Great Sand Dunes National Park Surprise Proposal | Landon & Bella
- Bobak Radbin
- 4 hours ago
- 6 min read
There are some sessions that feel like work.
And then there are the ones where, somewhere along the way, you realize you’ve simply made new friends.
Landon and Bella’s Great Sand Dunes surprise proposal was one of those sessions.
From the very beginning, Landon and I were planning this together. He reached out with an idea for a proposal at Zapata Falls, and because his last name is Zapata, there was something especially meaningful about the idea.
It felt almost too perfect.
But the more we talked about it, the more we realized that actually proposing at the falls might not be the best experience for Bella. Getting to the waterfall requires walking through cold, slippery water, and while that can make for an incredible adventure, it isn't necessarily the easiest setting for a surprise proposal.
So we came up with a better plan.
We would start at Great Sand Dunes National Park.
And honestly?
I think it ended up being even more beautiful.
Planning a Great Sand Dunes Surprise Proposal
One of my favorite things about photographing proposals is that the actual moment is only part of the story.
There is so much that happens before it.
The planning.The little details.The nervous messages. The timing.The weather.The question of where everyone will stand.
Landon and I worked through all of those details together.
We both arrived in the area the evening before and camped at Piñon Flats Campground, the main campground inside Great Sand Dunes National Park.
I stayed at site 3.
Landon and Bella were at site 21.
And I'll just say it now: site 21 has some absolutely gorgeous views.
Next time I'm camping there, I already know where I'm trying to stay.
There was something pretty special about knowing that the three of us were all sleeping under the same enormous Colorado sky, knowing what the next morning was going to bring.
Sunrise at Great Sand Dunes
We woke up early.
Really early.
The plan was to meet at the main parking area around sunrise, roughly 6:30 in the morning.
I arrived a little before them and got into position.
The sky was beginning to brighten.
The dunes were still quiet.
And then I saw them walking toward me.
This was it.
I had already sent Landon a video showing him exactly how I wanted everything to happen, so we had a pretty solid plan.
Now we just had to let the moment unfold naturally.
And it did.
As the sun began climbing over the horizon, Landon proposed to Bella among the dunes.
She said yes.
And just like that, all the planning was worth it.
A Quiet Morning Among the Dunes
After the proposal, we had time to slow down.
There was no rush.
No crowd.
No schedule we needed to race through.
We spent another 40–45 minutes around the dunes photographing the two of them together, exploring the landscape and letting the morning unfold.
And that's one of the things I love most about photographing proposals at Great Sand Dunes.
The landscape is enormous, but somehow it can still feel incredibly intimate.
You can stand on top of a dune with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains behind you and feel like the entire world has disappeared.
For a couple who wants something adventurous but still incredibly romantic, it's hard to imagine a better setting.
From the Great Sand Dunes to Zapata Falls
But we weren't finished yet.
Remember the original plan?
Zapata Falls.
After spending the morning at the dunes, we drove over to Zapata Falls to finish the adventure.
And I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the drive.
The road all the way up to the Zapata Falls parking area is now paved, which made getting there incredibly easy compared with what I had expected.
From the parking lot, we made the short hike toward the falls.
And this time, there was nobody else there.
Just the three of us.
We eventually made our way into the cold water and started photographing around the waterfall.
And yes—it was cold.
But completely worth it.
We even made our way all the way up close to the falls and photographed them right there beside the rushing water.
It was such a fun contrast to the first half of the morning.
The dunes were warm, expansive and quiet.
Zapata Falls was cold, rugged and intimate.
Two completely different Colorado landscapes in one morning.
And somehow, they fit together perfectly.
When a Photography Session Feels Like a Day With Friends
But if I'm being completely honest, the photographs aren't even the part of this session that I remember most.
I remember Bella.
She was just one of those people who made it incredibly easy to feel comfortable around her.
From the beginning, I felt like I already knew them.
Like I wasn't showing up to photograph a couple I'd never met before—I was meeting up with friends for an adventure.
That's something I never take for granted as a photographer.
Because the best photographs usually happen when people stop thinking about the camera.
When they laugh.
When they forget I'm there.
When they're comfortable enough to be themselves.
And that's exactly what happened with Landon and Bella.
More Than a Proposal: A Colorado Adventure
That's ultimately what made this Great Sand Dunes surprise proposal so memorable.
It wasn't just about the moment Landon got down on one knee.
It was the entire experience.
Camping the night before.
Waking up before sunrise.
Watching the dunes light up.
Keeping a secret.
Walking through the sand.
Hearing Bella say yes.
Driving through the San Luis Valley.
Hiking to a waterfall.
Walking through freezing water.
Laughing together.
And spending a morning exploring one of the most incredible corners of Colorado.
That's what I love about adventure photography.
The photographs become a record of the moment, but the experience becomes part of your story.
And Landon and Bella's story just happened to take place between some of the tallest sand dunes in North America and a hidden waterfall tucked into the mountains.
Not a bad place to start a new chapter together.
Exploring the Sangre de Cristo Mountains
One of the things I love about the Great Sand Dunes area is how much there is to explore beyond the dunes themselves.
If you're an adventurous couple, you can easily turn a proposal or engagement session into an entire Colorado experience.
Zapata Falls is just one of the nearby places worth exploring.
And if you're looking for something significantly more challenging, I've also written a detailed guide to the South Zapata Lake Trail, which climbs from the Zapata Falls area into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
It's a completely different experience from the dunes—longer, harder and much more remote—but it gives you a sense of just how incredible this entire region really is.
If you're planning to explore the area, it's worth checking out.
Planning Your Own Great Sand Dunes Proposal
If you're thinking about proposing in Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park is one of those places that deserves serious consideration.
You don't need a complicated setup.
You don't need a huge production.
Sometimes all you need is the person you love, a little planning, a beautiful landscape, and the right moment.
And if you're nervous about how to pull off a surprise proposal, that's exactly where I can help.
I'll help you figure out the location, timing, logistics and photography plan so you can focus on one thing:
Asking the question.
You can explore my proposal options here:
Or take a look at all of my engagement and proposal packages:
And if you're still deciding where you want to have your proposal photographed, I've put together a dedicated guide for couples considering Great Sand Dunes:
You can also explore more of my work as a Colorado engagement photographer:
Let's Plan Something Meaningful
Your proposal doesn't have to look like everyone else's.
Maybe it's sunrise on the dunes.
Maybe it's a quiet trail somewhere in the mountains.
Maybe it's a waterfall, a lake, a campsite, or a place that already means something to the two of you.
Whatever it looks like, I'm here to help you turn the idea in your head into an actual experience.
Landon started with an idea: Zapata Falls, because of his last name.
We talked through it.
We changed the plan.
And what we ended up creating was something even better—a sunrise proposal among the dunes followed by a private adventure to the waterfall.
That's the beauty of planning an adventure together.
You don't always know exactly where the story is going to take you.
You just need to start.
If you're dreaming up a proposal somewhere in Colorado, I'd love to hear your idea.
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