Answers to 21 common questions:
1. Why and when was the park established?
Great Sand Dunes National Monument was established in 1932 by Herbert Hoover, in response to a local citizens' effort spearheaded by the Ladies' PEO chapters in the San Luis Valley. In the 1920s, gold was found in the Great Sand Dunes, and active gold mining in the sand, and sand extraction for cement production began to occur.
San Luis Valley residents became concerned about long-term protection of the Great Sand Dunes. An intense but remarkably short and successful campaign to gain support and protection for the dunes ensued, culminating in President Hoover's Proclamation:
"Whereas it appears that the public interest would be promoted by including the lands hereinafter described within a national monument for the preservation of the Great Sand Dunes and additional features of scenic, scientific, and educational interest….now therefore I, Herbert Hoover…do proclaim and establish the Great Sand Dunes National Monument…"
Hoover's proclamation focuses on the preservation of the dunes, giving us clear guidance on one of primary interpretive stories: the dunes themselves, our primary resource. We are equally clearly directed to also protect and interpret the 'additional features' which make this landscape so diverse and captivating.
On November 22, 2000, Congress passed the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000, which authorized the expansion of the national monument into a national park almost four times its original size. Like the proclamation of 1932, it was powered largely by valley residents who banded together to protect the resources important to them; in this more modern era, groundwater. Perhaps most importantly, the legislation authorized the eventual purchase of privately held property from willing sellers for inclusion in Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Lands identified as vital to the protection of park resources included the area known as "The Baca", owned for the past two decades by a consortium of commercial water developers. The Baca includes the northwestern corner of the dunefield, wetlands, nesting and migratory bird habitat, and numerous archaeological sites. This purchase, finalized on September 10, 2004, enabled the Secretary of the Interior to affirm that “sufficient diversity of resources has been acquired to warrant designation of the land as a national park” on September 13, 2004. Great Sand Dunes National Monument was redesignated as a national park.
As part of the Act of 2000, roughly 42,000 acres of national forest wilderness area were immediately transferred to NPS management, and were renamed the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve. Natural resources in this area are quite different from those in the older national monument or the expanded national park, and include alpine tundra and lakes, extensive virgin subalpine forest, aspen forests, and high elevation wetlands. Further land transfers from the BLM to NPS management were authorized on the west and south sides of the old monument.
The park and preserve now protect most of the dunes natural hydrological system, from mountain watershed to wetlands, ensuring "the perpetuation of the entire ecosystem for the enjoyment of future generations." Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is also administered under the provision of the Organic Act of 1916, which specifies that units of the National Park system are: "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein…and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations."
2. What is nationally significant about Great Sand Dunes?
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve:
- contains the tallest dunes in North America and one of the most fragile and complex dune systems in the world
- protects a globally significant, water- and wind-driven system, which includes creeks that demonstrate surge flow, a rare hydrologic phenomenon
- provides tremendous scenic settings that, for many, provoke strong emotional responses. These settings (including massive dunes surrounded by alpine peaks, a desert valley, creeks flowing on the surface of the sand, pristine mountains, and rural range land) offer spacious relief from urban America, exceptional solitude and quiet, and a remarkably unspoiled day and night sky
- hosts a great diversity of plants and animals, including insect species found nowhere else on earth. The system, which spans high desert to alpine life zones, supports rare biological communities that are mostly intact and functional
- contains some of the oldest (9,000+ years before present) known archeological sites in America. The dunes have been identified as having special importance by people of various cultures, and the area is recognized for the culturally diverse nature of human use
- provides special opportunities for recreation, exploration, and education in the highly resilient dune mass and adjoining creek environments.
3. What is the purpose of Great Sand Dunes?
The purpose of Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is to:
4. What is the difference between a national park, national monument, and national preserve?
A national park is generally a large tract of land that contains a variety of resources or an entire natural system, and is established by an act of Congress. A national monument is generally smaller than a national park and is intended to preserve a single nationally significant resource, such as a dunefield or rock formation. National monuments require only a presidential proclamation without a vote of Congress. A national preserve is an area managed by the National Park Service where certain activities that are prohibited within a national park may be permitted. For example, hunting is allowed in the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve, as it was when that area was managed by the United States Forest Service.
5. How big is Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve?
About 150,000 acres.
6. How large is the main dunefield?
The active dunefield covers approximately 30 square miles. At the widest point, the dune mass runs six miles and at the greatest length, eight miles.
7. How tall is the tallest dune?
Great Sand Dunes has the tallest dunes in North America. Star Dune rises 750 feet from its base to its crest. High Dune rises 650 feet from its base, but because it starts on higher ground, its crest is higher above sea level that of Star Dune.
8. How far is it to hike to the top of the first ridge of dunes?
In a straight line, it is about a mile, but it is best climbed in a zig-zag fashion, following the ridge lines. Generally, it takes the average person an hour or so to reach the top.
9. What is the elevation here?
The elevation within the park and preserve ranges from a low of 7,520 feet (near San Luis Lakes) to a high of 13,604 feet above sea level (Tijeras Peak) - a difference of 6,084 feet! The elevation at the Visitor Center is 8170'.
10. How old are the dunes?
We don’t yet know. To date there is no accurate process to date sand. Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating may provide us with some clues, but so far the results at Great Sand Dunes are very inconclusive. The OSL process determines how much time has passed since quartz crystals were last exposed to sunlight. The dunes are probably at least as old as the last ice age.
