Set in the centre of the vast San Luis Valley of southern Colorado, Alamosa serves as the region's hub for tourism, where the meandering Rio Grande River snakes through a vast, high desert valley ringed by dramatic mountains.

The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad brought commerce here in the 1870s, but today the main attraction is the nearby Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

Great Sand Dunes National Park, a 20-minute drive from town, is a unique geological juxtaposition the nation's highest sand dunes (topping out at 750 feet) against a backdrop of 13,000-foot mountain peaks. Visitors come to hike, sled and even ski the dunes, and also to camp, picnic and explore the trails and wildlife preserve that are part of this national park. Deer, bears, mountain lions, foxes and coyotes make their homes here, along with some rare species of insects.