Alamosa in Colorado’s San Luis Valley makes an ideal base for exploring Alamosa National Wildlife Reserve and Great Sand Dunes National Park. The town itself has an excellent theater and offers several scenic train trips on the Rio Grande and Cumbres and Toltec railroads.
The highlight of the region, however, is the Great Sand Dunes National Park where the tallest dunes in North America are set against the backdrop of the craggy Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Sand blown east from the San Juan Mountains formed the dunes over millions of years and the dampness of the sand just below the surface has ensured the general shape of the dunes has remained unchanged in centuries.
The climb to the top of the dunes is incredibly tiring but well worth the effort for the superb views over the surrounding landscape. While you pause for breath look out for the giant sand-treader camel cricket and the small kangaroo rat, both of whom make their home in this desolate spot.
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Places near Alamosa
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- Telluride 179 kilometers away
- Durango 180 kilometers away
- Colorado 195 kilometers away
- Santa Fe 199 kilometers away
- Aspen 210 kilometers away
- Mesa Verde National Park 231 kilometers away
- Vail 246 kilometers away
- Denver 264 kilometers away
- Albuquerque 275 kilometers away
- Grand Junction 294 kilometers away
- Estes Park 326 kilometers away
- New Mexico 339 kilometers away
- Moab 346 kilometers away
- Arches National Park 354 kilometers away
- Canyonlands National Park 365 kilometers away
- Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park 378 kilometers away
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- Amarillo 441 kilometers away