Colorado Backcountry Microadventuring

Author
  • Matthew MacDonald
Photographer
  • Matthew MacDonald

Camera
  • Canon 6D
Film

Vintage rigs, rainy campsites, and beautiful fall views in and around Great Sand Dunes National Park


Published: 11-06-2017

Updated: 09-18-2024

About the author

Guest Contributor
Guest Contributor
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Medano Pass breaks off from a bleak stretch of Highway 69 outside of Westcliffe and winds through seemingly every one of Colorado’s major landscapes. Desert gives way to dense pine forests, which gradually break for rich yellow aspens and winding rivers, eventually wearing down into sandy hills and sage brush.

High wind and heavy rains kept us tucked away beneath tarps and tents after our crawl to the summit. We woke the next morning, hazy and damp, to blue skies. Perfect weather to white-knuckle our caravan through the final 12 mile descent into our final destination, Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Matthew MacDonald is Colorado-based freelance photographer. See more of his work here and follow him on Instagram here