11. Where did the sand come from? How were the dunes formed?
Much of the sand came from the San Juan Mountains sixty miles away on the western edge of the San Luis Valley. Some sand originated in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains immediately east of the dunes. Through erosion, rivers and streams have brought sand and sediment from these mountains to the valley floor. At some point or points in history the entire valley was under water, a feature that geologists now call "Lake Alamosa". When the water receded from climate change or drainage to the south, southwest winds blew the remaining sand northeast into a pocket of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Reversing winds and mountain streams reverse the direction of sand travel, causing the sand to grow vertically into tall dunes.
12. Are the dunes moving or changing?
While the immediate surface of the dunes changes constantly, the main dunefield as a whole is fairly stable. Comparing recent photographs with photographs taken in the late 1800’s reveals that the major dunes have maintained their overall shape and position. Vegetation in the surrounding area prevents significant migration of new sand into the main dunefield. When flowing, Medano Creek catches sand blowing from the main dune mass east towards the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and carries it back to the southern edge of the dunes to the point where the creek disappears. When dry, the sand can then blow back onto the dunes in a unique recycling pattern that has played an important role in building these dunes. When the creek is dry, sand can blow across the creek bed forming escape dunes which suffocate ponderosa pine stands as they march eastward towards the mountains.
13) When does Medano Creek flow?
The length and time that Medano Creek flows near the main visitor use area greatly depends on the amount of winter snow melt. In heavy snow years, the creek may flow through July or even throughout the summer. In dry years, the creek may not even reach the main parking area. Typically, the creek starts to flow in late March or April, with peak flow in late May or early June. When the creek is flowing well, the area may look more like a beach in Florida, complete with people in swimsuits, than a Rocky Mountain stream.
14. Are there hazards in the dunes?
Sand surface temperatures can reach over 140° F on summer afternoons, so be sure to take boots or tennis shoes (sandals are not adequate) when hiking on the dunes. When storms approach, come down off the dunes as lightning will often strike the dune mass. When lightning hits the sand, it fuses or melts particles of sand together, resulting in a “fulgurite” (latin for lightning rock). Fulgurites, like all natural objects in the park, are protected and should be left for others to view. Of course, lightning can potentially strike anywhere within the park so avoid hiking when storms threaten. No, there are no scorpions, poisonous snakes, or quicksand on the dunes or anywhere in this high elevation park.
15. Are pets allowed?
All pets must be kept on leashes to protect wildlife and respect other visitors. Cleaning up after pets is requested. Summer sand can blister paws; extreme dune heat (it’s much hotter closer to the surface of the sand) can cause heat exhaustion or stroke. Pets left in vehicles without adequate ventilation can succumb to suffocation. Rolling the windows down a little does not provide adequate ventilation. When the outside temperature is 85°F the temperature in the vehicle can climb to 120°F in 30 minutes!
16. Can we ride motorbikes or ATVs on the dunes?
The dunefield and most of the adjacent Sangre de Cristo Mountains are federally designated wilderness: the dunes were made a wilderness by Congress in 1976, and the Sangres in 1993. With ever-increasing urbanization and mechanization, protected wildernesses are becoming more and more important as places where natural systems can go on unimpaired, and where people can enjoy nature without the roar of engines, oil stains, or tire tracks. At Great Sand Dunes, you can hike, ski, snowboard, sled, splash in Medano Creek, or just wander anywhere in the wilderness here. It is a unique place to discover the intricacies of the natural world, as well as natural quiet and dark night skies where you can see countless stars with very little light pollution. There are six species of insects that are found at Great Sand Dunes and nowhere else on earth, including the beautiful Great Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle. It is also a safe place for children and families to play and explore without the danger of vehicles.
You may take a street-licensed, high-clearance 4WD vehicle on the Medano Pass Primitive Road, which goes around the eastern edge of the dunes then over a 10,000' mountain pass. The road is soft and sandy in the dunes area, then forested and rocky with stream crossings in the mountain portion.
There is a dunefield in northern Colorado where people can ride ATVs, called the North Sand Hills OHV area. It is close to the town of Walden in North Park.
17. Where can we ride mountain bikes?
Mountain bikes generally are not permitted off road in any national park. On unpaved roads or trais at Great Sand Dunes, mountain bikes are either unsuitable because of soft sand, or not permitted because of wilderness designation. The Zapata Loops at the Zapata Falls Recreation Area, 9 miles south of the Visitor Center, provide mountain biking trails of varying difficulty. The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
18. Can I rollerblade or skateboard in the park?
No, because paved areas of the park have significant vehicle traffic, these activities are unsafe and illegal within the park.
19. What is the annual visitation at Great Sand Dunes?
About 300,000 visitors annually.
20. Does the park close?
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Visitor Center is open 7 days a week except for federal holidays in winter. Hours at the Visitor Center vary seasonally, but are generally 9-4:30 daily in winter, and 9-6 daily during the three summer months.
21. I have other questions. How can I find out more?
Explore this website for answers and trip planning. Call the Visitor Center at (719) 378-6399 for answers to your specific questions, or email a ranger.
And, stop by the Visitor Center when you arrive in the park. You'll find:
- answers to your questions
- interactive exhibits
- an inspiring new 20 minute film about the park and preserve
- weather forecast
- list of daily programs and events
- free information sheets
- restrooms
- park store
