10/24/2026
Better late than never?
Medano Creek Is Flowing Past the Main Dunes Parking Lot at Great Sand Dunes!
Recent heavy rains at the park have caused Medano Creek to reach the Main Dunes Parking Lot, where many visitors begin their adventures on the dunes.
This is the first time water has flowed through this usually dry creek bed since May 2025.
On the evening of October 22, the weather station at the Visitor Center recorded 1.52 inches of rain, and the Medano Creek stream gauge recorded a flow of 32 cubic feet per second. This steady flow has allowed the creek to reach the Main Dunes Parking Lot.
Many visitors call this area "Colorado's Beach" because of the combination of sand and water. Medano Creek usually flows in the spring when melting snow from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains feeds the creek. During the 2025-2026 water year, however, very little snow fell in the Medano Creek watershed, and the creek was dry during the spring season.
Colorado's "beach weather" seems to have arrived five months late this year!
Because this flow is being fed by recent rainfall rather than melting snow, it is unclear how long the creek will continue flowing past the Main Dunes Parking Lot.
For the latest Medano Creek updates and other current park conditions, visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve website. The link is available in our bio.
📷 Image Credit: NPS Photo / Olivia Capochiano
