A day at the “beach”
Southern Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve always has half of what it takes to make a beach — and lots of it.
The large, main dunefield covers about 30 square miles, but there are many more square miles of smaller dunes in the sand sheet surrounding the main dunefield. The park’s largest dune is Star Dune, which rises 750 feet from its base to its crest.
Come springtime, Mother Nature provides the other half of the equation to create “Colorado’s natural beach.”
Melting snow in the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains creates the Medano Creek that flows around the base of the dunes.
By late April, the creek may be a few inches deep, but in late May to mid-june, it usually hits its peak flow of about 40 cubic feet per second.
Surf’s up — and this year, we’re in for some heavy swells.
Based on the average of three snow-measuring sites in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains above the dunes, snowpack was 137 percent of normal at winter’s end, according to measurements from the National Water and Climate Center. Medano Creek’s flow is forecast to be at least 100 percent of average in depth and duration in 2019.
I’d like to say it was careful planning and flow monitoring that put my family at the Sand Dunes in early June a couple of years ago, but it was just pure chance. With “sand sleds” under our arms, we emerged from the cottonwood trees lining the parking lot to find a full-fledged beach scene.
Young children built sandcastles and splashed in the flat river that was about 100 yards across and varied in depth from zilch to 10 inches.
On raised sand islands, families had set up umbrellas and coolers and were picnicking in style. But what dropped my daughters’ jaws were the children floating by on rafts and inner tubes.
Every 20 seconds or so, there would be a collective squeal of delight as a swell of water lifted the brightly colored crafts, carrying the flotilla downstream in a rush. That’s right: Colorado’s beach even has waves.
Known as “surge flow,” these waves occur when underwater sand ridges build up and then break, sending down a wave of water up to 20 inches high.
We wanted to join in the fun but were focused on our goal: the towering dunes ahead.
While my daughters and husband took off their socks and tennis shoes to walk across the water, I splashed across in the pair of slipon, rubber-soled, mesh-sided shoes I had bought with this venture in mind.
While my shoes were perfect for the water crossing, I was envious of those with full-coverage footwear when my foot sunk in with each step up the dunes and hot sand poured on the bare top of my foot. They say the sand gets up to 150 degrees, but it felt hotter to me.
Sliding down the dunes at high speed was a blast. For the first time, we — a family of skiers — were able to feed our gravity addiction in the warm weather, and we climbed and descended dunes until my feet couldn’t take the heat any longer.
I might have imagined it, but when I put my hot feet in the water, I heard an actual sizzling sound. Feet in the coolest pool I could find, I spent the rest of the afternoon watching my husband and daughters splash, float and build sand at our state’s very own beach.
PLACES FOR RENTALS
The National Park Service does not rent sand sleds or sandboards; these may be rented or purchased at four retailers in the San Luis Val
• Kristi Mountain Sports in osa, about 40 miles southwest of the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center, rents sand sleds and sandboards year-round. Visit kristimountainsports.com or call 719589-9759. To protect the special slick material on the bottom of each board, Kristi will not rent them when the sand is frozen.
• Sand Dunes Swimming Pool and Recreation, located near Hooper, 32 miles west of the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center, rents sand sleds and sandboards year round. Go to sanddunespool.com/grille or call 719-378-2807. The facility is closed on Thursdays for pool cleaning.
• Mountain View Motor Inn, in Fort Garland, 30 miles southeast of the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center, rents sand sleds and sandboards year-round. Call 719-3792993.
• From April through mid-october, sand sleds and sandboards are available for rent at Great Sand Dunes Oasis, located 4 miles from the Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center near the park entrance. Go to greatdunes.com or call 719-3782222. To protect the special slick material on the bottom of each board, Oasis will not rent sleds when the sand is wet.
WATER FLOW
• To check what the “surfing” conditions on Medano Creek before heading to the park, go to nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/ medano-creek.htm.