Great Sand Dunes

I’ve been going to Great Sand Dunes regularly enough to think of it as a home away from home, though “home” is overstating it for a place I fly or drive several hours to reach.

Access is the first thing to plan: entry points, permits, and the time of day the road is drivable.

The core habitat at Great Sand Dunes is dunes, sabkha wetlands, montane forest, and the best of it is concentrated in a handful of places that reward slow walking.

My default advice is to go may through september. Outside that window there are still good days here, but the baseline quality drops.

Gear advice is boring: something long, something short, and enough layers that you’re not rearranging in the car.

The best single image I’ve made at Great Sand Dunes was an accident I reached for without thinking; the ones I set up for are the ones I’ve half-forgotten.

Anyone who tells you Great Sand Dunes is an easy place hasn’t been on a day where the wind picked up by nine.

Corrections on anything here, especially access updates, are welcome.