[6], The oldest evidence of humans in the area dates back about 11,000 years. [12] Hiking is permitted throughout the dunes with the warning that the sand surface temperature may reach 150F (66C) in summer. In a high-water year, the surges can be as high as 20in (51cm). Many animals visit the dunes from other habitats, including elk, pronghorn, bison, coyotes, bobcats, and raptors. [1][22], The Rio Grande National Forest is located to the north and southeast while the remaining forested slopes directly to the east of the dunes were redesignated the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve. [29], The four primary components of the Great Sand Dunes system are the mountain watershed, the dunefield, the sand sheet, and the sabkha. [10], The sabkha is a wetland region where groundwater rises and falls seasonally, leaving white alkali deposits on the surface. [11], The first known writings about Great Sand Dunes appear in Zebulon Pike's journals of 1807. Trees include aspen, Douglas fir, pinyon pine, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, three-leaf sumac, bristlecone pine, red osier dogwood, and narrow-leaf cottonwood. [14], Mosca Pass Trail is a 7mi (11km) roundtrip hike that follows a small creek through aspen and evergreen forests to Mosca Passelevation 9,737ft (2,968m)[6]in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Also, the main dunefield is moist beneath a thin layer of dry surface sand. The ranch was split into three sections: the Sangre de Cristos section east of Crestone became part of the Rio Grande National Forest; the section west of the dunes was designated the Baca National Wildlife Refuge and managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service; the section east of the dunes was transferred first to the Rio Grande National Forest and later redesignated a national preserve in 2004 managed by the National Park Service. [52][53] Congress also designated the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness in 1993, which contains a total of 219,900 acres (343.6sqmi; 889.9km2) of mountainous terrain. Sand that has blown from the valley floor is captured in streams and carried back toward the valley. [60], The eventual redesignation as Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve was authorized on November 22, 2000 when President Bill Clinton signed the Congressionally-approved Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act. The San Isabel National Forest is located to the east of the preserve just beyond the ridge of the Sangre de Cristo Range. [2] A boundary change and redesignation as a national park and preserve was authorized on November 22, 2000, and then established on September 24, 2004. Pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands are found on open, drier slopes, while cottonwood and aspen trees are in drainages. [59] The objective of the Nature Conservancy, as well as the federal and state governments, is to combine conservation and sustainable use of the ecosystem, in a manner similar to the protected area mosaic recommended in the early 1980s for parts of the Yukon in Canada. After lakes within the valley receded, exposed sand was blown by the predominant southwest winds toward the Sangre de Cristos, eventually forming the dunefield over an estimated tens of thousands of years. [8], There are hundreds of plant species in the park and preserve, adapted for environments as diverse as alpine tundra and warm water wetlands. [2] Similar support in the late 1990s resulted in the monument's redesignation as Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in 2000. [11], Modern American Indian tribes were familiar with the area when Spaniards first arrived in the 17th century. The park and preserve together are approximately 15mi (24km) east-to-west at the widest point, and approximately 15mi (24km) north-to-south, also at the widest point. The Mosca Pass Toll Road was developed in the 1870s, and stages and the mail route used it regularly until about 1911, when the western portion was damaged in a flash flood. [6] The park encompasses 107,342 acres (167.7sqmi; 434.4km2), while the preserve protects an additional 41,686 acres (65.1sqmi; 168.7km2) for a total of 149,028 acres (232.9sqmi; 603.1km2). The dunes system is fairly stable as the opposing wind directions balance each other out over time. [53] The IUCN has included the same 51 square miles (132km2) of dunes and surrounding sand sheet on their global list of wilderness areas (management category Ib) since 1976. In summer, daytime high temperatures average 7580F (2427C); however, sand surface temperatures can soar to 150F (66C) on sunny afternoons. [11], In 1848, John C. Frmont was hired to find a railroad route from St. Louis to