Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
A father and son playing by a creek, with sand dunes and mountains in the background.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a place located in the state of Colorado, famous for the tallest sand dunes in North America spreading across it. The unique landscape of enormous sand dunes set right in front of high, snow-covered mountains is the charm of this place.
The reverse of the coin holds the image of a father and son playing by a creek, with sand dunes and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains spreading out behind them as a backdrop. The father and son enjoying a happy time at the water’s edge and the grand nature come together in a single scene.
Here, in springtime, water melted from the mountains forms a shallow creek in front of the sand dunes, and people often enjoy playing in the water. The father and son on the coin show a moment of a family enjoying nature together at this special creek. The warm focus of this design is the people’s joyful day within the grand landscape.
This region was first designated as a national monument on March 17, 1932, and was later expanded into a national park and preserve. This was in order to protect the diverse nature where sand dunes, mountains, wetlands, and forests all come together.
This coin in the America the Beautiful series warmly shows that grand nature can be not a distant spectacle but a playground where a family romps together.