No matter your preferred landscape, you are sure to find it here in Colorado. If you love the mountains, you can easily find it throughout the center of the state. Prefer the quiet prairie? Head out east! Grand mesas with lush orchards and vineyards? It sounds like the Slope is the place for you! As if all of this wasn't enough, Colorado is also home to the world's largest alpine valley, which comes complete with nearly all of the above. Here's more on San Luis, the largest valley in Colorado:
Located in the south-central portion of the state, the San Luis Valley is the largest alpine valley on earth at 122 miles long and 74 miles wide.
Housing such iconic landmarks as the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve (pictured), the San Luis Valley features different landscapes like the arid desert, majestic mountains, and prairie brush.
Stretching from the San Luis Hills of Colorado all the way down to the Taos Plateau of northern New Mexico, most of the San Luis Valley sits at an elevation of 7,664 feet, making it not only the world's largest but also one of the world's highest valleys.
Said to have been formed millions of years ago by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, the San Luis Valley holds an important historical significance, not only in the way it was formed...
...but also in that it housed nomadic hunters and gatherers some 10,000 years ago, as well as the Southern Utes thousands of years later.
(Fun fact: The San Luis Valley is also home to San Luis; the oldest permanent settlement in Colorado!)
Today the San Luis Valley is a popular tourist destination because of its numerous attractions, and even boasts a thriving potato, head lettuce, and barley agricultural scene.
What are your thoughts on the largest valley in Colorado? Have you visited recently? We'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below!
To learn more about the San Luis Valley's most famous attraction, click on You’ll Want To Add This Marvelous National Park To Your Colorado Bucket List.
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