California. Jicarilla Apaches settled in northern New Mexico and called the dunes Sei-anyedi (it goes up and down). The transition zone between subalpine forest and alpine tundra is an important refuge during storms for some mammals and birds who primarily live on tundra. The wind funnels toward three mountain passesMosca, Medano, and Music Passesand the sand accumulates in this natural pocket. Blanca Peak, just southeast of the dunes, is one of the four sacred mountains of the Navajo, who call it Sisnaajini (White Shell Mountain). Elk and pronghorn are common, while burrowing owls nest in the ground and other raptors float through the skies searching for mice, kangaroo rats, and short-horned lizards. Cottonwood and aspen trees, red osier dogwood, and alder grow well in this wet environment, in turn providing shade and habitat for black bears, water shrews, and western tanagers. The dunes cover an area of about 30sqmi (78km2) and are estimated to contain over 1.2 cubic miles (5billion cubic metres) of sand. The national preserve remains open to regulated seasonal hunting, as it was when designated national forest land, but is protected from logging and mining activities which are generally permitted in national forests. [10], The riparian zone follows creeks through the subalpine and montane ecosystems at Great Sand Dunes. A trail to Medano Lake and the summit of Mount Herard is located off Medano Pass Road. Colorado Springs and Denver are located a few hours away by car to the northeast. The Sand Ramp Trail traverses between the dunefield and the mountains, connecting the park's campground to Medano Pass Road (follow the road up to Medano Lake and Pass), as well as the base of the Sand Creek Trail. The combination of opposing winds, a huge supply of sand from the valley floor, and the sand recycling action of the creeks, are all part of the reason that these are the tallest dunes in North America. [4], The park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America. Active placer mining operations sprang up along Medano Creek, and in 1932 the Volcanic Mining Company established a gold mill designed to recover gold from the sand. [38], Amphibians include the tiger salamander, chorus frog, northern leopard frog, spadefoot toad, Great Plains toad, and Woodhouse's toad. Small parabolic dunes form in the sand sheet and then migrate into the main dunefield. The "surge flow" mainly occurs during the peak flow period from late May to early June in most years. While the top few inches of sand are blown around during windstorms, the moist sand remains largely in place.
[27] Precipitation is very low on the dunes, averaging just 11.13 inches (283mm) of rainfall per year. [19] Magnetite is an oxide of iron which is heavier than the surrounding particles of sand. People had frequently speculated that gold might be present in the Great Sand Dunes, and local newspapers ran articles in the 1920s estimating its worth at anywhere from 17 cents/ton to $3/ton (equivalent to $2/ton to $41/ton today). Gunnison's party crossed the dunefield on horseback. He was followed in 1853 by Captain John Gunnison of the Corps of Topographical Engineers. By the end of November 1806, Pike and his men had reached the site of today's Pueblo, Colorado. Occasional fall storms bring icy rain or snow. [32][33], Inland saltgrass is the primary type of grass around sabkha wetlands in the park. [11], The Herard familyafter whom Mount Herard is named[17]established a ranch and homestead along Medano Creek in 1875, using the old Medano Pass Road to travel to and from their home. [56] Both of the wilderness area designations exclude the existing road corridors that pass through them, specifically the paved park road and the unpaved Medano Pass Road. [42], Accessing the dunes requires walking across the wide and shallow Medano Creek. Sisterhood and widely supported by local residentswas signed into law by President Herbert Hoover. In 1852, Fort Massachusetts was built and then relocated to Fort Garland, about 20mi (32km) southeast of the Great Sand Dunes, to safeguard travel for settlers following the explorers into the valley. [10], The main dunefield measures roughly 4mi (6.4km) east-to-west and 6mi (9.7km) north-to-south, with an adjacent 6sqmi (16km2) area to the northwest called the Star Dune Complex, for a total of about 30sqmi (78km2). The act directed the Secretary of the Interior to "establish the Great Sand Dunes National Park when sufficient land having sufficient diversity of resources has been acquired to warrant its designation. [6], The nearest city is Alamosa which is about 30mi (48km) away by road to the southwest. Sisterhood sponsored a bill to Congress asking for national monument status for Great Sand Dunes.
