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Scenic Wonders: Alamosa, Colorado
 The San Luis Valley is a land of sharp and beautiful contrasts, deep history and wild experiences that stay with visitors long after they're gone. Take a tour through our incredible region in the pages that follow, but be careful – we're hard to resist.
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Didn't think you could build sandcastles in Colorado? Think again. North America's highest sand dunes flank some of the continent's highest mountain peaks in the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. It's just a 45-minute drive from downtown Alamosa. More than 30 square miles of dune fields stretch across the landscape, offering visitors one of the most unique playgrounds found anywhere.
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Perhaps surprisingly, the unique desert ecosystem and lakes of the San Luis State Park and Wildlife Area, located west of the Great Sand Dunes, attract a multitude of water fowl. Perfect for viewing wildlife, the Park also features boating, fishing, sailing, swimming, and windsurfing. The campground includes electrical hookups, sheltered tables, and fire grills.
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Visit the Medano-Zapata Ranch, a Nature Conservancy preserve, where the bison herd and free range elk coexist. The Ranch is a large bison preserve featuring gasslands and wetlands on the west side of the Great Sand Dunes. Workshops are available spring through fall. The 100,000-acre preserve is the largest in Colorado.
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The Rio Grande National Forest is 1.86 million acres and remains one of the true undiscovered jewels of Colorado. The Continental Divide runs for 236 miles along most of the western border of the Forest. The Forest presents myriad ecosystems; from 7600-ft alpine desert to over 14,300-ft in the majestic Sangre de Cristo Wilderness on the eastern side.
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Don't forget to Investigate the San Luis Valley's Wildlife Refuges. Two well-established refuges, The Alamosa and Monte Vista refuges, are havens for migratory birds and other wildlife. In 2000, Congress authorized the establishment of the Baca National Wildlife Refuge north of the Great Sand Dunes.
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An impressive eleven of Colorado's collection of “fourteeners” (peaks over 14,000 feet) cradle the valley. Our Fourteeners include popular Blanca Peak, San Luis Peak, and Kit Carson Peak. Hikers, campers and climbers bag peaks in this array of high-altitude challenges.
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High in the San Juan Mountains above the valley is the birthplace of the mighty Rio Grande - a storied river with a strong place in the history and lore of the American West. Our Rivers, the Rio Grande and the Conejos, provide opportunities for wildlife and ecosystem exploration and world-class fishing.
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