Dunes and Mystics
Thanksgiving in the Great Sand Dunes & Taos, New Mexico
by Holly Mandarich
Every off season I find myself called to Moab, the iconic land of endless canyons and red rocks, full of all manner of outdoor adventure possibility, but so does everyone else. This season we pointed our car away from the SLC and Front-Range masses and headed south, towards the Four Corners and the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Taos. Here is our trip in detail:
In Taos we visited a quaint and relentlessly charming glamping place called Hotel Luna Mystica. Thanksgiving was spent exploring the town of Taos, eating sliced turkey and peach pie out of our Toyota 4-Runner (sans utensils, I might add). Then we made our way down to the Manby Hot Springs for a dip. We double-upped on hot springs with a visit to Black Rocks Hot Springs.
On Thanksgiving Night we left Vail and headed to Great Sand Dunes National Park. Just outside the park there is a year-round campground called Zapata Falls. A high clearance vehicle is beneficial but not required. The campground offers many excellent sites ($11 a night) with fantastic views of Los Alamos, and you can get a great view of the Moonset in the off season.
On Black Friday we woke early to a campfire and then headed into the park for a day of exploring the dunes. It is a remarkable park, great for kids and yep, even your four legged friend.
The Four Corners area of the West are wild and wildly diverse section of North America and well worth some exploration. For us Taos has become our new Moab.
