GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE – Fun fact: The tallest sand dunes in North America are located in Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The tallest are Star Dune and Hidden Dune, both rising 741 feet from base to summit, according to the National Park Service. Interestingly, dune heights change often due to their sandy composition.
There are many different kinds of dunes, including:
↟ reversing
↟ star (like the tallest noted above!)
↟ parabolic
↟ barchan
↟ transverse
↟ nebka/coppice
These sand dunes are large, but nowhere near as big as they are outside of North America! For comparison, the tallest sand dune on Earth is Duna Federico Kirbus in Argentina at 4,035 feet tall, while the tallest coastal dune is Mount Tempest, Australia at 935 feet.
NATIONAL PARK NEWS
[…] says sand dunes can’t offer a heart-racing experience? Great Sand Dunes National Park is home to the tallest sand dunes in North America, some soaring over 700 feet. The […]