Colorado National Parks: Winter

FIND YOUR PARK

COLORADO HAS FOUR INCREDIBLE AND UNIQUE NATIONAL PARKS WHICH ALL HAPPEN TO BE WEST OF 105, AND WINTER IS A GREAT TIME TO VISIT THEM. VISITOR NUMBERS ARE NOT ONLY AT THEIR LOWEST, BUT DRAPED IN SNOW, THE PARKS ARE BREATHTAKING. THERE ARE VARIOUS PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON AS WELL AS PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR WINTER ACTIVITIES.

NPS / Patrick Myers

GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE

The park was established just 14 years ago in 2004 (although it was originally designated as a National Monument back in 1932), but one of the youngest parks in the system is also one of the most unique. Fully titled Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, the park has 30 square miles of rolling sand dunes including the highest in North America.

The number of visitors to the park drops off with the temperature. December, January and February see less than 16,000 visitors in total. The dune field, while the undoubted star of the park, takes up around one-fifth of the total with the rest being made up of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes and six 13,000-foot mountains.

In winter, the dunes may be blanketed in snow, turning an already surreal landscape into an otherworldly winter wonderland. Great year round for sledding and sand boarding, the snow on the dunes adds to the experience. If you really want to earn those turns, head for High Dune on the first ridge. A round-trip hike is around 2.5 miles, but if you have your board or skis the trip down will be much quicker. Star Dune, the tallest in the dune field at 755 feet, is a little further away. Rent a board or a sled or bring your own. Kristi Mountain Sports in Alamosa offers daily rentals.

The park is also amazing at night. Although particularly cold during winter, a walk through the dunes, on both new moon and full moon nights, is an experience you are unlikely to have anywhere else in the country. Be sure to bring plenty of warm clothes and comfortable walking shoes.

For a real winter excursion, consider stopping off at Zapata Falls on your way to or from the park. Eleven miles outside of the park, Zapata Falls freezes into a 25- foot obelisk. Be sure to take appropriate footwear for the ice. Crampons that slip on over your shoes are a good option.

WINTER VISITORS* December: 6,409 January: 3,586 February: 5,614

WINTER HIGHLIGHTS Sledding and sand boarding down snowcovered dunes

CAMPING Piñon Flats Campground inside the park closes at the end of October, but camping is permitted in the dune field. There is a limit of 20 parties in the dune field per night; permits are free and are issued on a first-comefirst-served basis.

MORE INFO nps.gov/grsa

NPS / Crystal Brindle

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

One of the most visited national park in the country; 2017 saw 4.5 million visitors. It is also the biggest of Colorado’s four national parks and offers all kinds of opportunities for winter fun.

Established in 1915 with the Rocky Mountain National Park Act, the park was designated as one of the first World Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO in 1976 - a designation that demonstrates a balanced relationship between people and nature.

The vast majority of its visitors come during the summer and early autumn with numbers dropping significantly to just over 110,000 visitors by December. Visitor numbers continue to fall until they pick up again in spring.

Winter at Rocky Mountain is amazing. Aside from the sheer beauty all around, there are plenty of opportunities for recreation. Most of the park’s 355 miles of hiking trails can be explored with snowshoes (the 1.6-mile Gem Lake trail is a favorite) and RMNP offers free ranger-led programs on both sides of the park from January through March. There are also winter ecology walks, full moon walks and several other programs throughout winter. Rocky Mountain is also great for crosscountry skiing. Terrain and deeper snows on the west side of the park make for better cross-country skiing, but you are welcome to strap on your skis throughout the park. Sledding is allowed at Hidden Valley.

Other activities in the park include wildlife watching. Winter is an especially good time to look for elk, mule deer, moose and other large mammals (see our guide on page 128).

Don’t fee like walking? Snowmobile tour operators work out of nearby Winter Park. Rocky Mountain National Park allows snowmobiling on a two-mile stretch of the North Supply Access Trail in the southwest corner of the park. This trail connects the town of Grand Lake to a system of Arapaho National Forest trails adjacent to the park. For something a little more organized, the Rocky Mountain Conservancy offers a Wintertime Wonders Bus Tour. Tours are led by a naturalist who will guide you through the park from the comfort of a bus.

