Why Colorado's Great Sand Dunes are So Tall

[@NationalParkDiaries]

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[@Untruthfulcake]

If you are coming at GSDNP from the west, you can see it for almost an hour before you arrive. Fascinating place, and hiking the big dune is a good workout.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Incredible. What a cool place!

[@Nigel42687]

I live across the valley from the dunes, and seeing that is like looking at a normal hill but made of sand

[@jimmayer5618]

Good vid, but I was hoping to hear about the rare natural phenom of 'waves' forming in the creeks. When snow-melt occurs, Great Sand Dunes is 1 of the only places in the world where you can witness waves in a creek, flowing rhythmically every 20 seconds.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Yep, you're right! It's called "surge flow." I didn't include it in the video just for the sake of keeping concepts simple, but it's a cool phenomenon, absolutely!

[@ryguy8675309]

I remember visiting the Sand Dunes on a geology field trip in college. What I remember most was how exhausting it was to walk on. 3 steps up and 2 back everytime. It was only later I found out we were trying to hike up the biggest sand dunes in North America!

[@kegsofvomitspit]

I camped in the dunes and it’s even worse when you’re hauling a loaded backpack.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I feel the same way when I go running out in the sandhills near my house. Can only imagine doing it on the big dunes!

[@polyrhythmia]

I walked up and down the dunes and got sand in my shoes, my pockets, my ears, pretty much anywhere sand could collect.

[@zbeebs]

@@polyrhythmia Was it course and rough and irritating?

[@dwayne7356]

We were driving from Rocky Mountain NP to Bryce Canyon NP. We saw the dunes off in the distance and we consulted google maps for a detour to the dune. 56+ miles and an hour later were arrived at Great Sand Dunes NP. We were very pleasantly surprise went we got there. That whole valley and homesteads reminded me of the valley in the movie Tremors.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

That's awesome! So glad you all got to experience that!

[@Sadksfankkavsknozgsk]

The SLV is such a cool place and I get to call it home! It's incredibly cool if you travel into the valley from up North through the pass it's really startling because you suddenly open up into this massive valley with a completely different environment from the one you were just in, from alpine to high desert. Being able to see the dunes from miles away is one of my favorite things about the valley. Lot's of other cool things to do in the valley too from hot springs and the Rio Grande river to also some kind of weird stuff like the Gator Park and the UFO watchtower. It's def worth a visit.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Oh man, what a cool place to live! I can only imagine having those dunes come into view all the time - what a cool sight to see. Thanks for sharing!

[@TrailBlazer5280]

Great video and super interesting. Living in Colorado I always love to learn about its geology. The great san dunes are one of the coolest places to camp in Colorado because you have plains, dunes and mountains all in the same place.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for watching! I've gotten so many comments about how great it is to camp at this park and now I'm just figuring out when I'll be able to make it out there lol.

[@ian_davidson]

Stoked your channel is doing good and your videos are staying so legit!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks Ian! I truly appreciate the support!

[@JamesOKeefe-US]

Love these videos! Thank you for sharing info about these amazing places!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you for watching them! It makes me so happy to help people learn about these wonderful places and I'm glad you're enjoying them.

[@mgratk]

OH hey, have you done the Outer Banks of North Carolina? Ton of great geology in Cape Hatteras Nation Seashore, and the Dunes at Jockey's Ridge and the stabilized Dune at the Wright Bros memorial. In my experience people don't understand the geology of barrier islands and how they basically roll toward the mainland. And thanks for the always interesting content!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Definitely want to tell some stories from the Outer Banks! They're not too far from me either, so I plan to do some videos from there soon. Thanks for watching!

[@Nate_Higgins]

I love this valley. Been to the dunes a few times. Sledding on them is fun. Also nice hot springs in the SLV, and very dark skies at night. It's just all around wonderful.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I've heard so many good things about this park. I can't wait to visit someday!

[@sujimtangerines]

Fell in love with the science of how dunes are created after a spontaneous stop at Big Dune just outside Vegas & from that point, made a point of visiting more. Have been to Great Sandsñ, White Sands, Indiana Dunes, Dumont, Oregon Dunes & Mesquite Flat. Still missing Coral Pink & the ones just north of Mexicali... None of them are terribly far so maybe when it cools off. For anyone interested, take a side trip to Black Canyon of the Gunnison park while you're in the area. Totally worth it.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Very cool. I can honestly admit I didn't know much about dunes before preparing this episode, but I was thoroughly impressed by what I found. They're such complex systems and I have a newfound appreciation for them!

[@heyjude1927]

Mother Nature makes SO much FUN and creates such amazing environments.....- even with "explanations" from people....I Just amaze and chill and chill some more. This has been one of my most favorite places to just....Hope to visit again someday again.

[@jeffsinger5789]

Great video! Good info and well presented. Thanks for taking the time to make it!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you for taking the time to watch it! Much appreciated!

