A Beautiful Fall Break Spent at Great Sand Dunes National Park

Published on by Cheryl Lock
The most stunning backdrop.

Hello, friends! Welcome to my fall break post.

Just nuts.

I cannot believe we are here, staring down the barrel at Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas & the end of the year. It’s coming friends, whether we’re ready or not.

Anyway, I digress. We spent the girls’ fall break in the most glorious place — Great Sand Dunes National Park. The last time we were here, Lotte & Grace were so teeny tiny. I’m talkin’ Grace in a baby carrier teeny tiny. It was so much fun to be back with all three girls, and to have them a bit older to really enjoy it. We also stayed at an Airbnb that was about 10 minutes from the park entrance. That was clutch.

How beautiful, though?
Just a little muffin, thoroughly enjoying her mountain morning.

After exploring a bit and having breakfast, we headed into the park. It costs $25 for a 7-day pass, and it’s worth every single friggin’ penny. This place is magic.

Don’t sleep on the visitor center. It has all the info about how the dunes were formed, plus gorgeous views to boot.
Let the adventure begin!
The excitement was palpable 😉
The juxtaposition between the fall colors of the trees and the beige sand was incredible.
Big pile of sand <3
The girls did great! I mean, walking in sand ain’t easy!
A classic photo op, of course.
Love my girls so much <3<3<3
And this girl sure does love her dad.
We played on the dunes for about 45 minutes, then stopped for a snack in the sand before heading home for lunch.
Cutie on a hill.
Life is always an adventure with this guy.
These colors though!

Our little explorers were such troopers! After a morning at the Dunes and then lunch back at our Airbnb, we decided we had more in the tank and headed to Zapata Falls, a .5-mile hike to a waterfall that includes traipsing across slippery rocks in the water. The girls — while slightly terrified — were so amazing.

Such a sweetie and always game for an adventure.
Their album cover.
This girl LOVED the hike!
Initially Lotte held back on the last little (water-soaked) bit to the waterfall. But after we told her how cool it was, she went back with Chris.
I mean … totally worth it, right?!
Love this crew so stinkin’ much.

We slowly made our way back home on Saturday, with one more stop at the dunes visitor center and lunch at Eddyline Brewing in Buena Vista, which is so amazing in the fall.

Pure gold for a fall lover like me <3
The neighborhood around the brewery is so quaint, with a rocking climbing wall, the riverfront walk, a coffee shop and more.
After lunch we checked out the river for a bit.
Little cuties <3<3

And that was it, friends. Back into the car we went, for the 2-hour ride from Buena Vista back to the Arvada. And now we await our next adventure … New York for Thanksgiving! Until then … bis bald, friends! Keep livin’ that gorgeous fall life.

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