Arriving in San Luis Valley via San Luis Valley Regional Airport sets you up perfectly, with sand dunes, mountain passes, and historic villages a short drive away. The San Luis Valley is a high desert basin in southern Colorado ringed by the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan mountains, with Alamosa as its main town and the Rio Grande winding through potato fields and wetlands. It is big, bright, and uncrowded, with deep Hispanic roots and some of the darkest night skies in the state.

Standout experiences in the San Luis Valley: - Climb the tallest dunes in North America at Great Sand Dunes National Park - Sandboard or sled the dunes, then cool off in Medano Creek in late spring - Hike the short trail to Zapata Falls, a waterfall tucked in a rock crevice - Ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, a narrow-gauge steam train from Antonito - Visit San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado, and its hillside Stations of the Cross shrine - Tour Fort Garland, where Kit Carson once commanded - Soak in the big outdoor pool at Sand Dunes Recreation in Hooper - See alligators in the Rockies at Colorado Gators Reptile Park in Mosca

The San Luis Valley rewards slow travel. Alamosa is minutes from the airport, the dunes are about 35 minutes northeast, Monte Vista and its spring crane festival are a half hour west, and Salida is about 90 minutes north. Taos, New Mexico, is roughly two hours south. Order green chile smothered on everything and a bag of valley potatoes to take home, and come in March for the sandhill crane migration or in summer when Medano Creek flows.