One of Colorado's famous Fourteeners, Blanca Peak, at an elevation of 14,345 ft

Alpine tundra, forests, massive dunes, grasslands, and wetlands are all protected as elements of the Great Sand Dunes natural system.

The boys playing in Medano Creek, running alongside the park's accessible sand dunes.

They had a blast running and splashing in the water!

Brody jumping up and down!

A little stompin' action!

Come over here "Daddy"

OK!

More playin'

Sledding down the dunes

At times, the wind was blowing HARD, VERY HARD! The boys were screaming because they were getting sand blasted - literally! Look at the sand/sky line here. That's blowing sand!

We were getting pelted!

Here I come back down the dunes!

Check out the green mountains that lie next to the desert-like sand dunes.

A picture of the wavy dunes

That's the boys and me on the bottom right of the picture walking back to the creek.

These sand dunes are the tallest in North America, towering 750 feet above the valley floor and covering over 30 square miles!

After all these years, we still enjoy seeing the rain falling miles in the distance.

Cam and Mom with the dunes and mountains in the background

Brody and me with the dunes and mountains in the background