This page features special events planned for 2024 at Great Sand Dunes. There are no reservations or fees for these events, but regular park entrance fees are in effect. More events will be added as they are confirmed!
For the schedule of regular day and evening programs, please visit our Ranger Programs page.
Sandhill cranes fly toward a wetland at sunset, with the dunes in the distance.
NPS/Patrick Myers
Friday, March 8 and Saturday, March 9, 2024
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Celebrate Great Sand Dunes in downtown Alamosa April 5
Visit Alamosa
Friday, April 5, 2024
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
We Love Our National Park Celebration
Alamosa hosts an annual evening in downtown each spring to celebrate Great Sand Dunes.
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Booths and Activities
7:00 pm Evening Ranger Program at San Luis Valley Museum: Stars Above the Sand. There are more stars than grains of sand! Through images and video, we’ll explore the unexpected wonders of the universe - from Great Sand Dunes, to other dunes in our solar system, to the first images of distant galaxies captured by the new James Webb Space Telescope. After the presentation, you can touch small pieces of our Moon and the planet Mars! 45 minutes.
Evening Program with Guest Speaker Dr. Matt Nehring
Adams State University Professor Dr. Nehring will present the latest research on an aspect of the universe - topic details will be posted when they are confirmed. After the presentation, weather permitting, Dr. Nehring and a ranger will have telescopes available to peer into deep space.
Dr. Matt Nehring earned his Ph.D. in experimental particle physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder and has been a professor of physics at Adams State University for the past 26 years where he teaches astronomy, physics, engineering, and computer science courses. Matt is also the Director of Zacheis Planetarium and the campus observatory and serves as the department chair for Engineering and Computer Science.
Regular ranger-led evening programs are posted weekly on the Ranger Programs page.
Milky Way over Dune Ripples
NPS/Patrick Myers
Saturday, August 3rd, 2024
8:30 pm - 10:30 pm
Amphitheater
Dark Skies Celebration
Join Great Sand Dunes rangers for a special evening program with extra telescopes and activities! More details to come as they are confirmed.
Regular summertime ranger-led evening programs are posted weekly on the Ranger Programs page.
A ranger and an intern help two children do the Pronghorn Sprint at Junior Ranger Day.
NPS
Saturday, August 10, 2024
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Dunes Parking Area
Junior Ranger Day
Join us for Junior Ranger Day! Park at the Dunes Parking Area and follow signs to the registration table to get started. There will be various stations where kids can interactively learn about the dunes, artifacts, fossils, and wildlife, and earn prizes upon completion. Stop by anytime between 9am and 1pm to participate!
This special annual event is sponsored by Friends of the Dunes, a non-profit citizen’s support group for Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. In cooperation with the National Park Service, the Friends provide a forum for citizen involvement in planning decisions, focus public interest on issues and need, and provide volunteer and financial aid for projects beyond the scope of the park’s budget. Learn more: http://www.friendsofgreatsanddunes.org/
The full moon glows over the dunes and Medano Creek
NPS/Patrick Myers
Monday, August 19th, 2024
Full Moon Hike
Join Great Sand Dunes rangers for a hike under the full moon! More details to come as they are confirmed.
The Dineh Tah Navajo Dancers at the park Amphitheater, 2023.
NPS/Patrick Myers
Saturday, August 31, 2024
Great Sand Dunes welcomes Shawn Price and the Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers for two special programs. These programs are free, but regular park entrance fees are in effect.
Lecture on the Navajo Treaty of 1868
Visitor Center Auditorium, 3:00 pm
The 1868 Navajo Treaty was a painful chapter in the history of the Navajo (Dineh) people. Join Shawn Price for a 45-minute lecture about the history surrounding this and other controversial treaties of that era.
Dineh Tah' Navajo Dancers
Amphitheater, 6:30 pm
The Dineh Tah' Navajo Dancers will perform traditional dances in the outdoor amphitheater, weather permitting.
Los Vecinos Bailadores performed at the Hispanic Heritage Event in 2023. Details on the 2024 event will be posted as soon as they are confirmed.
Learn about and celebrate Hispanic heritage of the San Luis Valley to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month! All events this day are free, but regular park entrance fees are in effect.
Event details will be posted as soon as they are confirmed!
In 2023, Nancy Arbuthnot led a watercolor/haiku workshop. Details of the October 5, 2024 workshop will be posted here when they are confirmed.
NPS/Patrick Myers
Saturday, October 5, 2023
Art Workshop
Each year the park hosts a selected artist to lead a workshop in their medium. This year's workshop will be October 5 - details will be posted here as they are confirmed.
