Alamosa (Colorado) area - suggestions?

We are planning a short trip to the Alamosa (Colorado) area in early July. I was wondering if any of you had must-do recommendations in the area. There is so much there, it seems. If you’ve been to the area, what do you suggest? These are some of the things I’ve seen online as possibilities:

Alamosa Nat’l Wildlife Refuge
Baca Nat’l Wildlife Refuge
Creede and waterfalls
Great Sand Dunes NP
Monte Vista Nat’l Wildlife Refuge
San Luís Valley
Zapata Falls
Zapata Ranch

Not to mention several hiking trails.

Fort Garland Museum, for a bit of history. Penitente Canyon on the west side of the valley has interesting trails. You have plenty to do in the San Luis Valley. I would save the Creede area for another trip, unless you need to escape to the mountains because of the heat. Wheeler Geologic Area is near Creede. Wonderful sculptured volcanics, but definitely a full day outing from Creede. BTW, the summer repertory theater in Creede has superb performances.

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Thanks for your feedback, Bill. It’s good to hear about the many options in Creede.

Creede and Lake City make wonderful base camps for touring the mines, waterfalls and hiking trails in the area. You probably already have reservations for Alamosa, but if your options are still open, I would highly recommend changing your visit to a mountain location. July gets awfully hot in the San Luis Valley. Of course, you are from Texas, so that may not bother you. :sunglasses: Just make sure to get on the sand dunes early in the morning! Boa sorte!

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Thank you for the reply, Bill. We have not made reservations in Alamosa yet precisely because we read about temps in the 90s there in July. We don’t want to leave a furnace to go into another.

I’ve heard about Creede and have seen some wonderful photos, particularly of a waterfall in the area. With that said, I may look into what lodging is available in Creede or Lake City.

We already have plans to go to Colorado for fall colors in late September. A couple of friends who live there have told us about great hikes and nature photography locations around Crestted Butte.

Thanks again.

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