I was so excited for this five-day Colorado road trip. It would be my first time seeing Great Sand Dunes National Park and the San Luis Valley. The drive in was incredibly rainy, but I was optimistic it meant one thing: snow-capped peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains above the dunes.

And oh boy, did Mother Nature deliver! The towering spires glistened in the sunlight as I drove into my 40th national park! Inside, you’ll get how I spent two days at the dunes, then spent the remaining three days adventuring north through Buena Vista, Twin Lakes, and Leadville.

colorado road trip IMG_2640 (Custom)

Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

5-Day Colorado Road Trip: Great Sand Dunes to Leadville

Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

colorado road trip IMG_2691 (Custom)

Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

colorado road trip IMG_2832-2 (Custom)

Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

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Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

colorado road trip IMG_2965 (Custom)

Photo Credit: Alec Sills-Trausch

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