[@SirWilliamGoes]

Be sure to stop in at Lu’s Main Street cafe in Blanca during your visit. The breakfast burrito with the green chili is amazing

[@NationalParkDiaries]

That sounds delicious. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@danofiremano]

The Dunes are one of my favorite places to fly kites. The natural colors of the earth mixed with the man made color of rip-stop nylon make a great contrast for all to see. Thanks for the science lesson!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

That does sound cool! I've never actually flown a kite 😬

[@danofiremano]

@@NationalParkDiaries _ Wow! I suggest not getting a $4 Wal-Mart kite & trying to fly it on a blustery day, but instead get a kite from an online kite store for about $20 & you will have a good time with something that will last a long time! BTW, I'll be at the Dunes in a week or so & plan on taking a couple of very large show kites with me.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

@@danofiremano Thanks for tips, I'll have to give it a try! It honestly seems super fun and I've always been interested in it, just never tried it. Enjoy your trip and enjoy the dunes!

[@BUKHAREE]

Thank you for this. Explained the dunes in the simplest way possible.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

You're very welcome. Thanks for watching!

[@borzoi2607]

I was at GSNP in May this year, it's Absolutely one of my top 5 parks

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Very cool, glad to hear it. I've heard it's insanely quiet. Did you experience that?

[@borzoi2607]

In some places yeah, although the dunes themselves have a definite singing noise when you walk on them. The most incredible thing was how bright the full moon was there, the first night I was there it was possible to navigate by moonlight alone, and the second was the lunar eclipse which was differently amazing.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

@@borzoi2607 Incredible. I've heard so many good things about this park and I'm so excited to go one day!

[@jamescurley1576]

awesome video! keep those uploads consistent and youll break 100k in no time

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks James! I really appreciate the support!

[@crazyconcertkid4413]

This was such a engaging video to watch. Thank you.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed it!

[@alexconrad2904]

Another place that shows the same exact forces here, albeit a little smaller, is in the North Park of Colorado, at the East Sand Hills. Same process, only smaller because North Park is a lot smaller than the SLV, and the dunes are split between the east sand hills and north sand hills.

[@lisacable1392]

I loved this video! Especially seeing my son at the end:) I wish I had been able to visit this park while living out in Colorado. Maybe one day. Keep up the excellent work!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks! Yeah, I guess we'll just have to go back and visit lol

[@a_little_gusty]

Wow! I just visited here over the weekend and I could;dnt stop thinking about how all that sand got there. Thanks!!!!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you for watching!

[@mikenichols3849]

the same geologic conditions exist further north in jackson county, north park. while those dunes aren't so tall you are allowed to use atv's and dirt bikes.

[@desert.mantis]

Great description of geomorphic processes.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks!

[@ltsdrone4763]

I've been absolutely loving your content, I've been binge watching a bunch of videos and they're all just so well made and thought out, keep up the amazing work you're doing 🔥🔥👏👏

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks so much, I truly appreciate that! Thanks for being here!

[@StsFiveOneLima]

I climbed to the top of Star Dune last November. It was absolutely grueling, even sticking to the dune ridges as much as possible, and the windward sides when not. But definitely worth it. I first saw these on a flight to LA, from back East. For whatever reason, I had not previously heard of the Park, but saw, first, the incredibly well-organized Sangre de Christo mountain chain, and the pocket of dunes on the Western flank, and decided I had to visit it.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I've definitely heard that! I've gotten so many recommendations for this park myself - can't wait to visit. Glad you enjoyed your trip!

[@sunnygirlishappy]

Another great video. Thanks love

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you!!

[@DJDouglasWarden]

I've been there a couple times it's an absolutely beautiful place. I failed at my attempt to climb to the top of stardune both times as I ran out of energy.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

From what I've heard, it seems deceptively difficult and energy consuming. Glad you gave it a shot though!

[@maxxumfioriti753]

Another great video!! Nice job

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thank you! I really appreciate it!

[@TheModernPioneer]

Visiting there in October, super excited!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Enjoy! I'll be in Colorado then as well, but heading up to Rocky. Hope to make it to GSD some day!

[@ripwednesdayadams]

a fellow nonfiction lover 🖤 i’m from the east coast so it’s strange to see dunes that aren’t at the beach. also dunes with names! here the dunes are always changing.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I'm from the East Coast as well, and yeah, my experience with dunes have always been at the beach! It was really interesting to learn about these megadunes for the channel!

[@KujoA2]

They got every kind of dunes except perched dunes! (This is me hoping you'll make a video about Sleeping Bear and Pictured Rocks. I live in Colorado now and get to blow people's minds when I show them photos of those parks and then tell them what they're looking at is in Michigan.)

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Oh yeah, definitely have to get up that way at some point!

