, where we met Emmy. When we met at the airport, the weather was warm and sunny, and it felt like the beginning of an easy day. We set off with the intention of visiting the Great Sand Dunes, expecting wide open skies and calm views.

But as we drove, the landscape began to change. The sun slowly disappeared behind thickening clouds, the wind picked up, and by the time we arrived at the dunes, we found ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm.

Stepping out onto the sand was an entirely different experience that we had imagined. The wind drove the sand across the surface of the dunes, making it difficult to see and even harder to walk. At times, it was blinding.

The Grand Sand Dunes rise dramatically at the base of the mountains, the tallest in North America, shaped over thousands of years as wind carried sand into this natural basin. It is a place defined by movement and we were experiencing it as its most active.

The site became a national monument in 1932, designated by Herbert Hoover to protect these unique formations. Later, in 2004, it was expanded and redesignated as a national park and preserve, recognizing not just the dunes, but the entire surrounding landscape.  

The Great Sand Dunes is not a place to observe, but an experience. The shifting sand, the changing weather, and the scale of the dunes all come together to create something that cannot be predicted.

What began as a sunny arrival turned into one of the most memorable parts of the trip. The encounter with a landscape that is constantly changing, is a reminder that some of the most meaningful travel moments are the ones we did not plan for.