Great Sand Dunes National Park Family Vacations

The newest national park in the U.S. (so deemed in 2004), the Great Sand Dunes National Park in central southern Colorado offers kids the chance to run, slide, ski and roll down the nation's highest sand dunes, which peak at 750 feet and cover 30 square miles. These magnificent mountains of sand attract 300,000 visitors a year to the park.

The dunes owe their origin to the action of wind and water. First, streams and snow melts in the San Juan Mountains, 65 miles to the west, washed rocks, gravel, and grit to the valley floor. Then southwesterly winds picked up the smaller grains and carried them until they blew up against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, where they dropped their cargo. The sand piled up over the course of anywhere from 12,000 to more than a million years (scientists are still debating exactly how long) to form these famous dunes, which are still growing. The wind continually shapes and shifts the dunes, causing them to look slightly different every day, with the Sangre de Cristo range serving as a dramatic 13,000-foot-high backdrop.

But there's more to this 150,000-acre park and preserve than just sand. Grasslands, wetlands and scrublands surround the dunes on three sides and are a vital part of the dunes' ecosystem. This is one of the most biologically and geologically diverse parks in the country, home to a wide variety of wildlife, including deer, bears, mountain lions, foxes and coyotes, along with some rare species of insects (like the Great Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle) that live only here.

Ranger programs run daily from May through September and on selected days during the rest of the year. The park's Junior Ranger Program for kids ages 3 through 12 rewards kids with a badge or a patch (their choice) for completing a program of activities that vary by age group and include things like exploring the park, participating in the ranger programs, and learning from the visitors center exhibits and film. Older kids can also get a badge or patch for completing activities in the Park Explorers program.