The San Luis Valley

Great Sand Dunes National Park

At 8,000 square mi, the San Luis Valley is the world's largest alpine valley, sprawling on a broad, flat, dry plain between the San Juan and La Garita mountains to the west and the Sangre de Cristo range to the east. But equally important is that the valley, like the Southwest, remains culturally rooted in the early Hispanic tradition rather than the northern European one that early prospectors and settlers brought to central and northern Colorado.

Despite its average elevation of 7,500 feet, the San Luis Valley's sheltering peaks help to create a relatively mild climate. The area is one of the state's major agricultural producers, with huge annual crops of potatoes, carrots, canola, barley, and lettuce. In many ways, it's self-sufficient; in the 1950s, local business owners threatened to secede to prove that the state couldn't get along without the valley and its valuable products. Half a century later, however, the reality is that the region is economically disadvantaged and contains two of the state's poorer counties. The large and sparsely populated valley contains some real oddities, including an alligator farm, a UFO-viewing tower, and the New Age town of Crestone, with its spiritual centers.

Watered by the Rio Grande and its tributaries, the San Luis Valley also supports a magnificent array of wildlife, including flocks of birds, such as migrating sandhill cranes. The range of terrain is equally impressive, from soaring Fourteeners, to the stark moonscape of the Wheeler Geologic Area, to the undulating landscape of the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is a draw for hikers. World-class climbing can be found outside Del Norte in the Penitente Canyon. The Rio Grande National Forest west of the valley and the San Isabel National Forest to the east offer millions of acres of backcountry pleasures.

This area was settled first by the Ute, then by the Spanish, who left their indelible imprint in the town names and architecture. The oldest town (San Luis), the oldest military post (Fort Garland), and the oldest church (Our Lady of Guadalupe in Conejos) in the state are in this valley.