- State: CO
- NPCA Region: Southwest
- Est. Date: 2004
Air Quality Conditions
View the Polluted Parks ReportVisibility
Unsatisfactory
Health
Significant Concern
Nature
Significant Concern
Climate Change Threats
How can something that is constantly shifting stand up to 750 feet tall? This southwestern park features the largest sand dunes in North America, and the key to their extraordinary height seems to lie in the combination of strong opposing winds and the presence of rivers and creeks, which capture drifting sands and redeposit them back on the dunes. Some of these remarkable hills are formations known as star dunes, molded by complex wind patterns into multi-pronged shapes, which look a bit like starfish from above.
Greetings from Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve
We are a roadschooling family who have been travelling the USA, living in our RV, for two years. Our boys have earned Junior Ranger badges at over 100 National Parks and Monuments, with a goal to earn them all. The one pictured is Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. We had…
More about Great Sand Dunes
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Read more about Celebrate Colorado!
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The National Parks are a vital part of our national heritage and culture. They are one of the reasons other nations look up to us, and they are one of the very best parts of being an American. They allow us to come together and celebrate our country in ways that unite us in our diversity. — Sara
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Read more about Sandbox in the Sky
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