Rio Grande cutthroat trout are found in Medano Creek. The traditional Ute phrase for the Great Sand Dunes is Saa waap maa nache (sand that moves). The Nature Conservancy's Medano Ranch property may only be visited on a guided tour. [37], Fish living in the park's streams include the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Rio Grande sucker (Catostomus plebeius), and fathead minnow. Travellers are advised that hunting is permitted in the National Preserve during the months of autumn. Similar support in the late 1990s resulted in the monument's expansion into a national park and preserve in 20002004.
He crossed the Sangre de Cristos into the San Luis Valley in winter, courting disaster but proving that a winter crossing of this range was possible. Other families homesteaded near the dunes as well, including the Teofilo Trujillo family whose sheep and cattle ranch in the valley later became part of the MedanoZapata Ranch, owned by the Nature Conservancy since 1999. [63], In May 2019, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve was designated an International Dark Sky Park by the International Dark-Sky Association. Areas of sabkha can be found throughout western portions of the sand sheet, wherever the water table meets the surface. [9], Sufficient vegetation has grown on the valley floor that there is little sand blowing into the main dunefield from the valley; however, small parabolic dunes continue to originate in the sand sheet and migrate across grasslands, joining the main dunefield. [8], The dunefield is composed of reversing dunes, transverse dunesalso called crescentic or barchan dunesand star dunes. Overnight guests at the Zapata Ranch may take guided trips into the park; Zapata Partners is the only NPS-licensed provider of horseback riding in the Great Sand Dunes. Large amounts of sediment from the volcanic San Juan Mountains continued to wash down into these lakes, along with some sand from the Sangre de Cristo Range. Samples of sand from deep in the dunes have returned OSL dates varying between a few hundred years to tens of thousands of years old. They were Stone Age people who hunted with large stone spear or dart points now identified as Clovis and Folsom points. [45] The unpaved road crosses Medano Creek nine times and traverses 4mi (6.4km) of deep sand. Fall is generally mild, with Indian summer days when temperatures reach or exceed 60F (16C), but nighttime temperatures drop below freezing. Almost 90% of the sand deposit is found in the sand sheet, while the remainder is found in the dunefield. Small underwater sand ridges that act like dams form and break down, creating surges of water which resemble waves. They call the lake Sip'ophe (Sandy Place Lake), which is thought to be the springs or lakes immediately west of the dunefield. At this time, the valley was a travel route between the High Plains and Santa Fe for Comanches, Utes, and Spanish soldiers. The sand-hills extended up and down the foot of the White Mountains about 15 miles [24km], and appeared to be about 5 miles [8km] in width. The explorers were soon followed by settlers who ranched, farmed and mined in the valley starting in the late 19th century. In other months, the creek is usually only a few inches deep, if there is any water at all. "[61] The new designation as a national park and preserve was made official in September 2004 after sufficient land had been acquired, quadrupling its sitze. Trails were improved into wagon routes and eventually into rough roads. Bristlecone and limber pines grow at an extremely slow rate, with small statures that belie their true ages as some are more than a thousand years old. [16] The preserve encompasses nearly all of the mountainous areas north and east of the dunefield, up to the ridgeline of the Sangre de Cristos. Some wetlands in the sabkha are deeper with plentiful plants and animals, while others are shallow and salty. Only street-licensed 4WD motor vehicles or motorcycles, and bicycles are permitted. The Baca Ranch had property located in the valley and the adjacent mountains, ranging in elevation from 7,500ft (2,286m) west of the dunes to the 14,165ft (4,317m) summit of Kit Carson Peak. The people from the Tewa/Tiwa-speaking pueblos along the Rio Grande remember a traditional site of great importance located in the valley near the dunes: the lake through which their people emerged into the present world. This method takes core samples of sand from deep within a dune, and attempts to measure how long quartz grains have been buried in the dark. Shore birds such as the American avocet hunt tadpoles and insects in the shallow water. When overlying sand is removed by wind, magnetite deposits stay in place and are visible as dark patches in the dunefield. The sabkha forms where sand is seasonally saturated by rising ground water.
