Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve - Schedule Of Events (U.S. National Park Service)

NPS Photo by Melanie Rawlins

Visitors get more out of their visit by going on short ranger-led programs. Programs are free and open to all ages.

Scheduled Interpretive Programs

Your visit can be more rewarding when you better understand the environment around you. Ranger programs are offered most days from May through September. See the current schedule of programs. The list of special guest programs is below on this page. Please call the Visitor Center at 719-378-6399 for more information about programs.

Suspected Meteor Crater, North Side of Great Sand Dunes NP

NPS Photo by Patrick Myers

Rangers occasionally lead hikes to a suspected meteor crater (above) on the north side of Great Sand Dunes National Park. These and other free ranger programs are now being offered in and near the community of Crestone.

Free Ranger Programs Now Offered in the Crestone/Baca Community on Park's North Side

August 2008 Programs Near Crestone (.doc Word file, press release July 2008)

September 2008 Programs Near Crestone (.doc Word file, press release August 2008)

Education Specialist with children on a school field trip

NPS Photo

Education Specialist with children near the dunes

K-12 Education Programs are available throughout the year, by reservation only. Hands-on discovery in the dunes, forest, or wetlands are available seasonally, and classroom visits are available in winter months.

NPS Photo by Patrick Myers

Bison take a drink at Dollar Lake west of the dunes. Over 1000 bison roam on Nature Conservancy lands within the national park. Bison tours are the primary way to see these majestic animals at Great Sand Dunes.

The Nature Conservancy partners with the National Park Service to protect the entire dunes system and its biodiversity. The Conservancy manages over 1000 bison on Conservancy-owned grasslands and wetlands within the national park.

Bison Tours are offered throughout the year, weather permitting, on Nature Conservancy lands. Led as a hayride, horseback ride, or 4WD vehicle tour, bison managers take you to parts of the park that few visitors get to see. Trail rides or 4WD vehicle tours are offered anytime as staffing permits, and as long as there is a minimum of 2 people. Hayrides are offered by reservation for groups of 6 or more. Please call ahead to confirm available dates and times and to reserve a tour.

The Nature Conservancy's Zapata Ranch also offers longer horsepacking trips, ranch experience stays, and lodging in their historic ranch rooms.

For more information on dates, times, and prices, please call 719-378-2356 ext. 1, or click the Bison Tours link above.

NPS Photo by Melanie Rawlinson

Junior Ranger Day is a popular day for kids to visit and learn about nature, animals, history and more!

Junior Ranger Day Each summer the park hosts a special day with numerous activities for kids, including learning about nature, primitive skills, sand sculpturing, crafts and more. June 14 was the day in 2008, with a huge turnout! Check this page in late spring 2009 for the summer 2009 date and info.

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Guest speaker Beaver Belly gives a living history program on mountain men that is fun for all ages.

Special Guest Speakers are scheduled each summer at the amphitheater. Topics range from living history to astronomy to geology.

Smithsonian Researchers Present Astronomy Program at Park June 12 (press release, .doc Word file, 511 kb)

July 15, 7:00 pm "Mountain Man Beaver Belly" Jack Rudder gives an engaging living history program on historic mountain men of Colorado. Fun for all ages. Hear hair raisin’ tales of the fur trade era through the eyes of Beaver Belly, Free Trapper. Learn how to trap a beaver, live with the Indians, hunt bufflers, fight with grizzly bears and how to start fire with flint and steel. Early trappers passed through the San Luis Valley in the 1820’s, and 30’s to trap the beaver that was eventually to be made into a gentleman’s hat. Jack Rudder, a living historian, retired high school principal, and storyteller, has been doing Mountain Man programs for the Great Sand Dunes since 1986.

July 22, 8:30 pm: "Shadows and Journeys" Now or Never Theater of Boulder, Colorado will present this multi-media outdoor theatre performance designed and directed by Betsy Tobin. This performance opens their 2008 summer tour of national and state parks.

"SHADOWS and JOURNEYS " is an innovative show that integrates acting, drumming, dance, puppetry, masks, shadow theatre, and video sequences to create stunning dramatic and visual effects inspired by the cultures and heritage of the Southwest. The actors conjure scenes based on traditions and legends, as well as historical events such as buffalo stampedes, mining tales, the gold rush, outlaws in the wild west, and other tales of how the land changed hands. More information about this show is in the press release for the show.

July 24, 9:00 pm: "Lake Alamosa, the Icesailing Capital of the Pleistocene" Dr. Rob Benson of Adams State College gives a geologic perspective on the prehistoric lake that once covered the San Luis Valley floor. The Great Sand Dunes may be remnants of that lakebed.

July 31, 8:45 pm: "The Great Sand Dunes Before Columbus" Park Superintendent Art Hutchinson gives an archeologist's perspective on prehistoric peoples in the San Luis Valley.

August 6, 8:45 pm: "More Than Just a Pile of Sand" Park Geologist Andrew Valdez explains the complexity of the Great Sand Dunes geological system.

August 13, 8:45 pm: "Great Sand Dunes 101" Park Geologist Andrew Valdez gives visitors a basic understanding of the complex geology of the dunes and San Luis Valley.

August 20, 8:30 pm: "Life of a Geologist" Park Geologist Andrew Valdez gives a perspective of what is involved in being a geologist in a large national park.

NPS Photo by Scott Hansen

The Oasis store tours go in an open air vehicle along the Medano Pass Primitive Road.

Medano Pass Primitive Road Tours (NOT AVAILABLE IN SUMMER 2008) in an open-air vehicle are offered in warmer months by the Oasis store, near the main entrance of the park. The tours start at the store, following a sandy road along the eastern edge of the dunes. Adults $21, $12 for children 12-18, $5 for children under 12. Tours take place at 11:00 and 2:00 in summer months or in shoulder seasons as long as there is a minimum of 6 people. Call 719-378-2222 for reservations and information.

Photo by Erich Schwiesow, courtesy Colorado Field Institute

Colorado Field Institute sponsors in-depth programs on the natural and cultural resources of the San Luis Valley.

Colorado Field Institute is a Colorado non-profit organization whose purpose is "To expand stewardship of the natural and cultural resources of the San Luis Valley while increasing sustainable economic development in the region." CFI-sponsored programs are primarily in-depth, outdoor activities developed to complement the programs of cultural and natural resource management agencies, including Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Please click on the link above for information on CFI's current schedule of programs.