Bad Weather in the Sand Dunes

They look to us like wondering how do we dare to visit with this awful weather. Crazy humans! - Autumn 2025. 

We are going in while they are fleeing the dunes. They know better. The famous place is foggy, wet, cold, and as windy as it always is. Campground still full. Not even a way to reserve for the same day. What a mess has become to wander the West in these days.

Where are the Sand Dunes? - Map my location.

Dispersed Camping Under Blanca Peak

Entrance to BLM land at Lake Como Road with Blanca Peak in the background - Fall 2025. 

Rain followed us through the windy San Luis Valley. We camped free in BLM land under the fourth highest summit of Colorado: Blanca Peak (also the highest in the Sangre de Cristo Range with 14,351 feet - 4,374 meters). The peak was hidden by clouds most of these days. This mountain is sacred for the Navajo. They called it “Sisnaajiní” (means “Dawn” or “White Shell Mountain”).

Where is Blanca Peak? - Map my location. 

Eagle View of the Sand Dunes

Cold day of fall in the mighty dunes of Colorado (2025). 

Here they are! The famous Sand Dunes of Colorado. The highest pile of sand in North America. I took the photo high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains - near the Zapata Falls. The Utes called them the "sand that moves". Then came the Spaniards, followed later by the trip of Zebulon Pike through the White Mountains - old name for the Sangre de Cristo Range. Windy cold day of autumn. Beautiful wilderness. 

Where are the Sand Dunes of Colorado? - Map my location.

The Hike to Zapata Falls

End of the walk at the new bridge over South Zapata Creek - Fall 2025.

Busy place. Many cars up there. Different six years ago - a harder climb on a rough road. The campground? Packed - no open campsite. The falls? A walk in a shopping mall - crowded. I passed the falls and hiked up to a new wooden bridge over South Zapata Creek. Humid cliffs nearby. The creek was probably named after the old "Zapata Ranch" down in the San Luis Valley. Spanish surname. Good views of the Sand Dunes from these mountains. 

Where are the Zapata Falls? - Map my location.

Lower Beaver Creek Campground

My campsite in Lower Beaver Creek, Colorado, in the fall of 2025. 

Late arrival. Rain and plenty of low clouds in the mountains. This camp of Rio Grande National Forest near South Fork was mostly empty. No trash and no water service meant a discounted price - $10 per night, $5 with interagency pass. A sign warning of a visitor bear. Rain all night. The bear stayed dry in its cave. Slept in the truck. 

Where is the Lower Beaver Creek Campground? - Map my location.

Silverton Under Fog and Rain

Bad weather over the Silverton Visitor Center in the fall of 2025. 

Rain, low clouds, dense fog. This was my fall experience in the popular town of Colorado. Visitor center closed. A drive through Main Street revealed the old jewels; relics of western times. No way to dry camp here. All is coldness and water. Winter waiting by a corner.

Where is Silverton? - Map my location.

Bear Creek Falls Near the City of Ouray

Bear Creek Falls in Colorado with the famous road as roof - Fall of 2025.  

The creek runs under the famous road: the Million Dollar Highway. Big jump with a turquoise splash. Impressive spot of the Uncompahgre National Forest in the San Juan Mountains. Across the valley, the 450-foot-tall Ralston Creek Falls sliding over the rocks. Amazing place. Amazing nature.

Where is Bear Creek? - Map my location.