Indian Grove is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

consisting of a grove of 72 mature

Ponderosa Pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine, is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is t ...

trees located within Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve in

Saguache County, Colorado Saguache County (suh-WATCH ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,368. The county seat is Saguache. History Saguache County was formed December 29, 1866, in the Territory of Colorad ...

, near

Mosca, Colorado Mosca (Spanish for fly) is an unincorporated community and a U.S. Post Office in Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. Mosca's population is 1,072 as of the 2020 census. It was named for the nearby Mosca Pass, which was named for the Spani ...

. The grove is of interest because sections of the bark of some of the trees was peeled off in the early 19th century, probably by

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute people, a Native American people of the Great Basin * Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, Utah * Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah * Southern Ute Indian Tribe of the Southern ...

s. Indian Grove Back-Country Campsite, located within the grove, is one of six

back-country In geography, a backcountry, back country or backwater is a geographical area that is Extreme points of Earth#Remoteness, remote, undeveloped, social isolation, isolated, or pole of inaccessibility, difficult to access. These areas are typica ...

campsite Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

s on the Sand Ramp Trail, a

hiking trail A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. " ...

that skirts the dune field on the east and north giving access to the northern portion of the National Park and Preserve along Sand Creek. The camp site has a solar-

composting toilet A composting toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting. This process leads to the decomposition of organic matter and turns human waste into compost-like material. Composting is carried out b ...

.Hiking and Backpacking
accessed July 16, 2010

Notes

External links

*
Map showing the location of Indian Grove
{{coord, 37.7882, -105.5097, display=title Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Geography of Saguache County, Colorado Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve National Register of Historic Places in Saguache County, Colorado National Register of Historic Places in national parks