Must see - be come prepared with water & sun protection!
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve的点评
点评:The Sand Dunes are a truly unique experience and it's worth the drive to do it. But BE PREPARED with sun protection (and reapply hourly!), and lots of water!
It's about 15 minutes from the main highway to the visitor's Center - stop there first to get a map and learn how to best enjoy the Dunes. Parking to reach the Dunes is a few minutes past that. Parking wasn't bad at 10am on a summer day (surprisingly), but have heard it can fill up.
It's about a 1/2 mile from the parking lot across the dune flats until you reach the dune hills. This can be a strenuous walk in deep sand - take lots of breaks and drink much water. Once you get up the first hill, you'll have lots of choices to find places to sled or roll down, or sit and enjoy watching everyone do it. Those who are adventurous and have stamina can hike deeper into the Dunes for the best experience.
Many places in town to rent sleds. Typical snow sleds won't really work unless you wax them well. Someone brought kites and that worked well as it can be very windy.
Go in the early evening for fewer crowds, cooler weather and a beautiful view. If going in the daytime, get there before 9am if you can for parking and also to avoid the heat. Bring more water than you think you'll need, also bring a bandana or scarf to block sand when the wind picks up.
There is a foot washing station at the parking lot, and changing rooms as well. The visitor's center has flush bathrooms and a bottle filler. No picnic tables though, so if you want to eat a picnic lunch do this at the site near the Dunes parking lot.
翻译:沙丘之旅绝对是一次独一无二的体验,值得驱车前往。但务必做好防晒措施(每小时补涂一次!),并带足饮用水!
从主干道到游客中心大约需要 15 分钟——建议先在那里拿一份地图,并了解如何更好地游览沙丘。停车场就在游客中心之后几分钟的路程。令人惊讶的是,夏日上午 10 点停车还算方便,但听说车位可能会比较紧张。
从停车场穿过沙丘平地到沙丘山丘大约需要半英里(约 800 米)。这段路程在厚厚的沙子上行走可能会比较费力——建议多休息,多喝水。爬上第一个沙丘后,你会发现很多地方可以滑雪橇或滚下沙丘,或者坐下来欣赏其他人的精彩表演。喜欢冒险且体力充沛的人可以徒步深入沙丘,获得更佳的体验。
镇上有很多地方可以租雪橇。普通的雪橇如果不打蜡的话不太好用。有人带了风筝,效果不错,因为这里风很大。
傍晚时分去人少,天气凉爽,还能欣赏到美丽的景色。如果白天去,最好在早上9点前到达,这样停车方便,也能避开正午的烈日。带的水要比你预想的要多,还要带条头巾或围巾,以防起风时沙子飞进嘴里。
停车场有洗脚站和更衣室。游客中心有冲水卫生间和饮水机。不过没有野餐桌,所以如果想吃野餐,可以去沙丘停车场附近的野餐区。