{"id":29147,"date":"2026-05-05T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=29147"},"modified":"2026-05-05T10:53:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T16:53:49","slug":"great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Sand Dunes National Park in every season: Gaze at the stars or sled the dunes"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Great
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve features the tallest dunes in North America. The Great Sand Dunes can be enjoyed every season. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The tallest sand dunes in North America billow up against snow-capped, 14,000-foot peaks like a giant, wayward beach that accidentally crashed ashore in the Colorado mountains.<\/p>\n

Nature seems to be having fun at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve<\/a>, and so, too, do visitors who revel in unique delights in every season.<\/p>\n

\"Great
Snow falls at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve about once a week during the winter, creating a beautiful spot for sledding. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along with its giant dunes, the park is famous for sandhill cranes that return to Great Sand Dunes<\/a> and the sprawling San Luis Valley in both the spring and fall. Majestic, giant and prehistoric-looking, the cranes seem to offer lessons about love and loyalty.<\/p>\n

\u201cCranes mate for life, but each spring they renew their bonds through a courtship ritual that includes dancing, bowing, chortling, and throwing tufts of grass in the air,\u201d says Patrick Myers, who has been a ranger at Great Sand Dunes for 27 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey provide some good advice for people: keep the romance alive,\u201d Myers said with a grin.<\/p>\n

\"Sandhill
Sandhill cranes have returned to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to sharing insights about the remarkable biodiversity, history and recreational activities at Great Sand Dunes \u2013 including splashing in Medano Creek<\/a> in late spring and early summer, sand-sledding and boarding in summer and fall<\/a> and snow-sledding when powder covers the dunes in winter \u2013 Myers loves photographing the park\u2019s beauty in every season.<\/p>\n

Below are his tips for enjoying the Great Sand Dunes year-round<\/a>. And, to snap great photos<\/a>, Myers advises visitors to spend time in the park during sunrise and sunset, when the light is most beautiful.<\/p>\n

Spring in the Sand Dunes: Enjoy the beach and waves in the fresh mountain air<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Sandhill
Sandhill cranes return to the area around Great Sand Dunes every spring and fall. In the spring, they renew their bonds with a dancing ritual. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Spring officially arrives in late March, but March is also the snowiest month at Great Sand Dunes, so keep the parkas, hats, gloves and warm boots handy. The sandhill cranes typically stay and feed in the valley and remote parts of the Great Sand Dunes through late March, then return in the fall.<\/p>\n

Aside from the cranes, the Great Sand Dunes\u2019 star of spring is Medano Creek<\/a>. Fed by melting snow high in the mountains, the creek flows in spring and early summer and brings waves and rippling sand sculptures to the base of the dunes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the most classic time of year to come to Great Sand Dunes. We have the beach and the waves. The mountains are still snow-capped. It\u2019s such a fresh time of year,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n

\"People
Most of the time in spring, water flows in Medano Creek at the base of the Great Sand Dunes, creating a Colorado beach with 14-ers for a backdrop. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When the creek is flowing at its highest levels, the water spreads out across the base of the dunes into a wide, welcoming stream with waves up to 20 inches deep.\u00a0 The water beckons people of all ages who enjoy traipsing through soft, wet sand in bare feet. Catch the park on a perfect sunny day in late May or early June, and you\u2019ll see toddlers with sand toys plopped down in an inch or two of warm water, while older kids and adults enjoy easy tubing down Medano\u2019s gentle waves.<\/p>\n

The fun and beauty of this natural beach, not surprisingly, draw the biggest crowds of the year.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody wants to come during that three-week window,\u201d Myers said. \u201cOn weekends, the lines at the entrance station can stretch up to three miles long.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An
An American avocet with her chicks. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While playing in Medano Creek when it\u2019s flowing is a blast, Myers encourages visitors to discover Great Sand Dunes during other seasons.<\/p>\n

Visiting the Great Sand Dunes in the summer: Time to get an early start<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From mid-June until late July,\u00a0 when the water level in Medano Creek gets low and the temperatures rise<\/a>, the mosquitoes come out in force. Fortunately, the mosquitoes are not attracted to the dry dunes, so people who want to climb up dunes or sled or sandboard down can still enjoy the dunes during the summer.<\/p>\n