[@mikenichols3849]

thanks much for another good informative video. minor corrections, sangre de cristo and san luis the pronunciation here is wrong. the 'a's' are not said as 'ah' but rather for example as when you say the word "sand." i only mention as many learn of our places thanks in part to your efforts and want them to start off on the right foot so to speak. fyi this rule applies to all places using spanish words in the west be it Nevada or Sangre De Cristo.👍

[@Chris-ut6eq]

Blinkest - It's important to remember that summaries of other's ideas are yet another layer away from primary sources. If you desire to specialized in an area/field, get as close to primary sources as possible and synthesize the information for yourself. I'm a dilettante in many areas, so appreciate summaries geared toward non-specialists, but I do not consider myself having any degree of an authority in those areas. It's important to be aware of limitations of knowledge an the innate bias we all have.

[@Amythest]

These dunes may be the tallest, but I’m reminded of my childhood park: White Sands.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Another good park!

[@kosjeyr]

Made me laugh at 2:52 as you used a part of the intro clip of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I laugh because I'm currently re-watching it out of boredom.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Haha, great show!

[@joannabell9294]

Thank you

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks for watching Joanna!

[@charlesroberts8803]

I haul potatoes from that valley to Walmart all the time.

[@ohnoohyeah3205]

Thank you for not pronouncing the word important as "impordant," which is very common on the KZbins. 👏👏👏

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Haha, I've got plenty of other mispronunciations on here to make up for it 😂

[@mybackhurts7020]

Do the Kelso dunes

[@JoshDoingLinux]

Being a Utahn and clearly better than the Coloradans I didn’t even know they had dunes, this is very interesting! It’s like when I tell people that utah has volcanos around its southern border, activity is negligible but they’re there!

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I won't tell the Coloradans you said that 😂

[@JoshDoingLinux]

@@NationalParkDiaries I do need to hike some Colorado mountains tho, might make me change my mind about the mountains at least 😂

[@NationalParkDiaries]

@@JoshDoingLinux heading to Rocky Mountain National Park myself at the end of September. I've always enjoyed my time in the Colorado mountains

[@JoshDoingLinux]

@@NationalParkDiaries probably put an adventure up on that with like a vlog channel, couple days after you are gone just dump the footage with minimal editing. Or on Patreon for those guys.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

@@JoshDoingLinux Yeah definitely going to document it somehow. I've got some stories planned for that trip as well!

[@Kilgore_Trout]

Do you have a list of nonfiction books you'd recommend?

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Sure! I mainly read environmental/conservation books and these are my favorites: Where the Wild Things Were by William Stolzenburg The Invention of Nature by Andrew Wulf Leave Only Footprints by Connor Knighton Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner (also, Rivers of Empire by Donald Worster if you want something a little more on the technical side) The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant There's also a ton of stuff I haven't read, but I keep track of it all on my Goodreads lists: www.goodreads.com/nationalparkdiaries You're welcome to comb through there and see if there's anything that stands out to you!

[@BoomKing72]

Fear is the mind-killer

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration

[@zbeebs]

I went to Great Sand Dunes and there was no sign of Timothee Chalamet. What the heck?

[@NationalParkDiaries]

0/10 no Chalamet in the dunefield 😂

[@vsiegel]

How much is the dune volume in cubic football fields? And for the Europeans, in cubic soccer fields? [scnr]

[@davidsellon4580]

So are the dunes still accreting and growing in size, or are they stable now, and why?

[@NationalParkDiaries]

They are stable as of now, mainly because vegetation outside the dunefield has stabilized the amount of sand entering the system. This NPS website breaks it down pretty well: www.nps.gov/grsa/learn/nature/sanddunes.htm

[@davidsellon4580]

@@NationalParkDiaries , thanks!

[@thetommantom]

How about 1,100 foot glacier fields

[@rogerdudra178]

I read every day, too.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I love it! Read anything good recently?

[@rogerdudra178]

@@NationalParkDiaries I'm on chapter 45 of A.B. Guthrie's novel "The Big Sky". For the 2nd time.

[@fabiolater227]

I don’t know my, but I wonder if there are lost caves deep under the bedrock below the dunes

[@DanielWSonntag]

Sediment = sand castle

[@NationalParkDiaries]

For illustrating this concept, yes lol!

[@santoast24]

I like sand

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I think we've got just the park for you 😂

[@benlzicar7628]

Bruneau Sand Dunes in Idaho is also the tallest "free standing" sand dunes in North America.

[@JackVice]

Imma say it, I didn't enjoy the new Dune movie tbh. I prefer the book.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

I liked the movie (Denis Villeneuve is awesome), but yeah, I prefer the book as well.

[@mason6883]

What a terrible selection of books.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

Thanks!

[@kegsofvomitspit]

They only give out about ten permits per night to hike out into the dunes and spend the night in them. I’ve had the opportunity to do so and it was wonderful.

[@NationalParkDiaries]

That sounds incredible!