The San Luis Valley, CO: The Long Approach To The Great Sand Dunes

The San Luis Valley: The "Long Approach" To The Great Sand Dunes

Although traveling long distances to scenic Colorado places is usually the norm, there is something special about the drive through the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. I am usually stunned by the beauty of the nothingness of the San Luis Valley. The wide open spaces. The vast high desert floor. The scenery stirs something inside me!

Photo Above: Facing west outside of the Great Sand Dunes National Park entrance.

Driving through the San Luis Valley is definitely an experience. It's mainly a flat and high plateau of 8,000+ feet above sea level. Hardly any trees grow naturally because of the strong winds.

In almost all directions, tall Rocky Mountains stand in the background. One can surely feel the temptation to step on the gas pedal hard to travel through this area. ;)

The photo above was taken on Highway 150, facing north toward the park.

Above is another photo of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range. The vantage point of this photo is east of the small town of Mosca, Colorado.

-Photos by Steve Garufi in Buena Vista, Colorado. His web site is www.ColoradoGuy.com.

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