Great Sand Dunes National Park – BOOTS on the TRAIL

2017 ~ Adventures with The LovedOne

2017-12-312022-01-30Posted in Backpacking, Hiking, Hiking (Snowshoes), Other Stuff, RaftingTagged Death Valley National Park, Great Basin National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Henry W. Coe State Park California, Isle Royale National Park, Middle Fork Salmon River Idaho, Palo Duro State Park Texas, Pinnacles National Park, Ruby Mountains Wilderness, Wild Rogue Loop5 Comments

The LovedOne is not keen on having her picture taken. I love taking her picture (and her too). This can create a bit of artistic tension when we’re out adventuring. But I have the camera and I’ve learned how to silence its shutter…

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Mosca Pass Trail (Great Sand Dunes NP) 19-May-2017

2017-05-192022-01-30Posted in Colorado, Hiking, U.S. National Parks & MonumentsTagged Alamosa Colorado, Colorado, Day Hiking, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Hiking, Mosca Pass Trail Colorado, Sangre de Cristo Mountains Colorado

After our hikes at Palo Duro Canyon in West Texas, we roadtripped north to Alamosa, Colorado, gateway to Great Sand Dunes National Park. When we’d lived in Colorado years ago, we’d driven by this park several times enroute to climbs of nearby 14teeners, but never actually stoped for a visit. We were going to rectify that omission on this trip. You can hike on the dunes themselves – a la Beau Geste – but there are other hiking trails in the park. The most accessible of these – it starts almost at the visitor center – is the Mosca Pass Trail and that was the one we chose. It also tops out at around 9,800 feet and would thus be snow-free by now (unlike some of the surrounding peaks).

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