• Located in southern Colorado near the town of Alamosa in the San Luis Valley
• Founded as a National Monument in 1932, became a National Park in 2004
• The Great Sand Dunes are the tallest sand dunes in North America, next to diverse grassland, wetland, and alpine ecosystems.
• When you visit, hike up the dunes and slide down on a sandboard or sand sled.
• Lt. Zebulon Pike was the first recorded American Explorer ( January 1807) to cross the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the Great Sand Dunes. Pike and his men were exploring the Louisiana Purchase Territory under orders from President Thomas Jefferson.
• This is one of the quietest parks in the country, due to its arid climate, the topography, and a location far from flight paths.

Links:

• Great Sand Dunes National Park website
• Lesson Plan: Great Sand Dunes Oral Histories
• Lesson Plans: Sand Sea Wonders, A Natural History of Great Sand Dunes

Video:

• Rocky Mountain PBS How the West Was Camped Sand Dunes