The big challenge, however, is afternoon heat.<\/p>\n

\u201cSummer air temperatures are pleasant at this high elevation, but during the afternoon hours, the sand surface can reach 150 degrees, and dangerous thunderstorms can develop,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n

\"A
When the sand is dry, visitors to Great Sand Dunes Park and Preserve can enjoy sledding and boarding down the dunes with special equipment. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He advises explorers to head out early. That advice holds true for hikes to alpine lakes as well. Lightning is a danger<\/a> at high elevations in the Colorado Rockies. The rule of thumb<\/a> in Colorado for anyone hiking to higher elevations is to get up and down from areas above timberline before noon.<\/p>\n

Two popular lake hikes at Great Sand Dunes include the trails to Medano Lake and Sand Creek Lake. (Learn more about hiking and backpacking<\/a> at Great Sand Dunes.)<\/p>\n

Aside from those trails, Great Sand Dunes is different from other national parks, where hikers need to stay on designated trails. There are no trails on the dunes, and as long as hikers are careful about not harming plants, they are free to chart their own path to the summits of 13,000-foot peaks.<\/p>\n

\"A
Star Dune at sunset. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThis is more of a wilderness park,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n

He also said the park is one of the most biologically diverse national parks in North America.<\/p>\n

\u201cA place like Rocky Mountain National Park has tundra and forest. Here, it\u2019s southwestern desert meets wetlands meets the Rockies. That means we have incredible diversity of animal and plant species,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n

A fall visit to the dunes: Enjoy beautiful colors<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the fall, serenity returns, and so, too, do the sandhill cranes. They generally return to Colorado from their summer breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska and spend time in the San Luis Valley before returning to their winter habitat in New Mexico.<\/p>\n

Visitors often can see them in wetlands and fields outside the park from late September through mid-November. (Learn where to see the cranes<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\"Medano
Fall colors along Medano Creek. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Along with great birding and hiking, fall offers beautiful colors as the aspens and the cottonwoods turn gold.<\/p>\n

What to expect during a winter visit: Cranes return to the Grand San Dunes National Park<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Serenity is abundant in winter, so visitors have a better chance of seeing wildlife such as elk and pronghorn, members of the antelope family. Beginning in February, the sandhill cranes return to the valley. And, if you time your visit right, you might get to see the cranes and enjoy the unique experience of sledding or snowboarding down snow-covered dunes. (For sledding on snow at Great Sand Dunes, regular snow sleds work. If you want to sled or board when the sand is dry, you\u2019ll need different, special sleds or snowboards<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

The Great Sand Dunes is cold during the winter, so if you plan to visit soon, remember to bundle up. About once a week, snow falls on the dunes and people can enjoy sledding. Trails up in the mountains are inaccessible during the winter. The Medano Pass Road<\/a>, a route only for 4-wheel-drive vehicles during the summer and fall is closed in winter beyond the Castle Creek Picnic Area, but the part of the road that is closed during the winter can be a good place to snowshoe<\/a> or hike if the snow is tamped down.<\/p>\n

The cranes spend the coldest months in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, then they typically begin to return to the San Luis Valley and Great Sand Dunes in early February.<\/p>\n

The park’s night sky during your visit<\/strong><\/h2>\n

And, during every season of the year, visitors can enjoy a very unique aspect of Great Sand Dunes: its dark skies that make stargazing a popular activity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a combination of dry air, little light pollution and high elevation, Great Sand Dunes Park and Preserve is an excellent and easily accessible dark sky viewing location,\u201d Myers said.<\/p>\n

Great Sand Dunes is now an official International Dark Sky Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Milky
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is a great place for stargazing. Here, the Milky Way is visible over the dunes with snowy peaks in the distance. Photo courtesy of NPS\/Patrick Myers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Getting certified took years of effort. Advocates in the park worked with neighbors to minimize light pollution.<\/p>\n

Visitors can join in by reducing their use of lights. And, kids who participate in the Junior Ranger Program, can become official \u201cnight explorers.\u201d On nights with full moons, people can explore the dunes without headlamps or flashlights.<\/p>\n

