Discussion: Sand Dunes
in: Orienteering; Off-Course
Jun 16, 2000 6:37 PM
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Hmm. I had always thought that Colorado Had the highest sand dunes in North America. Sergey claims Idaho has the
highest (500-600m tall). So I looked on the web and found that *both* sites claim to have the highest dunes in NA.
The National Park service has a web site for the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado:
http://www.nps.gov/grsa/
It says there that "Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 700 feet high against the
rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains."
Idaho Online Highways (http://ohwy.com/id/b/bruneisp.htm) makes a claim of having the "Bruneau Dunes State Park the tallest sand dunes in North America, towering to 470 feet high"
This LLbean site (dune experts, obviously - http://www.llbean.com/parksearch/parks/html/210lls...)
make a slightly different claim:
"The dunes include the largest single structured sand dune in North America, with a peak rising 470 feet above the lakes."
So apparently, the tallest dunefiled (base to summit) in North America is in Colorado (over 700 feet), while the tallest single dune in North America is in Idaho (470 feet). I've never seen the ones in Idaho, but the ones in colorado are certainly impressive (surrounded by 14,000' mountains, and spread over 39 sq miles).
Now, neither of these numbers quite reaches the "500-600 m"of Sergey's claims (1500-1800 feet), but then again I always though the ones in Colorado reached to 1000 feet, which is also a bit exaggerated. I guess thats what happens when you stand face-to-face with a really big thing. Or maybe when walking up a big pile of sand it always seems taller than it really is because of the extra effort required. :)
Maybe others have more to add on this very important orienteering topic. Maybe someone from Michigan could chime in on the Great Bear dunes of Lake Michigan. Or someone might claim that, in fact, the Spooner Lake O-map at Lake Tahoe contains the highest dunes in North America. (you won't get any argument from me!)
Eddie
highest (500-600m tall). So I looked on the web and found that *both* sites claim to have the highest dunes in NA.
The National Park service has a web site for the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado:
http://www.nps.gov/grsa/
It says there that "Nestled in southern Colorado, North America's tallest dunes rise over 700 feet high against the
rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains."
Idaho Online Highways (http://ohwy.com/id/b/bruneisp.htm) makes a claim of having the "Bruneau Dunes State Park the tallest sand dunes in North America, towering to 470 feet high"
This LLbean site (dune experts, obviously - http://www.llbean.com/parksearch/parks/html/210lls...)
make a slightly different claim:
"The dunes include the largest single structured sand dune in North America, with a peak rising 470 feet above the lakes."
So apparently, the tallest dunefiled (base to summit) in North America is in Colorado (over 700 feet), while the tallest single dune in North America is in Idaho (470 feet). I've never seen the ones in Idaho, but the ones in colorado are certainly impressive (surrounded by 14,000' mountains, and spread over 39 sq miles).
Now, neither of these numbers quite reaches the "500-600 m"of Sergey's claims (1500-1800 feet), but then again I always though the ones in Colorado reached to 1000 feet, which is also a bit exaggerated. I guess thats what happens when you stand face-to-face with a really big thing. Or maybe when walking up a big pile of sand it always seems taller than it really is because of the extra effort required. :)
Maybe others have more to add on this very important orienteering topic. Maybe someone from Michigan could chime in on the Great Bear dunes of Lake Michigan. Or someone might claim that, in fact, the Spooner Lake O-map at Lake Tahoe contains the highest dunes in North America. (you won't get any argument from me!)
Eddie
Jun 17, 2000 12:52 AM
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Sorry for misinformation. I really ment dunes as high as 500-600 ft :) So I was quite close to my estimations. At summer fans use inflatables to glide on the sides of these dunes. You should see this sand skiing by yourselvs to beleive it :) Although it is sometimes very hot (I mean VERY HOT) here :( However, during winter ski fanats prefer ski resorts at Sun Valley and Bogus Basin :)
This discussion thread is closed.