Sandcastles at 7,000 ft

Great Sand Dunes is located in the San Luis Valley and covers and area of about 130 square miles. These huge sand dunes are the tallest in North America and are about 440,00 years old. They are quite amazing.

What we didn't expect was to see water flowing through them! Medano Creek runs down from the Sangre De Cristo Mountains behind the dunes.

Families were there at the creek with kids building sandcastles, paddling and splashing around. A great way to cool down on a hot day.

Some people were attempting to sled down the dunes, but it wasn't really damp enough for them to be able to slide properly. Too much like hard work, so after we sat at the top of the first dune and watched them for a while, we decided to go back down to the creek for a paddle instead :-)