Myers said exploring Great Sand Dunes after dark can be a magical experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeel the soft night breezes. Listen to the call of the owls, the howling of the distant coyotes, the calls of frogs and toads, the rustle of creatures in the forest and the drum of kangaroo rats thumping warnings to each other,\u201d he said. \u201cYou may notice that your senses grow sharper as you spend more time in dark and quiet locations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The tallest sand dunes in North America billow up against snow-capped, 14,000-foot peaks like a giant, wayward beach that accidentally crashed ashore in the Colorado mountains. Nature seems to be having fun at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, and so, too, do visitors who revel in unique delights in every season. Along with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":54390,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2474,9187,4792,1284,9109],"class_list":["post-29147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-live-colorado","tag-hiking","tag-readysetco","tag-to-do-in-colorado","tag-video","tag-winter-activities"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA visit to the Sand Dunes during every season - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn what a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park offers in every season. From sandhill cranes to sledding or boarding in sand.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Great Sand Dunes National Park in every season: Gaze at the stars or sled the dunes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn what a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park offers in every season. From sandhill cranes to sledding or boarding in sand.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-05T16:00:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-05T16:53:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/10152031\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9\"},\"headline\":\"Great Sand Dunes National Park in every season: Gaze at the stars or sled the dunes\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-05T16:00:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-05T16:53:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1717,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10152031\\\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Hiking\",\"Ready. Set. CO\",\"To do in Colorado\",\"Video\",\"Winter activities\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Live Colorado\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/\",\"name\":\"A visit to the Sand Dunes during every season - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10152031\\\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-05T16:00:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-05T16:53:49+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn what a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park offers in every season. From sandhill cranes to sledding or boarding in sand.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10152031\\\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/02\\\/10152031\\\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Great Sand Dunes National Park is great during all seasons. Here the dunes are in the foreground with snowy peaks in the background.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Great Sand Dunes National Park in every season: Gaze at the stars or sled the dunes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9\",\"name\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\"},\"description\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon is a proud Coloradan. She attended Colorado College thanks to a merit scholarship from the Boettcher Foundation and worked as a park ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park during summers in college. Katie is a dedicated storyteller who loves getting to know UCHealth patients and providers and sharing their inspiring stories. Katie spent years working as an award-winning journalist at the Rocky Mountain News and at an online health policy news site before joining UCHealth in 2017. Katie and her husband, Cyrus \u2014 a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer \u2014 have three adult children and love spending time in the Colorado mountains and traveling around the world.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/mccrimmonk\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A visit to the Sand Dunes during every season - UCHealth Today","description":"Learn what a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park offers in every season. From sandhill cranes to sledding or boarding in sand.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Great Sand Dunes National Park in every season: Gaze at the stars or sled the dunes","og_description":"Learn what a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park offers in every season. From sandhill cranes to sledding or boarding in sand.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-05T16:00:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-05T16:53:49+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/10152031\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/"},"author":{"name":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9"},"headline":"Great Sand Dunes National Park in every season: Gaze at the stars or sled the dunes","datePublished":"2026-05-05T16:00:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-05T16:53:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/"},"wordCount":1717,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/10152031\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.webp","keywords":["Hiking","Ready. Set. CO","To do in Colorado","Video","Winter activities"],"articleSection":["Live Colorado"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/","name":"A visit to the Sand Dunes during every season - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/10152031\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-05T16:00:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-05T16:53:49+00:00","description":"Learn what a visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park offers in every season. From sandhill cranes to sledding or boarding in sand.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/10152031\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/02\/10152031\/Dune-ridges-and-Kit-Carson-Mountain-tiny.webp","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"Great Sand Dunes National Park is great during all seasons. Here the dunes are in the foreground with snowy peaks in the background."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/great-sand-dunes-national-park-every-season\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Great Sand Dunes National Park in every season: Gaze at the stars or sled the dunes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9","name":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth"},"description":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon is a proud Coloradan. She attended Colorado College thanks to a merit scholarship from the Boettcher Foundation and worked as a park ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park during summers in college. Katie is a dedicated storyteller who loves getting to know UCHealth patients and providers and sharing their inspiring stories. Katie spent years working as an award-winning journalist at the Rocky Mountain News and at an online health policy news site before joining UCHealth in 2017. Katie and her husband, Cyrus \u2014 a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer \u2014 have three adult children and love spending time in the Colorado mountains and traveling around the world.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/mccrimmonk\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":2123,"name":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/mccrimmonk\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29147"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90270,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29147\/revisions\/90270"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}