great sand dunes national park address

dunes sand winter national park colorado trails during premium freeimages istock getty [41], Medano Creek, which borders the east side of the dunes, never finds a permanent and stable streambed as fresh sand falls in the creek. 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. [54] Most of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is managed by the U.S. Forest Service while the National Park Service manages the area that has since been designated a national preserve. [45] The unpaved road crosses Medano Creek nine times and traverses 4mi (6.4km) of deep sand. 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. [10], The riparian zone follows creeks through the subalpine and montane ecosystems at Great Sand Dunes. The purchase approximately tripled the size of the monument. [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. [26] Summer high temperatures are moderate with an average high temperature slightly above 80F (27C) in July, which is the warmest month. In summer, daytime high temperatures average 7580F (2427C); however, sand surface temperatures can soar to 150F (66C) on sunny afternoons. 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. Numerous small strikes occurred in the mountains around the San Luis Valley. Remnants of these lakes still exist in the form of sabkha wetlands. [57], In 1999, the Nature Conservancy purchased surrounding state-owned land. Private property abuts most of the southern boundary of the park. Shore birds such as the American avocet hunt tadpoles and insects in the shallow water. [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. 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. 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. Some wetlands in the sabkha are deeper with plentiful plants and animals, while others are shallow and salty. They were Stone Age people who hunted with large stone spear or dart points now identified as Clovis and Folsom points.

Only street-licensed 4WD motor vehicles or motorcycles, and bicycles are permitted. Financing was provided by the Department of the Interior, the Colorado State Land Board and private donors. American Indians and early settlers used this route for travel between the San Luis Valley and the Wet Mountain Valley to the east. The winds blow from the valley floor toward the mountains, but during storms the winds blow back toward the valley. [44], Medano Pass Road is a 22mi (35km) four-wheel drive (4WD) road that begins where the main park road ends. Blanca Peak, just southeast of the dunes, is one of the four sacred mountains of the Navajo, who call it Sisnaajini (White Shell Mountain). 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. [19] Magnetite is an oxide of iron which is heavier than the surrounding particles of sand. Small underwater sand ridges that act like dams form and break down, creating surges of water which resemble waves. The dunes were likely a visible landmark for travelers along the trail. [47][48], The national preserve adjacent to the national park is also managed by the National Park Service and seasonal hunting is permitted there. More than a thousand different kinds of arthropods have been found at the Great Sand Dunes. 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. [43] Sandboards and sand sleds can be rented just outside the park entrance or in Alamosa which is the closest city. 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 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. [8], The dunefield is composed of reversing dunes, transverse dunesalso called crescentic or barchan dunesand star dunes. [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. The water then drained through the Rio Grande, likely forming the steep Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, New Mexico. [32][33], Among the flowering plants are alpine phlox, dwarf clover, alpine forget-me-not, fairy primrose, alpine aven, Indian paintbrush, lousewort, blue-purple penstemon, aspen daisy, western paintbrush, elephantella, snow buttercups, scurfpea, Indian ricegrass, blowout grass, prairie sunflower, Rocky Mountain beeplant, rubber rabbitbrush, speargrass, small-flowered sand verbena, narrowleaf yucca, prickly pear cactus, Rocky Mountain iris, and white water buttercup. The "surge flow" mainly occurs during the peak flow period from late May to early June in most years. [51], In 1976, the U.S. Congress designated the Great Sand Dunes Wildernessa wilderness area encompassing 32,643 acres (51sqmi; 132km2) within the monument. [64], In 2016, the federal government began negotiations toward purchasing 12,518 acres (19.6sqmi; 50.7km2) of the MedanoZapata Ranch from the Nature Conservancy. The modern unpaved road follows the old route and is open only to four-wheel drive, high-clearance vehicles as it passes through deep sand, rises to Medano Pass, and continues east into the Wet Mountain Valley. The original boundaries protected an area of 35,528 acres (55.5sqmi; 143.8km2). 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. [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. These opposing wind directions cause the dunes to grow vertically. [13] Sand wheelchairs are available at the visitor center. The creek typically flows past the main dunes parking area from late April through late June, with peak flow occurring from late May to early June in most years. [1] The recreational visitor total was 527,546 in 2019. Wetlands speckle the San Luis Valley and are important habitat for sandhill cranes, shore birds, amphibians, dragonflies, and freshwater shrimp.

