Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado is truly a unique experience. These thirty square miles of dunes, the tallest in North America, have no designated trails. Everything is open to exploration.

The same philosophy applies to camping. Although there are traditional campgrounds, camping within the dunes is permitted anywhere outside the day-use area. A permit is required, as are a good pair of hiking legs in order to literally wade through sand for 1 ½ miles. Maybe you will discover some of the strange creatures that local legend says inhabit the inner reaches of the park, or find one of the lost wagon trains that supposedly vanished among the dunes. Even if you don’t, where else will you find stars so brilliant and the howl of the coyote so piercing?

The sand dunes are nestled at the foot of the 13,000-plus foot Sangre de Cristo Mountains, making for a study in contrasts and a myriad of outdoors experiences. In fact, the mountain preserve that surrounds the dunes is 65-square miles.

The large dune closest to the parking lot is High Dune, 650 feet high. Just beyond it is spectacular Star Dune, the highest dune in Nort...[continued]