USA Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

The Great Sand Dunes National Park contains the tallest dunes in North America, and their backdrop is the stunning Sangre de Cristo mountain range. Everything from landscapes to abstract black and whites to astrophotography is in plentiful supply here.

Because the mountains are on the eastern edge of the dunes, sunrises don't work as well here as sunsets. However, late morning and late afternoon light (even beyond typical golden hour times) can be great here, as the light will cast some great shadows on the dunes. Definitely bring a telephoto lens, as you'll find yourself wanting to zoom in and compress the scene to get the right proportions of the dunes to the mountains in the background, and you'll also probably find yourself wanting to zoom into little patterns in the dunes for abstract shots. The setting is great for astrophotography, with very little light pollution (and virtually none in the direction of the dunes/mountains to the north. As far as time of year goes, it's probably best to avoid summer, as the dunes can get blisteringly hot (sand reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit). I went in late October, and I really liked that time as the temperatures were perfect and the mountain peaks had some snow on them to add a little extra life to my landscapes.

Google will get you to the national park. There's really only one main parking lot, so it's hard to miss. I'd recommend avoiding the straightforward path to the High Dune and instead veer left (southwest) from the parking lot to avoid footprints. Most people just go straight for the High Dune and leave footprints that can ruin some of those abstract shots. If you either go past the High Dune or stay to the left to start, you'll have better luck.