For all that we talk about mountains in Colorado, I feel like it's criminally underappreciated how much desert there is in the Centennial State. It's particularly noticeable on the Western Slope, where we get the lovely quality of vastly different temperatures between day and night, from time to time.

There is a silver lining to this nonsense, however. Through a combination of its mild desert climate and sheer luck, Colorado is actually home to the largest sand dune in the United States of America. If you find that news shocking, then you need to hang on to your underpants, because you, yes you, can actually hike the largest sand dune in the country!

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Down in Mosca, a little north of Alamosa in the San Luis Valley, resides the Great Sand Dunes National Park, itself home to the aforementioned tallest dunes in America. The tallest of the tall, nicknamed the Star Dune, actually checks in at an astonishing 750 feet high. For context, the largest sand dune in the world is actually the Duna Federico Kirbus in Argentina, which is about 4035 feet.

Clearly, we are nowhere near being the leader in this particular regard, but we never really even had the chance. Besides, we've got a great deal: ours holds the record in the country, and despite what you might assume about a sand dune, the park is actually quite diverse, making it truly one of the great natural marvels we lay claim to in the Centennial State. Everybody really should check it out.

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