Great Sand Dunes National Park

A few years ago I set a goal to visit and photograph as many national parks as I could. Granted that's a pretty loose goal and not one that can be measured definitively. After all, how many is 'as many as I can"? But, I have embarked on that goal anyway. Looking at the list of national parks, there were several parks I had never heard of. One of those is the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. (Not to be confused with White Sands NP in New Mexico.) I made a point to visit there while I was on my way to photograph fall color in Colorado this season. In fact, I managed to visit four new-to-me national parks on that trip. Did I do them justice? Nope. I was too limited on time, but I did visit. I did photograph. And, I did enjoy the special features I was able to experience with each of them.

Keeping My Distance

Maintaining social distancing wasn't really as difficult as I had imagined. By following the CDC guidelines I felt reasonably comfortable traveling in my own car with my own cooler with my own food. I did manage to get a few take-out meals. Plus, the hotels were vigilant in their cleaning/sanitizing efforts. But, I had several containers of anti-bacterial wipes in my car to wipe down surfaces, light switches, remotes, etc. just to be extra safe. It's a sign of our times, I suppose. Safety first.

Visiting the Park

I scouted the park when I first arrived in the late afternoon. It was crowded! So, I immediately made a plan to photograph the dunes very late in the day and under the light of the full moon. Early morning was also on my radar to arrive before many people began climbing the dunes. Unless you are a photographer, you probably won't be entering a national park or any other photo-worthy area before sunrise. Although it is hard to perceive the height of the dunes in these photos, notice the people who are climbing the dunes. They provide a bit of scale. (Can't find them? They are the specks.)In fact, people bring their own 'dune boards' in order to climb the dunes and then ride the boards down; much like snowboarding.

Great Sand Dunes National Park

full sun Great Sand Dunes national park

amazing dunes in the late afternoon

Great Sand Dunes NP

Great Sand Dunes national park panorama

Great Sand Dunes national park

dunes in the late afternoon

Great Sand Dunes national park sunset

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Please CONTACT ME at nadeen@nadeenflynn.com with any questions or to schedule your learning session.

As a published, featured northern California fine art photographer living in the greater Sacramento area, I specialize in fine art landscape and still life photography. My style is authentic, fresh and personality-driven. I offer in-person workshops and mentoring. While currently living in rural northern California with my husband and a couple thousand walnut trees, I post regularly to Instagram.

Serving Yuba City/Marysville, East Nicolaus, Wheatland, Lincoln, Woodland, Davis, Roseville, Rocklin, and the greater Sacramento area.

(530) 633-7575