The Field Atlas
0/363Dunes chapter · 37.79° N · 105.59° W
Fig. 1Dune crests under a snowy Sangre de Cristo wall
The tallest dunes in North America, stacked against the Sangre de Cristo Range. Alpine desert — snow peaks over a sand sea.
Prevailing winds drop San Luis Valley sand against the mountains. Star Dune tops 750 feet. Medano Creek can run as a beach in late spring — a rare alpine playa.
A private leaf
Instant paper, this copy only. Write on the white — a line the walk still owes you.
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Opening the leaf…
Onward
The nearest plates, by the miles.
Zapata Falls12 miles · ColoradoCXC
Sangre de Cristo Range16 miles · ColoradoCVII
Spanish Peaks44 miles · ColoradoCXCII
Wheeler Geologic Area56 miles · ColoradoCIV
Platoro60 miles · ColoradoCCLXXXII
Garden of the Gods85 miles · ColoradoXCIX
Wheeler Peak86 miles · New MexicoCXXII
Comanche National Grassland87 miles · ColoradoCCLXVFold-out
