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Colorado Trip Reports A place to post up details after an adventure. |
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#1
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Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
So we decided on a whim to take a day trip to Great Sand Dunes today, and decided to go in "backwards", westward over Medano Pass. For those who haven't been before, two things (1) GO! (2) Medano Pass is kindof the backdoor into the park, coming over the Sangre De Cristo's from the Walsenberg/Gardner side, and dropping into Sand Dunes NP on the eastern edge at the mountains (main entrance is on the southwest side of the park). The mountains between the pass and the park are actually not part of the NP, but are federal land part of the Great Sand Dunes Nature Preserve, so it is somewhat a wilderness area with (1) a 4wd road, and (2) primitive campsites, complete with "bear lockers" -- the Sangres are big time bear habitat...
Without further ado -- we drove the 1.5 hours south of CS to Walsenberg, and headed west about 30 miles on CO Hwy 69 to the turn to FS Road 559 - Medano Pass. It was a perfect, if cool, day - 65 degrees. Medano Pass is a fairly uncomplicated 4wd road, really probably don't need to use 4wd all that much, except for the low range, as it is steep in parts (and has 9 stream crossings on the way back down into the park of Medano Creek...) Just getting started, view of the Sangres from the start of the Medano Pass road: ![]() ![]() Less than 1/2 way up, looking back at Spanish Peaks: ![]() Cool road, great views: ![]() ![]() ![]() We had a nice picnic about 3/4 of the way up, awesome views to the SE: ![]() ![]() Coming over the top, with tremendous aspens on the way back down: ![]() ![]() The first (and shallowest) of the 9 main-channel water crossings: ![]() No. 2 ![]() Last edited by xj-grin; May 30th, 2010 at 22:18. |
#2
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
Cont:
26 campsites on the park side, all have these big brown bear lock boxes... some real nice, real big, group type sites: ![]() and then, all of a sudden... ![]() The scale is just tremendous (second time this week I have been overwhelmed by the hugeness of it all) ![]() Last crossing... just touched the rockers (34cfs today, they close the trail at 50 cfs) ![]() WOW ![]() ![]() ![]() Right where the NP starts, Medano Creek intersects the eastern portion of the dunes, creating this odd, semi-beach-like setting -- the sand is hot, the water is COLD -- the boys had a blast! ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() the beached whale is me... ![]() |
#3
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
Cont:
some knuckle-dragger types were boarding the dunes pretty well too! ![]() Gorgeous! ![]() ![]() ![]() Great day! ![]() ![]() |
#4
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
Yep, definitely gotta put that on my "go see" list. Shoulda gone that way when I went to Pagosa Springs.....
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#5
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
Looks like an awesome trip. I'm with Yella, thats going on my list.
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#6
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
I love the sand dunes I was there as a kid long time ago
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#7
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
I love the sand dunes I was there as a kid long time ago
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#8
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
beautiful trail, by far one of my favorite. went last summer, and i am actually going in a few days before i deploy next week to slovakia. recommend to any one
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#9
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
![]() ![]()
__________________
[Q. Why do the British drink warm beer? A. Lucas wires their refrigerators too. |
#10
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
virtually every stock rig we saw up there had a front-license-plate-"boner" from running the water too fast. There was two drowned vehicles on the road on Sunday, one an XJ, but I couldn't find the owner to lend a hand.
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#11
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
Very cool man I'll be taking this trip for sure this summer .
I've been wanting to take medano pass for years . Did you head up Mosca pass trail to the glacier stream ? Its one of my favorite places here in Colorado ! |
#12
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
No Mosca this trip, since it was already a 12 hour day trip with two young kids. We may end up on Mosca next time around if I wimp out on Blanca...
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#13
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
Yeah , I suppose you got to make a weekend of it . Seeing those pictures bring back allot of memory's from a couple of trips I took back in my single
without kids days . |
#14
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
I've been to those dunes a ton as a kid
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#15
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Re: Medano Pass - Great Sand Dunes NP
OH... EM... GEE... lol. as soon as im off work im calling up the boys to see when they want to set up a camping trip. thats incredible. from one extreme to another, both being gorgerous.
AHHHHH!!! i need out of this damn cast so i can get the jeep in shape and wheel! |
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Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Sand Dunes Pictures Via Madono Pass | YosemiteMatt | Colorado Chapter | 9 | September 29th, 2008 23:06 |
Silver Cliff to Great Sand Dunes | YosemiteMatt | Colorado Chapter | 6 | September 25th, 2008 21:13 |
Great Sand Dunes | pabloconrad | Colorado Chapter | 9 | May 6th, 2007 18:44 |
Medano Pass 6-03-06 | Frank Z | Colorado Chapter | 3 | June 4th, 2006 22:14 |