[11], In the years that followed, the Rockies were gradually explored, treaties were signed and broken with resident tribes, and people with widely differing goals entered the San Luis Valley from the United States and Mexico. 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. Permitted pack animals in the national park and the preserve include horses, mules, burros, donkeys, alpacas, and llamas. At subalpine elevations near the tree line grow krummholz (meaning "crooked wood")trees which are stunted and twisted due to high winds, snow, ice, short growing seasons, and shallow, poorly developed soils. Magnetite is both attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a magnet itself; it is the most magnetic mineral in nature.

Colorado Springs and Denver are located a few hours away by car to the northeast. [23][24] The nearest towns are Crestone to the north, Mosca and Hooper to the west, Blanca and Fort Garland to the south, and Gardner to the east. [20], Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located in Saguache and Alamosa Counties, Colorado at approximately 37.75 north latitude and 105.5 west longitude. The national park is located in the San Luis Valley while the national preserve is located to the east in an adjacent section of the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains. The sand sheet is the largest component of the system, comprising sandy grasslands that extend around three sides of the dunefield. Mountain lion hunting with dogs is also allowed in the preserve, but unless the dogs have spotted the lion and are pursuing it, they are required to be leashed. The Herards grazed and bred cattle in the mountain meadows, raised horses, and established a trout hatchery in the stream. Sand that has blown from the valley floor is captured in streams and carried back toward the valley. [49] Other game species include turkey, bear, bighorn sheep, elk and mule deer. [11], Modern American Indian tribes were familiar with the area when Spaniards first arrived in the 17th century.

Almost 90% of the sand deposit is found in the sand sheet, while the remainder is found in the dunefield. 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. [9] The four primary components of the Great Sand Dunes system are the mountain watershed, the dunefield, the sand sheet, and the sabkha. 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. As Lewis and Clark's expedition was returning east, U.S. Army Lt. Pike was commissioned to explore as far west as the Arkansas and Red Rivers. [27] Precipitation is very low on the dunes, averaging just 11.13 inches (283mm) of rainfall per year. Grassland species such as elk also use these waters for drinking. Sisterhood and widely supported by local residentswas signed into law by President Herbert Hoover. Many species nest in the mountains, forests, grasslands, or wetlands during the summer. Pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands are found on open, drier slopes, while cottonwood and aspen trees are in drainages. [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. De Vargas and his men hunted a herd of 500 bison in the southern part of the valley before returning to Santa Fe. If the deepest sand deposits can be accurately dated, the age of the dunes could be determined. [34] More than 2000 bison are ranched within park boundaries on private land, owned by The Nature Conservancy, that is closed to the public. In late spring, when Medano Creek usually has its peak flow, snow and high winds are still possible. Although minute quantities of gold were recovered, the technique was too labor-intensive, the stream too seasonal, and the pay-out too small to support any business for long. [15] Hunting is permitted in the preserve in the autumn, but prohibited within national park boundaries at all times. [10], Subalpine forests and meadows capture heavy snow in winter and soaking rains in summer.

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. [8] Sediments from the surrounding mountains filled the valley over geologic time periods. The mountain watershed receives heavy snow and rain which feeds creeks that flow down from alpine tundra and lakes, through subalpine and montane woodlands, and finally around the main dunefield. [10], Evidence of human habitation in the San Luis Valley dates back about 11,000 years. 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. [15] Fat tire bikes are the only type of bicycle recommended by the park service due to the deep sandy stretches. 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 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. [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]. Two spring-fed creeks in the sand sheet along with a few small lakes in the valley's sabkha section southwest of the dunes create a wetland that nurtures wildlife. Spring conditions vary greatly, from mild and sunny to cold and snowy, with occasional high winds in the afternoon.

