Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve guide · 1 min read
P.E.O. Sisterhood and the 1932 Dunes Monument
Before the dunes were protected, people in the nearby towns worried about what could happen to them.
People in Alamosa and Monte Vista feared that gold mining or concrete plants might wreck the landscape. Over time, locals came to take pride in the dunes, and area businesses saw them as a way to draw visitors who would spend money nearby.
A major step arrived in 1932, when the dunes and the land around them were set aside as a national monument. Members of the P.E.O. Sisterhood championed the legislation, and local people backed it broadly. That same year, President Herbert Hoover put his signature on the measure. The first boundaries enclosed 35,528 acres, but the initial monument shielded only the dunes themselves.
Concern for the watershed that includes the dunes drove later growth. People living in communities near the park pressed to guard that water source, and the monument's boundaries expanded well past the original dunes. Local backing in the late 1990s brought a preserve into being in 2000. In 2004, the monument and preserve were joined and redesignated as a national park and preserve, which now covers 149,028 acres.
The dunefield is the heart of the park, spanning about 30 square miles and holding the tallest dunes in North America. No trails cross the sand, so visitors can wander any part they choose. Many people go sand sledding or sandboarding down the slopes. Sandals are a poor choice because they irritate the feet, so high-top boots and long pants work best. The sand surface can reach 150 degrees during summer afternoons, so early morning or evening hikes are safer.