WINTER VISITORS* December: 112,890 January: 111,512 February: 84,295

WINTER HIGHLIGHTS Too chilly? Take a tour through the park from the comfort of a heated bus

CAMPING In the Park, Moraine Park campground is the only campground open all year. All 77 winter sites are first come first served. Park dump stations are closed.

MORE INFO nps.gov/romo

NPS

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK

Where else can you cross-country ski and snowshoe through a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 to preserve and interpret the archaeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from 600 to 1300 CE, and in winter the 52,485-acre park is even more magical.

With visitor numbers so low in winter, you may not see anyone else if you decide to go cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. As soon as there is enough snow, trails will be groomed but be sure to check the status of them on the park’s hiking page or by calling before you head out. There are also miles of backcountry trails that are not regularly groomed; they provide more solitude but require more preparation and caution.

Bare trees in the winter make it easier to spot wildlife. Be sure to fill out a wildlife sighting card if you see something rare.

Unfortunately, guided tours of some of Mesa Verde’s notable sites are not offered in the winter.

On Dec. 13 from 4 pm to 9 pm, the Luminaria Holiday Open House returns to Mesa Verde. The event is a real spectacle with thousands of lanterns placed around the park to illuminate the archaeological sites and roadways for the evening. Entry is free that day after 4 pm.

The park is also a great place for stargazing. Minimal light pollution in the four-corners area allows for virtually unobstructed viewing of the night skies. On clear, moonless nights you can see the Milky Way. The locations recommended for stargazing in the park include Far View Lodge, Morefield Campground and Montezuma or Mancos Overlooks.

VISITORS* December: 11,898 January: 8,398 February: 7,475

WINTER HIGHLIGHTS Luminaria Holiday Open House turns the park into a winter wonderland

WINTER TIPS Tours are not offered in the winter months, so be prepared to explore the park on your own

CAMPING The campgrounds inside the park are closed between November and April.

MORE INFO nps.gov/meve

Rob McGovern

BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON NATIONAL PARK

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is truly amazing, but it doesn’t get nearly the number of visitors of some other parks, and winter is the slowest time of year with around 15,000 people visiting between December and the end of February. Entrance is free throughout winter, but the East Portal access is closed.

Redesignated from a national monument (first established in 1933) to a national park in 1999, the park extends from Curecanti National Recreation Area to Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area and is just under 31,000 acres.

Winter is a great time to visit the Black Canyon with enough snow usually arriving by mid-January to allow snowshoeing and crosscountry skiing. South Rim Drive is not plowed between the visitor center and Warner Point and is therefore closed to cars. However, that allows it to be used as a ski and snowshoeing trail. The six-mile road is groomed and gives access to the overlooks.

If snow is plentiful, snowshoers have the opportunity to trek on the upper part of Oak Flat Loop and Rim Rock Trail, with both offering great views of the canyon. Snowshoeing is encouraged in any part of the canyon’s rim, but going into the inner canyon is not recommended. For beginner trails you may consider snowshoeing next to the groomed Nordic skiing trails on South Rim Drive.

Various ranger-led events happen throughout winter including snowshoe hikes. Check the park website for full details.

If you dare (and several people do each winter), backcountry camping along the closed South Rim Drive is permitted beyond Pulpit Rock Overlook; a free wilderness permit is required.

The North Rim (accessed via the north entrance near Paonia) is far less visited in winter so solitude is nearly guaranteed. Call the visitor center to get tips on the best way to explore this part of the park in winter.

The Black Canyon is also an International Dark Sky Park and winter offers a great opportunity to stargaze as well.

WINTER VISITORS* December: 3,042 January: 7,600 February: 5,231

WINTER HIGHLIGHTS Groomed Nordic ski trails and ranger-led snowshoeing tours

WINTER TIPS The South Rim Visitor Center offers a limited number of free snowshoe rentals from 9 am - 4 pm

CAMPING The South Rim campsite loop A allows generators, is open year round and is free in winter.

MORE INFO nps.gov/blca

*All data is based on 2017/2018 figures