North Mosca, Colorado: Highest Sand Dunes in North America

Shot lots of pictures of the beautiful sand dunes, but the shallow river running along its shores is also a wonderful playground for both young and old.

Fun place to camp. During the Spring time, the creek flows through. It's shallow and fun to play in. Also, this place is a natural light preserve, so the stars are amazing!

Riding down these dunes on a dune sled is definitely worth a trip. Go early in the morning before the sand gets too hot. You can rent a sled or sand board four miles away at the Great Sand Dunes Oasis. Also included: breathtaking views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Ride the dunes on a rented sled or sand board from local shops, or play in the ankle-deep stream frequented by families with small kids making sand castles. The Sand Dunes show just how spectacular nature can be. The visitor center offers more information on the formation of the dunes and a National Park gift shop. It is only free to view from far away. If you'd like a closer look or actually want to hike on the dunes, you must pay the National Park entrance fee.

When we visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park, we thought it would be a breeze to hike from the park HQ to the top of High Dune... not so fast. Turns out the soft features of the dunes gives you the illusion that "things are closer than they may appear", and as you ascend the dunes, the loose sand slips you back... So, as the saying goes in the park, "Two Steps Forward, One Step Back".

Once at the top, you have the most amazing panoramic view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range with miles and miles of sand dunes in the foreground. When you look toward the southeast, you will see an even taller dune called Star Dune, it is the highest dune in North America (750 feet). It had taken us over two hours to climb to the top of High Dune, but it only took us twenty minutes to get back down.