Great Sand Dunes National Park

On July 3rd I flew out obscenely early (6am!) to Denver Colorado.  Having TSA Precheck for that early flight was worth the application fee alone.

My friend Bri met me at the airport and after some minor errands around town we started the drive down to Great Sand Dunes National Park.  It's about four hours south of Denver off of I-25.  The drive was mostly uneventful until we were about 30 minutes away from the park entrance.  The sky became very dark and thunder and lightening started then it promptly started HAILING!  Does this sound familiar?  It should, because that's exactly what happened when we were driving to the Grand Canyon in April!

We paid at the park entrance and found our campsite.  We had to wait in the car for a little while for the rain to clear up but it didn't take too long.  Bri and I planned this trip a long time ago so we had reserved a spot in Loop 2 of the Pinon Flats campground online.  If I understand correctly, Loop 1 spots are first come first serve but have much better views overlooking the dunes.  Our campsite had a bear box (that I couldn't figure out how to open!), a picnic table and a fire pit.  Firewood is for sale at the store near the campsite from 1-7pm only.

 

We didn't get everything set up until 5-6pm so that evening we went for a short walk around the dunes.  I was already getting eaten alive by bugs (mental note: bring bug spray everywhere!).  The setting sun cast some really beautiful shadows on the dunes.

Dinner was veggie burgers on a fancy camp stove Bri borrowed.  The evenings are very lively with lots of families and dogs in neighboring campsites but the stars are plentiful and it quiets down around 10pm.

Our site was conveniently across from the bathrooms where there is no soap, no paper towels and no showers!  I was very surprised to hear that there weren't any showers at the camp site because somehow NPS manages to get showers at the bottom of the Grand Canyon but apparently not in many other national parks.

We were awoken around 6am by some other camper snoring impressively loudly.  Bri made some delicious eggs on the stove, we packed sunscreen and water and set out for the hike! 

To get to the dunes you have to cross Medano Creek (also pictured above at night).  You can see in the morning (around 830am) it has a lot more water in it- though I think calling it a creek is generous.  Apparently it is formed by snow melt that mostly dries up later on in the day.

I kept seeing these tracks in the sand.  I never figured out what made them?  They sort of look like snake tracks but we never saw any snakes.

Another thing I found interested was the way the sand creates a mini sand "waterfall" when you're walking along the ridge of a dune.  The sand slides down the other side and creates this beautiful texture.  I'm sure there's some physics explanation as to why they're all the same length!

We had decided to try to get to the top of the tallest dune- Star Dune which is 755 feet high and located west of where the Dunes Trail from the campground hits the dunes.  So we scrambled up some smaller dunes, rested a lot and eventually made it to the ridge where we could see Star Dune.  I was questioning the value of climbing up 755 feet of sand (it's very very very hard) but decided to just go for it.

Of course the view from the top is well worth it!

Here we are at the top!

Overall I was surprised that it wasn't too hot.  It's very windy there (of course that's how sand dunes are made!) but the sand wasn't being blown around too badly.  I was also surprised by how challenging it is the hike up sand.  I'd also recommend wearing hiking boots with ankle support.  I didn't get too much sand in my boots but Bri had to stop and empty her shoes a couple of times.

If you go, bring snacks and take lots of breaks!  Overall it took us about 2-2.5 hours to get to the top and back to the campsite.

After the hike we were exhausted.  It also got very hot in the middle of the day.  We brought sleds but never went back to the dunes to try them out.  It was hot in the shade of our campsite so I don't think either of us wanted to brave the sun bouncing off the dunes.  We relaxed and read for the rest of the day.  Another storm threatened to get vicious that evening but it was nothing more than bad clouds and thunder.

 

That evening we built an impressive fire thanks to the wild wind (see the picture below!) and then packed everything up and headed out early in the morning.

The trip up Bright Angel Trail

After spending two nights at Phantom Ranch we ate breakfast at the ungodly hour of 5am, packed and headed out. Similar to the hike down, I thought the area of the trail around the Colorado was the most beautiful. 

