Calendar

This page features special events planned for 2023 at Great Sand Dunes. More events will be added as they are confirmed.

For the schedule of regular afternoon and evening programs, please visit our Ranger Programs page.

 
This poster features a photo of the dunes and mountains under a starry sky, with the information listed in the caption.
Join rangers and special guest Michael Rymer from the International Dark Sky Association for a night of stargazing, telescope viewing, and learning about the impacts of light pollution. There is a QR code on the poster that links to this page.
Click the photo for a larger image for printing.

NPS

Saturday, April 22, 2023
Amphitheater

Locals' Night Under the Stars

Guest Speaker Michael Rymer from the International Dark Sky Association will present on the importance of preserving natural darkness. SLVGO will also share their work on the proposed Sangre de Cristo Dark Sky Reserve. Friends of the Dunes is helping to sponsor this event and will be present. The presentation will be followed by stargazing and telescope viewing.

 
Composer Stephen Lias stands on a ridge with forest, river and a mountain behind him
Composer Stephen Lias

courtesy Stephen Lias

Thursday, May 4, 2023 and Friday, May 5, 2023
3:30 pm
Amphitheater

Wild Music: A Composer’s Obsession with America’s National Parks

with Composer Stephen Lias

What happens when the wildness of trail, river, and mountain intrude on the velvet seats and hushed silences of the concert hall? What does a sunrise sound like? How can violins express the movement of Caribou? Adventurer-Composer Stephen Lias thinks a lot about these questions. In his pursuit of answers, he has served as Composer-in-Residence for Rocky Mountain, Glacier Bay, Denali, and Gates of the Arctic National Parks, Glacier, and others, and his compositions have been performed in such far-flung places as Texas, Australia, Taiwan, Alaska, and Venezuela. In this engaging presentation, you will explore the many ways that adventure, scenery, fear, history, wildlife and geology can be translated into music. You'll hear audio excerpts from a variety of musical compositions and you'll learn how the worlds of Steinway and Gore-Tex go together like fine coffee and a mountain sunrise.

 
A long exposure photo shows a line of visitors at the park amphitheater waiting to peer through a telescope. The scene is bathed in red light.
Visitors look through telescopes at the park amphitheater during an event in 2022. The scene is bathed in red light, due to only soft red lights being used to protect night vision.

NPS/Brady Richards

Saturday, May 20, 2023
Amphitheater

A Night with NASA

Guest speakers from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center will share the next space telescope mission, the Roman Space Telescope. The presentation will be followed by stargazing and telescope viewing. Also attending this program are the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society, International Dark Sky Association, and other park partners. https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov

 
Four Navajo dancers stand in colorful regalia

Courtesy Dineh Tah' Dancers

Saturday, June 3, 2023

  • Lecture on the Navajo Treaty of 1868

    3:30 pm, Visitor Center

  • Dineh Tah' Navajo Dancers

    6:00 pm, Amphitheater

The 1868 Navajo Treaty was a painful chapter in the history of the Navajo (Dineh) people. At 3:30 pm in the Visitor Center Auditorium, join Shawn Price for a 45-minute lecture about the history surrounding this controversial treaty. At 6:00 pm at the park's outdoor Amphitheater, the Dineh Tah' Navajo Dancers will perform traditional dances. The program is free, but regular entrance fees are in effect.

 
Glowing galaxies are sprinkled across dark space
A glowing cluster of galaxies is visible in this image from the Hubble Space Telescope

NASA

Saturday, June 17, 2023
8:45 pm
Amphitheater

Special Evening Program: Exploring the Vastness of Space

Tobin Wainer, Astronomy PHD Candidate from the University of Washington, will present on the mysteries of the universe, including dark matter, dark energy, and galaxy superclusters. The program will be followed by telescope viewing and stargazing.

 
Octavius Seowtewa on the left and Curtis Quam on the right will be presenting Zuni culture
Zuni presenters Octavius Seowtewa and Curtis Quam will present Zuni culture on July 22 at 10:00 am.

Crow Canyon Archeological Center (left) and NPS (right)

Saturday, July 22, 2023
10:00 am
Visitor Center Auditorium

Zuni Culture and Jewelry

with Guest Speakers Octavius Seowtewa and Curtis Quam

The Zuni are one of Great Sand Dunes' affiliated tribes. Learn about the Zuni people's history, culture, and jewelry with two Zuni presenters. More details to come as they are confirmed. The presenters will be available until 1pm, so come for the whole presentation or just stop by for part of it.

 
A ranger and intern help two children do an activity on the sand at Junior Ranger Day
A ranger and an intern help two children do the Pronghorn Sprint at Junior Ranger Day.

NPS

Saturday, August 5, 2023
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Dunes Parking Area

Junior Ranger Day

Join us for Junior Ranger Day August 5 from 9am – 1pm! 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/

 
Milky Way over Dune Ripples September 2021
Milky Way over Dune Ripples

NPS/Patrick Myers

Saturday, August 12th, 2023
Amphitheater

Annual Dark Sky Celebration

Learn more about exoplanets with Matt Nehring, Professor of Physics at Adams State University. Explore worlds outside of our solar system, some Earth-like and some vastly different from our own. The program will be followed by telescope viewing and stargazing.

 
Hispanic Heritage Celebration 2023 Collage of Musicians and Presenters
Top left: Ruben Dominguez
Top right: Los Vecinos Bailadores
Bottom: Katie Dokson and Martin Gonzalez

Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area

Saturday, September 16, 2023
Visitor Center and Amphitheater

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration

with Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area

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. Amphitheater events are weather permitting.

3:30 pm
Visitor Center
The Maestas Case


In Alamosa in 1912, Hispanic students were segregated from white students, but parents organized to oppose it, resulting in the nation’s first educational desegregation case. Martin Gonzalez and Katie Dokson present the background of this landmark legal decision. A bronze relief statue commemorating the case by artist Sonny Rivera will be on display during the presentation.

6:30 pm
Amphitheater (weather permitting)
Los Vecinos Bailadores


This traditional dance group from the San Luis Valley performs in the open air of the park amphitheater as the sun sets across the valley.

7:30 pm
Amphitheater (weather permitting)
Rubén Domínguez


Born and raised in northern New Mexico and the San Luis Valley, Rubén Domínguez plays guitar and sings in a blended style of traditional and contemporary Hispanic music.

8:30 pm
Amphitheater (weather permitting)
Night Sky Viewing


Great Sand Dunes is an International Dark Sky Park due to its clear, dark skies. To conclude this special day, rangers will be present with laser pointers and telescopes to help visitors navigate the night sky.

 
The full moon hovers over the dunes at night as Medano Creek reflects its light in the foreground
Full moon over the dunes

NPS/Patrick Myers

Saturday, October 28, 2023

Full Moon Hike

Dress warmly and hike under a full moon with a park ranger! The hike will start at the Amphitheater parking lot and end at the base of the dunes. Details to be announced as they develop.

 

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Last updated: May 31, 2023

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

Visitor Center
11999 State Highway 150

Mosca, CO 81146

Phone:

719 378-6395
Great Sand Dunes Visitor Center main number

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