Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located in Colorado, USA. The park was originally a national monument but was designated a national park on September 13, 2004.

The tallest sand dunes in North America are located in the park. Some sand dunes measure 750 feet from the valley floor and cover about 19,00 acres. They are estimated to be around 12,000 years old. Around the edges of the dunes are streams, lakes, tundra, forest, grasslands and wetlands. An unusual aspect of the park is Medano Creek. Because of the movement of the sand, this creek never has a permanent stream-bed. Surges appear in the sand from the stream that resemble ocean waves. Building sand castles and skim boarding are popular activities in this area.

Great Sand Dunes [National Park]][ works on improving access for many levels of ability. Although regular wheelchairs cannot make it through the dunes, a sand wheel chair can be borrowed from the Visitor Center. Other accessible areas are the restrooms at the visitor center, most of the interpretive programs, one picnic site with a hardened trail to the accessible restroom, and campsites in the Pinyon Flats campground and Sawmill Canyon Backcounty Campsite.

Other activities at the park are lodging, camping, hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, kids’ activities, bison tours, vehicle tours, sand boarding, skiing and sledding down the sand dunes.http://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/outdooractivities.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/hiking.htm

• Hiking - Although there are no discernible paths in the sand, visitors can explore any part of the 30 square mile of dune field they would like. Some recommended areas are Medano Creek, High Dune and Eastern Dune Ridge. There are designated trails through the forest and alpine. A 4-wheel drive road is also offered May through October.

• Ranger-led activities are available. The activities vary through the year. Check with the visitor center for current activates.

• Bison Tours are offered, weather permitting. Visitors can take the tour as a hayride or a 4 wheel-drive. The tours take visitors to remote parts of the park. Phone:1-888-5-ZAPATA (927282) ext. 110

• Sandboarding, sledding and skiing is permitted anywhere on the sand dunes there is no vegetation. Smooth, flat-bottomed plastic sleds, skis or snowboards are what work on the sand.

Visitor Center is open every day. A 20 minute film is shown and restrooms are offered.http://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/things2do.htm

The Ute called the Sand Dunes, "the land that moves back and forth". The Jicarilla Apaches’ name was "it goes up and down". Blanca Peak was one of the four sacred mountains of the Navajo. The Ute and Apache camped and hunted in San Luis Valley. For medicine and food, they collected the inner bark of the ponderosa pine trees.

Don Diego de Vargas was the first Spanish explorer in 1694. Zebulon Pike wrote in his journal of the Great Sand Dunes in 1807. His journal entry from January 28, 1807, reads: "After marching some miles, we discovered ... at the foot of the White Mountains [today’s Sangre de Cristos] which we were then descending, sandy hills;When we encamped, I ascended one of the largest hills of sand, and with my glass could discover a large river [the Rio Grande];The sand-hills extended up and down the foot of the White Mountains about 15 miles, and appeared to be about 5 miles in width. Their appearance was exactly that of the sea in a storm, except as to color, not the least sign of vegetation existing thereon."

The Mosca Pass Toll Road was built in the 1870’s. This road was used for stages and as a mail rout until 1911. This road is now a trail for hikers. A small gold rush came to the area in the 1920’s and again in 1932. As not much gold was found, the rush did not last long. However, this sparked worry that the dunes could be destroyed. In 1932, President Herbert Hoover signed into law a monument status for the area. It was made a national park on September 13, 2004 with the support of President Bill Clinton.http://www.nps.gov/grsa/historyculture/index.htm