LANDLOCKED? NO PROBLEM: Odd Colorado beach featured among 'best in US'

Well-known lifestyle publication Travel + Leisure just released their list of the 'best beaches in America,' and many of the usual suspects popped up – California, Hawaii, Florida – and all of the 'best beaches' weren't on the ocean, either – places like Michigan and and Illinois made the cut thanks to their great lake access. However, one shocker on the list was Colorado – getting a feature thanks to a body of water that's present for about two months of the year.

When most people try to define a 'beach,' the words 'water' and 'sand' probably come to mind – and the Colorado spot that was included on the Travel + Leisure list definitely has plenty of the latter.

Medano Creek was the 'beach' destination that the publication featured, found at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado's San Luis Valley. And while there's obviously plenty of sand at this well-known spot, it's the water that tends to be lacking most of the year.

In fact, Medano Creek is only present for about two months out of the year, appearing sometime in mid-April and sticking around until mid-to-late June. It consists of snowmelt, trickling down from the nearby mountains and cutting through the most-visited side of the dunes, becoming a hot spot for tourism as people flock to its ever-shifting banks that fluctuate with water flow.

And there's not doubt about it, the natural phenomenon definitely gives off beachy vibes. People plant umbrellas in the sand and kids go tubing and skim-boarding down the relatively shallow stream, pushed along by surge waves every 20 seconds or so.

Whether Medano Creek creates a true 'beach' or not, there's no doubt that a visit provides a unique and memorable experience.

Find the full list of Travel + Leisure's 'beachy' spots here.

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