Q 01/05

Great Sand Dunes National Park lies in the south-central part of which US state?

A) Colorado

B) New Mexico

C) Utah

D) Arizona

Answer · why

A) Colorado

The dunes sit on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, a high desert basin roughly the size of Connecticut.

Q 02/05

The park's dunes hold what continental record?

A) Oldest in North America

B) Tallest in North America

C) Whitest sand in North America

D) Fastest-moving in North America

Answer · why

B) Tallest in North America

They rise up to 750 feet from the valley floor and hold an estimated 1.2 cubic miles of sand.

Q 03/05

According to the National Park Service, which of these rises 750 feet from base to crest?

A) Star Dune

B) High Dune

C) Hidden Dune

D) Castle Dune

Answer · why

A) Star Dune

High Dune on the first ridge climbs only 699 feet from its base but starts on higher ground, so its crest is actually higher above sea level.

Q 04/05

The main dune field covers roughly how many square miles?

A) 45

B) 30

C) 70

D) 120

Answer · why

B) 30

The flatter, grassy sandy plain around it is far bigger and actually holds about 90 percent of all the sand in the park.

Q 05/05

The Sangre de Cristo range behind the dunes is the southernmost subrange of which larger system?

A) The Sierra Nevada

B) The Appalachians

C) The Rockies

D) The Cascades

Answer · why

C) The Rockies

They run from Poncha Pass down to Glorieta Pass near Santa Fe, and the northern stretch holds several fourteeners.