I showed up at Great Sand Dunes NP with no plan and a banging headache. After reviewing a map at the visitor center, I concluded two things:
- My van would not make it up the dirt road to the free campsites in the park.
- I was too lazy to drive out of the park and look for a campsite on BLM land nearby.
The Great Sand Dunes from the access trail
The college intern behind the desk suggested to me, in a brilliant stroke of inspiration, that I could hike out into the dunes and camp out in the middle of them. The only requirement regarding campsite was that I should not be visible from the visitor center or from the day use area.
This seemed like a way better idea than camping out on the side of the road 30 minutes away, so I decided to go for it. I packed my backpack (first time this trip!) and waited for the sun and temperature to drop. I left my van around 5 PM and headed into the dunes. Backpacking in the sand was very different than any other sort of hiking I’d done before. I’d walk through loose patches where for every step I took I’d slip back half a step, followed by patches where the surface was nearly as solid as firm ground. These patches were very difficult to predict - firm and windswept looking areas would collapse beneath my feet, and steep drifts would hold up under my weight and the 40+ lbs of water, food, tent, camera gear, etc. that I was bringing with me. The uphills were draining, and weren’t helped by the sustained winds that picked up around 6 PM and whipped sand into my exposed skin, nor the 8000 ft+ starting elevation of the hike. After cresting the first (and largest) ridge, however, I got to experience hiking downhill in loose sand, which might be my favorite type of hiking there is. Each plunging step was damped by sand spilling beneath my feet. On the really steep sections I heard a peculiar and frankly creepy noise - a deep groaning sound, which I soon realized to be the sound of the massive quantities of sand shifting beneath my feet. It was mysterious and alien, and after I realized what it was I went looking for steep sections of the dunes to recreate it.
After setting up camp in a sheltered hollow at the base of a dune, I hiked out to the top to watch the sunset. The sensation of being alone amongst the rolling dunes as light faded was one of a kind, and the luminous and crowded starry sky that revealed itself later that night was equally stunning.
My tent nestled in the dunes
This was truly one of the best nights I’ve spent on this trip.
Hare(?) prints in the sand the following morning