Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Additional Details:
| Sand dunes towering 750 ft. (228 m) above the valley floor and covering over 30 square miles (77 sq. km) are swallowed by the huge scale of the San Luis Valley and the 12,000-14,000 ft. (3,700-4,300 m) Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Prevailing southwesterly winds pile the sand at the base of three low passes in the mountains. Strong northeast winds occasionally roar through the mountain passes, reversing the usual direction of sand flow and piling the dunes back upon themselves building "Chinese walls." |