[3] The park encompasses 107,342 acres (167.7sqmi; 434.4km2) while the preserve protects an additional 41,686 acres (65.1sqmi; 168.7km2) for a total of 149,028 acres (232.9sqmi; 603.1km2). De Vargas and his men hunted a herd of 500 bison in the southern part of the valley before returning to Santa Fe. [9], Scientists estimate that Lake Alamosa disappeared about 440,000 years ago, but the dunes themselves apparently originate from sand deposits from later, smaller lakes. Toads can reproduce in sabkha wetlands when they are seasonally filled with sufficient fresh water. [14] Visitors with street-legal four-wheel drive vehicles may continue past the end of the park's main road to Medano Pass on 22 miles (35km) of unpaved road, crossing the stream bed of Medano Creek nine times and traversing 4 miles (6.4km) of deep sand. Magnetite is both attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a magnet itself; it is the most magnetic mineral in nature. [24] The major roads through the San Luis Valley are U.S. Route 160 on an eastwest alignment passing south of the park, and U.S. Route 285 on a northsouth alignment passing west of the park and generally parallel to Colorado State Highway 17, which is the closer of the two northsouth roadways.[24]. The San Juan Mountains to the west of the valley were created through extended and dramatic volcanic activity. Sediments from both mountain ranges filled the deep chasm of the valley, along with huge amounts of water from melting glaciers and rain. [46] The road winds around the eastern side of the dunefield, up through a forested mountain canyon inside the National Preserve, and then over Medano Passelevation 9,982ft (3,043m)[6]at the 11.2mi (18.0km) mark. Some of the first people to enter the San Luis Valley and the Great Sand Dunes area were nomadic hunter-gatherers whose connection to the area centered around the herds of mammoths and prehistoric bison. Wetlands speckle the San Luis Valley and are important habitat for sandhill cranes, shore birds, amphibians, dragonflies, and freshwater shrimp.
Nabkha dunes form around vegetation. In 1776, Juan Bautista de Anza and an entourage of men and livestock probably passed near the dunes as they returned from a punitive raid against a group of Comanches. The purchase approximately tripled the size of the monument. [13] Sandboarding and sandsledding are popular activities, both done on specially designed equipment that can be rented just outside the park entrance or in Alamosa. [62][63], In 2002, the Nature Conservancy purchased the Baca Ranchan area of 97,000 acres (151.6sqmi; 392.5km2)for $31.28 million. From higher to lower elevations, and dependent on season, some of the bird species include the brown-capped rosy finch, white-tailed ptarmigan, red-breasted nuthatch, peregrine falcon, mountain bluebird, northern pygmy owl, dusky grouse, hummingbird (four species), western tanager, burrowing owl, bald eagle, golden eagle, sandhill crane, American avocet, and great blue heron. Several trails located in the northeastern section of the park lead to alpine lakes high in the mountains. The Herards grazed and bred cattle in the mountain meadows, raised horses, and established a trout hatchery in the stream. [1] The recreational visitor total was 527,546 in 2019. Spur trails along Sand Creek lead to the four alpine lakes which feed the creek, and to several 13,000ft (4,000m) peaks above the basin. Other features include snow-fed creeks originating high in the mountains, and several alpine lakes. [13][6] Most of the park's grasslands, shrublands and wetlands have no established trails but are generally open to hiking. [8] Ecosystems within the mountain watershed include alpine tundra, subalpine forests, montane woodlands, and riparian zones. The average winter high temperatures are just above freezing even in January, which is the coldest month. Some of the ranch land is located within the current national park boundary in its southwestern corner,[6] and includes a fenced area that contains a bison herd within 44,000 acres (68.8sqmi; 178.1km2)[58]an area that can only be visited on a guided tour. The recycling action of water and wind, along with a 7% moisture content below the dry surface holding the sand together, contributes to the great height of the dunes. All national park horse camping areas are in the wilderness in designated backcountry campsites or other wilderness areas at least 0.25mi (0.4km) from roads or trails.