Montane forests and woodlands are found along the drier foothills at approximately 8,000ft (2,400m) to 9,500ft (2,900m). [10], The sabkha is a wetland region where groundwater rises and falls seasonally, leaving white alkali deposits on the surface. 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 presence of larger rocks along Medano Creek at the base of the dunes, elsewhere on the valley floor, and in buried deposits indicates that some of the sediment has been washed down in torrential flash floods. [12] Hiking is permitted throughout the dunes with the warning that the sand surface temperature may reach 150F (66C) in summer. [13][6] Most of the park's grasslands, shrublands and wetlands have no established trails but are generally open to hiking. Toads can reproduce in sabkha wetlands when they are seasonally filled with sufficient fresh water. 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. [6] The park was originally designated Great Sand Dunes National Monument on March 17, 1932, by President Herbert Hoover. Travellers are advised that hunting is permitted in the National Preserve during the months of autumn. Barchan and transverse dunes form near these creeks. [32], Mammals includefrom alpine tundra to low elevation grasslandspika, yellow-bellied marmot, bighorn sheep, black bear, snowshoe hare, Abert's squirrel, gray and red foxes, cougar, coyote, mule deer, water shrew, beaver, porcupine, kangaroo rat, badger, pronghorn, and elk. Prohibited zones include all developed areassuch as the Pinyon Flats campground, picnic areas, and the visitor centerall paved roadways and many of the hiking trails, along with the dunes area from the parking lot to as far as the High Dune, which is for pedestrian use only. When the water evaporates away in late summer, minerals similar to baking soda cement sand grains together into a hard, white crust. [6], The oldest evidence of humans in the area dates back about 11,000 years. [54] The restrictions of a wilderness designation protect native wildlife such as the endemic Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle from potential extinction caused by human activities. [58] The land is within the MedanoZapata Ranch, located to the west and south. [8] The forested and often snowcapped mountains exceeding 13,000ft (4,000m) to the east are the most prominent feature, towering over the high dunes. [36], Various reptiles live in the park, such as the short-horned lizard, fence lizard, many-lined skink, bullsnake, and garter snake. [11], In 1694, Don Diego de Vargas became the first European known to have entered the San Luis Valley, although herders and hunters from the Spanish colonies in present-day northern New Mexico probably entered the valley as early as 1598. Other features include snow-fed creeks originating high in the mountains, and several alpine lakes. Several trails located in the northeastern section of the park lead to alpine lakes high in the mountains. 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. [35], More than 250 species of birds have been documented in the park and preserve. [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. The highest diversity of Rocky Mountain species of plants and animals are found in this ecosystem. [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. Occasional fall storms bring icy rain or snow. [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). This wilderness is the only one in the U.S. that protects a saltbush-greasewood ecosystem and includes the entire dunefield as well as much of the area west of the dunes. These people only stayed when hunting and plant gathering was good, and avoided the region during times of drought and scarcity. The body of water was named Lake Alamosa after the largest town in the valley. When overlying sand is removed by wind, magnetite deposits stay in place and are visible as dark patches in the dunefield. A trail to Medano Lake and the summit of Mount Herard is located off Medano Pass Road. The oldest dated deposits found so far would have accumulated in the late Pleistocene epoch, during the middle years of the current ice age's third stage. A fence surrounds the property to contain the Conservancy's bison herd and demarcate the boundaries. [50], The dunes and surrounding area were designated a national monument in 1932 after a billsponsored by the P.E.O. Afternoon thundershowers are common in July and August with cool winds, heavy rain and lightning. [55] Mechanized transport and motorized equipment or vehicles are not permitted in wilderness areas, while ATVs are not permitted anywhere in the national park and preserve. [7] The dunes cover an area of about 30sqmi (78km2) and are estimated to contain over 1.2 cubic miles (5billion cubic metres) of sand. 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.

