My husband took Blossom out for an early morning romp in the dunes. They captured some great pictures.
This is the path down to the dunes from the campground.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Dunes pictures
My husband took Blossom out for an early morning romp in the dunes. They captured some great pictures.
This is the path down to the dunes from the campground.
Hiking between the campground and the visitor center
There is a lovely trail between the Great Sand Dunes Campground (Pinyon Flats) and the visitor center (about 1.5 miles each way). You start out with a fairly standard CO trail.
We very quickly saw some deer.
Then we got out into a more open area with excellent views of the dunes.
Next we entered a forested area with very pretty trees, especially the Aspen which had beautiful colors.
There was a loop at the end where we crossed a bridge.
Blossom sampled the water.
We headed back the way we came after a beautiful and relaxing easy hike.
We very quickly saw some deer.
Then we got out into a more open area with excellent views of the dunes.
Next we entered a forested area with very pretty trees, especially the Aspen which had beautiful colors.
There was a loop at the end where we crossed a bridge.
Blossom sampled the water.
We headed back the way we came after a beautiful and relaxing easy hike.
Hiking Zapata Falls
We loved hiking Zapata Falls! It is a great adventure for very little effort. You have to drive up a 3.5 mile dirt/gravel road that is pretty bumpy. We asked at the visitor center about the road condition and were told it was fine for all vehicles even RVs. As a result we were a bit surprised at the roughness. However, if you go slow it is fine. At the top there is a campground, picnic area and parking lot.
From the parking lot you go up a rocky trail. There are benches placed along the way for those from out of state who aren't used to the altitude.
It is pretty rocky but we were fine in our river sandals. I think flip-flops would be too flimsy. We saw people in tennis shoes.
After about a half mile you come to the entrance to the stream. The fall colors made it very pretty.
Blossom plunged right in.
A look upstream shows the path we are about to traverse. You start out going along the shoreline on the right.
But then the shoreline ends so you walk in the river, either on the stones or not, as available.
In a short while you go in between some tall rocks.
Then you see the falls!
It's tough to get a picture of both the upper and lower falls at the same time as they are so tall.
Blossom wants to climb them! We get spray on the cameras as the water is thundering down around us.
The canyon is stunning.
We don't stay very long since the dogs are standing in the cold water.
The view going back out is equally as pretty.
The river wasn't flowing very high while we were there so it was an easy and fun hike.
If you are in the area of the Great Sand Dunes National Park I highly recommend hiking Zapata Falls.
From the parking lot you go up a rocky trail. There are benches placed along the way for those from out of state who aren't used to the altitude.
It is pretty rocky but we were fine in our river sandals. I think flip-flops would be too flimsy. We saw people in tennis shoes.
After about a half mile you come to the entrance to the stream. The fall colors made it very pretty.
Blossom plunged right in.
A look upstream shows the path we are about to traverse. You start out going along the shoreline on the right.
But then the shoreline ends so you walk in the river, either on the stones or not, as available.
In a short while you go in between some tall rocks.
Then you see the falls!
It's tough to get a picture of both the upper and lower falls at the same time as they are so tall.
Blossom wants to climb them! We get spray on the cameras as the water is thundering down around us.
The canyon is stunning.
We don't stay very long since the dogs are standing in the cold water.
The view going back out is equally as pretty.
The river wasn't flowing very high while we were there so it was an easy and fun hike.
If you are in the area of the Great Sand Dunes National Park I highly recommend hiking Zapata Falls.
Zapata Falls Campground
Zapata Falls campground is a completely developed campground. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and bear proof food storage locker. We pretty much had the place to our selves. There was a tent at the other end of the camp ground but we neither saw nor heard the occupants. Edit: This is now a very busy campground as it is well known and sites are hard to get.
After driving the RV loop we selected a level site with a view.
The only minus to most of the sites is no shade trees.
We had a spectacular view.
Here is a pic. of another site.
And another one.
And another. Amazingly enough, no occupants.
We enjoyed hiking the campground roads.
At night the campground was completely silent there was no road noise, no people noise, no bug noise. I was amazed at the silence.
After driving the RV loop we selected a level site with a view.
The only minus to most of the sites is no shade trees.
We had a spectacular view.
Here is a pic. of another site.
And another one.
And another. Amazingly enough, no occupants.
We enjoyed hiking the campground roads.
At night the campground was completely silent there was no road noise, no people noise, no bug noise. I was amazed at the silence.
Dog pics at Zapata Falls Campground
Our dogs love exploring the campgrounds looking for wildlife.
Blossom keeps a sharp eye out.
Can we go up here?
The wildlife has been under this stump!
Blossom keeps a sharp eye out.
Can we go up here?
The wildlife has been under this stump!
Fall colors
After spending two nights at the Great Sand Dunes and one night at Zapata Falls it was time to head home. We decided to take the scenic route instead of the expressway to enjoy the fall colors.
We hit the fall colors at the perfect time. The mix of bright yellow, vibrant orange and greens was stunning.
This is the better picture of Blossom.
This one has the better colors since the sun is shining on more of the trees.
It was a wonderful trip. Were hoping to fit in one more before we have to winterize the RV. I was very pleased that the RV handled the high passes very well. In addition everything worked flawlessly. I'm very impressed with how much power our batteries provide as there are no hook ups at the Great Sand Dunes campground. There is nothing like waking up in a toasty warm RV.
We hit the fall colors at the perfect time. The mix of bright yellow, vibrant orange and greens was stunning.
This is the better picture of Blossom.
This one has the better colors since the sun is shining on more of the trees.
It was a wonderful trip. Were hoping to fit in one more before we have to winterize the RV. I was very pleased that the RV handled the high passes very well. In addition everything worked flawlessly. I'm very impressed with how much power our batteries provide as there are no hook ups at the Great Sand Dunes campground. There is nothing like waking up in a toasty warm RV.
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