Southern Colorado Sunset Drive | From the Great Sand Dunes to the Rio Grande

This scenic drive captures the serene beauty of southern Colorado as daylight fades into a colorful sunset. Starting near the towering dunes of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, the route winds southward through the expansive San Luis Valley toward the Rio Grande. As the sun sets behind the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the landscape transforms—golden desert plains, distant snowcapped peaks, and high-desert vegetation glow under the evening light. This full-length driving video offers a peaceful, real-time view through one of Colorado’s least-traveled yet strikingly beautiful regions. Filmed in mid spring, the journey showcases the unique contrast between high desert and alpine terrain, ending near the lifeline of the valley: the Rio Grande River, flowing quietly at twilight. This video is part of a series documenting a Southwest USA hiking trip in spring 2024. This video is best viewed on high-resolution HDR displays. Producing such videos takes much effort. You can support this channel at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/rubihammer and download the original music tracks at: https://rubihammer.bandcamp.com/ Primary hiking gear used in this trip (Amazon affiliate links): * Garmin inReach Mini 2, Compact Satellite Communicator, https://amzn.to/3N2R4aC * Black Diamond Z-folding Carbon Trekking Poles, https://amzn.to/3R3iUVt * Salomon Advanced Skin 12L Trail Running Vest Backpack: https://amzn.to/3uG0gcT * Salomon Advanced Skin 15L Trail Running Vest Backpack, https://amzn.to/3uG0gcT * Outdoor Research Activeice Sun Gloves, https://amzn.to/3WXTE8u * HOKA ONE ONE Mafate Speed 4 Trail Running Shoes, https://amzn.to/3Kf1G5c Gear used for this video marked with ** Video recording gear (Amazon affiliate links): * DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro, https://amzn.to/48U0HTF * Secondary action camera: DJI Osmo Action 4 Adventure Combo, https://amzn.to/3yulRJP *DJI Osmo Action Freewell 6Pack ND filters, https://amzn.to/4bvPr06 * DJI Osmo Action Extreme Batteries, https://amzn.to/3Vbcrf6 * DJI Osmo Action Extreme Batteries Plus, https://amzn.to/4fVPbJT * GoPro Performance Chest Mount, https://amzn.to/3NT2Gim -------------------------------------- ** DJI Osmo Pocket 3 Creator Combo, https://amzn.to/3WTH9uO ** Freewell 14Pack Filter Kit for Osmo Pocket 3, https://amzn.to/3ywE3m8 -------------------------------------- * DJI Mic 2 Wireless Microphone, https://amzn.to/3WUModI * DJI Mic Mini Wireless Microphone, https://amzn.to/45oxTmD -------------------------------------- * DJI Mini 3 Pro Drone Fly More Combo, https://amzn.to/3eY5efL * Freewell ND filters for DJI Mini 3 Pro drone, https://amzn.to/3KWTAQn * DJI Mini 3 Pro drone protective battery bags, https://amzn.to/3WAMymL -------------------------------------- ** DJI Avata 2 FPV Drone Fly More Combo, https://amzn.to/4bSRMlL ** Freewell ND filters for DJI Avata 2, https://amzn.to/4bvZiTC -------------------------------------- * DJI Osmo 360 Camera - 360 degrees Action Camera, https://amzn.to/47dB9Am -------------------------------------- * Samsung Pro Plus 512GB MicroSD card, https://amzn.to/3ji66hI * SanDisk 512GB Extreme MicroSDXC card, https://amzn.to/3BPur4N -------------------------------------- * SmallRig filming iPhone case, https://amzn.to/3TrvhMI * Peak Design Cuff Camera Wrist Strap, https://amzn.to/3NC4OYh * Nitecore NB10000 Ultra-Slim 10000mAh Quick-Charge Power Bank, https://amzn.to/3xQrLoz DISCLAIMER: Links included in this description might be Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links provided I may receive a small commission, but without any additional charge to you.