[2] Similar support in the late 1990s resulted in the monument's redesignation as Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in 2000. [9], The dunes contain dark areas which are deposits of magnetite, a mineral that has eroded out of the Sangre de Cristo Range. [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. By the 1920s, the dunes had become a source of pride for local people, and a potential source of tourist dollars for local businesses. [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. [11] The original monument boundaries protected an area of 35,528 acres (55.5sqmi; 143.8km2). Private property of the Baca Grande subdivision of Crestone lies adjacent to the northwest. Rio Grande cutthroat trout are found in Medano Creek. March is the snowiest month, though some days are above 50F (10C). 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. [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. 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 park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America,[7] rising to a maximum height of 750 feet (229m)[5] from the floor of the San Luis Valley on the western base of the Sangre de Cristo Range. By the end of November 1806, Pike and his men had reached the site of today's Pueblo, Colorado. Climate change later significantly reduced these lakes, leaving behind the sand sheet. 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. The dunefield's Kppen climate classification type is cold semi-arid (BSk),[25] while the mountainous preserve's climate type is warm-summer humid continental (Dfb), at an average elevation of 10,970ft (3,344m). Similar support in the late 1990s resulted in the monument's expansion into a national park and preserve in 20002004. The first historic peoples to inhabit the area were the Southern Ute Tribe; Apaches and Navajo also have cultural connections in the area. [11], Visitors must walk across the wide and shallow Medano Creek to reach the dunes in spring and summer.

[12] Hiking is permitted throughout the dunes, with the warning that the sand can get very hot in the summer, up to 150F (66C). In the late 17th century, Diego de Vargas, a Spanish governor of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mxico, became the first European on record to enter the San Luis Valley. The park's large spread between high and low temperatures, about 2530F (1417C), is typical of a high desert climate. [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. Areas of sabkha can be found throughout western portions of the sand sheet, wherever the water table meets the surface. The Nature Conservancy's Medano Ranch property may only be visited on a guided tour. The land includes the area presently occupied by the bison herd, as well as adjacent meadows and wetland areas. [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). 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. Trees include aspen, Douglas fir, pinyon pine, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, three-leaf sumac, bristlecone pine, red osier dogwood, and narrow-leaf cottonwood. [9], In 2002, geologists discovered lakebed deposits on hills in the southern part of the valley, confirming theories of a huge lake that once covered much of the San Luis Valley floor. [6], The nearest city is Alamosa which is about 30mi (48km) away by road to the southwest. [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. Small parabolic dunes form in the sand sheet and then migrate into the main dunefield. A relatively new dating process, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), is still in development. Two mountain streamsMedano and Sand Creeksalso capture sand from the mountain side of the dunefield and carry it around the dunes and back to the valley floor. Widely supported by local people, the bill was signed into law in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover. 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. [11], In 1848, John C. Frmont was hired to find a railroad route from St. Louis to California. The park was first established as a national monument in 1932 to protect it from gold mining and the potential of a concrete manufacturing business. Inland saltgrass is common in this area. From July to April, it is usually no more than a few inches deep, if there is any water at all. [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. [15], Most of the national park and the entire national preserve are open to horseback riding and pack animals. The creek was designated a National Natural Landmark in 2012. Nabkha dunes form around vegetation. Members of the P.E.O. The sand sheet varies from wet meadows to cool-grass prairie to desert shrubland, depending on proximity to groundwater and soil type. The Trujillo's extant homestead and the ruins of a destroyed one were declared a National Historic Landmark in 2004. The creek typically has a peak flow from late May to early June. The road then continues down into the Wet Mountain Valley and connects with Colorado State Highway 69.

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