We crossed the Silver bridge and hiked along the river for awhile. The sun was coming up and it accentuated the blue-green of the river and the white sand of the beach and I thought about how so few people get to see that sight- it was really beautiful!

You hear so many horror stories about the hike up Bright Angel- some say it takes 2-3 times as long as the hike down- which would put us at a miserable 12 hours!  But I think we got really lucky with the weather- it was really cool and much of the trail is shaded- so we finished in 7 hours (which is great because we had planned for 10 hours).   We took a 30ish minute break at Indian Gardens but other than that we didn't stop for long breaks too often. 

Before Indian Gardens the trail is mostly flat. You go through a nice shaded plateau along the river and creek beds but then after Indian Gardens it's almost all uphill and it's mostly switchbacks so the scenery doesn't change.  The hike wasn't as physically challenging as I expected but I could have done with an occasional change of scenery- not that the scenery that was there wasn't breathtaking!  But what made Kaibab so interesting to me was that it was totally different with every turn.  After Indian Gardens, Bright Angel was pretty much the same vista just smaller and smaller with each mile up. 

I was worried about my sunburn on the way so I tried to wear my fleece as long as possible but that only lasted an hour or so.  I kept slathering on sunscreen and luckily it didn't get any worse but I have a pretty great farmers tan. 

A few advantages of Bright Angel over Kaibab are that it has water and more bathroom stops- two necessities during hiking!  Once you get closer to the top there are significantly more tourists just taking a quick hike. I'll never understand how someone can hike in jeans, a leather jacket and converse!

Pro tips for the hike up:

- wear a long sleeve shirt! You will burn much easily on the way up and/or down. Next time I'll bring a long sleeve wicking/breathable shirt. 

- EAT. Even if you're not hungry- I started crashing towards the end and I'm sure it's because I didn't eat enough. Bring nuts or raisins or something that's easy to eat with one hand while also carrying trekking poles. 

- listen to music. I think this helped me immensely. It's easy to get very discouraged after you've been going up endlessly for hours and you still can't see the top. Music is a great motivator. 

- don't bring the sack lunch from Phantom Ranch. It's really heavy and you probably won't eat most of it. In fact, one day's lunch was enough for two days for me. 

- stay two nights at Phantom Ranch if you can. There are some great day hikes around the area or if you want to relax and do nothing it's great for that too!  Most of the people we talked to were only there for a night which surprised me. 

The Trip Down (South Kaibab Trail)

We woke up around 530am for the 630 breakfast at the Bright Angel Lodge. I had huevos rancheros which was 2 corn tortillas smothered in scrambled eggs, refried beans, chilis and  hash browns.  It was delicious. 

We left our bags in the bag check closet, went back to our rim view cabins and grabbed our packs (by rim view they mean view of the trees and gift shop around the sidewalk near the rim).

I should also mention that it was about 30 degrees and SNOWING this morning. We walked to the bus stop to get the hikers bus to the trail head and it was FREEZING.  We were a good 20 minutes early for the bus and no one wanted to sit on the benches because they were covered in snow. Luckily I had been able to buy gloves at one of the many gift shops around the rim but it was still cold and I was really nervous that I would be cold during the entire hike down 

Well, luckily it warmed up quickly and as I'm writing this at the bottom of the Grand Canyon at Phantom Ranch it's probably 75ish degrees and I'm wearing a fleece because, despite my goal, I got a TERRIBLE sun burn on the way down. I have witnesses to attest to the fact that I applied sunscreen frequently but who knows what happened?

Anyways we got to the trail head around 830ish and there were some elk just hanging out which I will post great pictures of when I'm home. We used the bathroom and then got started.

