ADVENTURE IN ALAMOSA COUNTY

Hiking the Great Sand Dunes near the town of Alamosa - Photo by Matt Inden/Weaver Multimedia Group

Information on
About Alamosa
Scenic and Historic Trains
Scenic and Historic Byway
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Wildlife Viewing

About Alamosa

Alamosa is embraced by two national wildlife refuges - Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge to the west and Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge to the east. Because of this, the area offers some of the state's prime birdwatching. The town is also a starting point to Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway that leads travelers to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

Top of page

Rio Grande Scenic Railroad

ItIt's been nearly an entire generation since trains have traveled across these tracks near Alamosa. Originally constructed in 1878, the railway was built to help promote and sustain the development of the area. Long known as an agrarian community, raw goods were the export of the town, with finished products coming in to meet the needs of settlers.

The passenger route was closed in 1953 and reopened to visitors in 2006, meaning passengers of today's Rio Grande Railway out of Alamosa are treated to an experience very few today can say they've had. The Rio Grande now runs two passenger trains from Alamosa - The Toltec Limited and the San Luis Express. The Toltec Limited acts as an artery connecting travelers by narrow gauge from Alamosa to another scenic train, Cumbres & Toltec near Antonito.

The San Luis Express still chugs along on its original standard-gauge tracks, the highest in Colorado's Front Range. The terminus of this scenic ride is the moderately sized 1870s town of La Veta, where visitors lunch and shop before re-boarding for their return trip to Alamosa. The track is laid along the edge of the San Isabel National Forest, a natural playground for outdoor enthusiasts and a photographer's dream-shoot location. Riders also pass through two tunnels and round the dramatic Horseshoe Curve, where the opportunity for dramatic photographs is at its best.

Contact the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad

Top of page

Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway

Los Caminos Antiguos ("the Old Paths" in Spanish) traverses the cradle of the San Luis Valley, the largest intermontane basin in North America. To the east, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains cradle the tallest sand dunes in North America, and birdwatching at the nearby Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge is superb for raptor viewing.

The Byway Experience: Roughly the size of Delaware, the San Luis Valley is one of Colorado's most impressive landscapes, with massive sand dunes, nine 14,000-foot peaks ringing its eastern edge and the historic Rio Grande River pulsing through its heart. The wide and flat expanse of the valley floor served as a gateway into Colorado for Spanish explorers arriving from the south. As a result, the state's oldest communities can be found here.

Los Caminos Antiguos zigzags through valley and eventually rises into the southern San Juan Mountains. Here are some highlights of this route:

• Start your tour in Alamosa, a tightly knit community of 8,000 people and the central crossroads of commerce and travel in the valley.
• The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a mystifying sight. Pale in color by day, gold by dusk, the dunes' towering majesty has long captivated visitors.
• Stop by Fort Garland, a preserved military outpost that functioned in the valley from 1858 to 1883. Exhibits explore the roles various cultures played in the establishment of the plains.
• After Fort Garland, the byway delivers you to San Luis, which was established in 1851 and is Colorado's longest continuously occupied settlement.
• Get out of the car and board the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito, an authentic original of the narrow gauge railroad era.
• The route finishes atop beautiful La Manga Pass, whose aspen-shaded reaches offer a magnificent conclusion to your tour.

The History: This byway is exceptionally rich with history. Visit the Fort Garland Museum, the town of San Luis and catch a ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad in Antonito.

Four-wheel drive required? No
Portions closed in winter? No
Distance: 129 miles; Allow 3 hours
Towns: Alamosa, Antonito, San Luis, Fort Garland
Landmarks: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, La Manga Pass, Cumbres Pass, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Fort Garland Museum, San Juan Mountains, Blanca Peak, Ellingwood Peak, Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge, Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, San Luis Lake State Park

Top of page

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Colorado is home to North America's tallest sand dunes. Standing more than 750 feet high, these wind-shaped dunes are set against the backdrop of the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains and Wilderness Area. The park encompasses more than 30-square miles of unique landscape. Don't let the sandy name persuade you that it's pure desert. Instead, the park comprises lush forests, sky-scraping peaks and a variety of wildlife.

In winter, patches of snow dot the dunes turning them into impromptu ski slopes, where skiing, snowboarding, sledding and snowshoeing are common practices. This novel approach to skiing doesn't stop when the snow melts; instead, summer visitors bring skis or a snowboard and hit the sand instead of the snow. It's akin to a ski slope where fine sand replaces champagne powder and an invigorating hike substitutes for high-speed lifts. For a more traditional approach, hiking or backpacking these mountains of sand is also allowed.

With 88 car-camping and tent sites spread out over more than 33,000 acres, the park gives you a wealth of locations when staying the night.

Contact the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Top of Page

Wildlife Viewing

Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge
What to expect: A complex of dramatic river bends, pools, wet meadows and cottonwood/willow watery habitats stretch within the flood plain of the Rio Grande River. This valley area is an ideal home for seemingly countless varieties of birds. The serrated edges of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains also provide innumerable vistas on the eastern horizon.

What you’ll see: In winter and early spring, just before ice trickles into snowmelt, up to 100 bald eagles can be seen feasting on fish. An 80-foot-high bluff overlooking the refuge is a good place to set up your tripod and spot the regal national bird. There's more plumage than just the bald eagle variety; also watch for an abundance of waterfowl and wading birds, golden eagles, great horned and short-eared owls and other raptors. From March through October, sandhill cranes are abundant and many roost on the refuge. For those that enjoy a short hike, a two-mile trail follows the Rio Grande River, and offers prime viewing spots.

This area also provides excellent bird watching for various warblers, woodpeckers, flycatchers, and other nesting and migratory birds, including such unusual migrants as indigo buntings and blue grosbeaks. A self-guided car tour also provides views of wetland species. The refuge headquarters are open Monday through Friday and has interpretive exhibits and checklists.

Nearest town: Alamosa

Find wildlife viewing business listings

Top of page

05/12/2008