Permitted pack animals in the national park and the preserve include horses, mules, burros, donkeys, alpacas, and llamas. [28] A high evaporation rate on the dunes qualifies the area as a desert, even though precipitation exceeds 10 inches (250mm). Climate change later significantly reduced these lakes, leaving behind the sand sheet. The San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area lies adjacent to the southwestern corner of the park, while the Rio Grande flows through the valley farther to the southwest. [11] The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the Great Sand Dunes as a protected landscape (management category V) in 2000, including the national park, the preserve, and the adjacent Baca National Wildlife Refuge. These opposing wind directions cause the dunes to grow vertically. The Great Sand Dunes are located in the high elevation desert of the San Luis Valley at about 7,694ft (2,345m), just west of the Sangre de Cristo Range. Moisture content of 7% beneath the surface sand allows species such as Ord's kangaroo rat, Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle, scurfpea, and blowout grass to survive here. [34] More than 2000 bison are ranched within park boundaries on private land, owned by The Nature Conservancy, that is closed to the public. The plan is to complete the park, making it fully accessible to the public, by acquiring the final piece of privately-held land located within the current park boundaries. Cold temperatures well below freezing are typical in winter, although the sunshine is generally abundant and the dry air doesn't feel as cold as more humid areas. The sand sheet is the largest component of the system, comprising sandy grasslands that extend around three sides of the dunefield. Barchan and transverse dunes form near these creeks. A fence surrounds the property to contain the Conservancy's bison herd and demarcate the boundaries. A trail along Sand Creek leads to the Sand Creek Lakes and Music Passelevation 11,380ft (3,470m)[6]with a view of the Upper Sand Creek basin. [21][10], The dunes cover an area of about 30sqmi (78km2) while the surrounding relatively flat sand sheet which feeds the large dunes is actually the largest component of the entire dunes system, containing about 90% of all the sand in the park. [65], International Union for Conservation of Nature, List of national parks of the United States, List of areas in the United States National Park System, "National Reports - Park Acreage Reports (1997 Last Calendar/Fiscal Year)", "Antiquities Act 1906-2006: Maps, facts and figures", "Great Sand Dunes National Park - dune types", "Official Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Map 2014", "Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve - Dunes Among Diversity", "Great Sand Dunes System Natural Features & Ecosystems", "Hunting - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve", "Direct imaging of nanoscale magnetic interactions in minerals", "National Park Service, Land Resources Division, Listing of Acreage (Summary)", "Great Sand Dunes National Park - How to get there", "Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa County, Colorado, United States", "Great Sand Dunes National Preserve, Alamosa County, Colorado, United States", "Great Sand Dunes NM, Colorado - Period of Record General Climate Summary - Temperature", "Monthly Climate Summary - Period of Record: 9/1/1950 to 12/31/2005", National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "Plants - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve", "Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve - Plant Checklist", "List of Mammal, Reptile, Amphibian, and Fish Species", "Mammals - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve", "Birds - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve", "Reptiles - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve", "Fish - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve", "Amphibians - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve", "Insects and Spiders - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve", "Accessing the Park's Grasslands, Shrublands and Wetlands", "Great Sand Dunes in United States of America", "How biologists are working to keep the Great Sand Dunes Tiger Beetle off the endangered species list", "Great Sand Dunes Wilderness in United States of America", "San Luis Valley: Where the Buffalo Roam, Again", "S.2547 - Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000", "Great Sand Dunes National Park seeks a missing puzzle piece in proposed land deal", "97,000 Acres Protected for New National Park", "Great Sand Dunes Designated as International Dark Sky Park", Central City/Black Hawk Historic District, Georgetown-Silver Plume Historic District, Rocky Mountain National Park Administration Building, United States Air Force Academy, Cadet Area, List of National Register of Historic Places in Colorado, Yanks Gulch/Upper Greasewood Creek Natural Area, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park_and_Preserve&oldid=1099301025, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Protected areas of Alamosa County, Colorado, Protected areas of Saguache County, Colorado, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the National Park Service, Articles with dead external links from May 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 20 July 2022, at 01:42.
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