Overall the walk down was easy. We got to Phantom Ranch around 230 so it took us 6 hours but we stopped frequently to take pictures and just enjoy the scenery. I really think the Grand Canyon is completely breathtaking. The panoramic vista shots from the top that you're accustomed to don't really do it justice. We learned from one of the Rangers that only 40,000 people hike down to Phantom Ranch a year (compared to the 4 million that visit the south rim) and I think the most beautiful part of the Canyon was near the bridge over the Colorado River about 40 minutes from the Ranch. 

Pro tips for the hike down:

- Do it if you can. Phantom Ranch opens up for reservations a year in advance. 

- Take your time! Bring lots of sunscreen, a camera and snacks.  There are 2 bathroom stops on the way down on the Kaibab trail. 

- There is no water on the Kaibab so a pack with a 3 litre bladder would be the wisest choice. You can't buy bottled water in the Grand Canyon. 

- Try to get to Phantom before 4pm. The canteen is closed from 4-8pm for dinner and a beer or wine after that hike feels awesome. 

Arrival

We are at the Grand Canyon. It's about 50 degrees colder here than in DC and drinks are about $4 cheaper. Going to buy hat and gloves for the hike- I really had no idea it would be this cold. 

A beautiful hike.... then snow.

As I write this we are driving to the Grand Canyon and it is snowing/sleeting. Let's not talk about that.  Below is a picture from the car before it started sleeting when there was a touch of blue sky. 

Yesterday we had a delicious breakfast of cinnamon rolls and quiche at our B+B then went for a 7 mile hike around the Red Rocks. It was warm and very sunny (but not too hot) and believe it or not I didn't get a sunburn! Overall a very enjoyable experience with the exception of THE SNAKE WE RAN INTO. Brandon named him Big Butt but I'm not even sure snakes have butts? I got a great pic of him/her which I will share with you once we get home. 

See below for a panorama shot of Red Rocks. 

For dinner we drove north of Sedona and went to Garland's Lodge. The food wasn't amazing but the scenery and company were delightful. 

This morning after breakfast we packed and set out north and promptly ran into a snowstorm which hopefully will be replaced with sun and 80 degree weather
by the time we reach the canyon. We made a pit stop at the delightful Flagstaff airport to use the bathroom. 

Just got passed by a motorcycle gang. I'm sure they had a much more idyllic picture in mind when they planned their Grand Canyon motorcycle ride than this sleet!

Also, also just saw some pronghorn antelope on the side of the road!  Guess that makes up for seeing the snake- about breaking even on my wildlife goals. 

Arrival, go north to (almost) Sedona

We are in (almost) Sedona in a small town called Oak Creek. Our flight was uneventful but long. It's crazy we got to Dublin last year in 6 hours but BWI to Phoenix is almost as long. 

We headed north on I-17 and stumbled upon a fairly good Indian restaurant (Tandori Nights 3- suggesting 2 prior successful locations perhaps?) then went to Montezuma's Castle and afterwards Montezuma Well. The real Montezuma never was at either location as far as I know!  

Would love to post pics but unfortunately I can't figure out how to sync my camera with my phone. My test run at home worked perfectly but now that we are in the field things aren't going so smoothly. I'll bet that you will like the Well more than the Castle!

Had a few wildlife sightings. Some unidentified small mammal was swimming in the well with a few ducks. There was a lizard winking at me at the Castle which I have photographic proof of!  Brandon thinks he saw an ostrich in the desert but I think it may have been a Sasquatch. 

We leave tomorrow!

We leave for the Grand Canyon tomorrow morning!  Here is our itinerary:

Fly into Phoenix
Spend 2 nights in Sedona
Spend 1 night at Bright Angel Lodge
Hike down to Phantom Ranch, spend 2 nights
Hike back up out of the canyon, spend 1 night at Bright Angel Lodge
Fly back out of Phoenix

Goals for this trip:
Minimal sunburn
See some sort of wildlife (ideally a coyote or bobcat but a fox or elk would be okay)
NO SCORPIONS OR RATTLESNAKES
Feel the ~vibes~ at the Red Rocks