The sand sheet varies from wet meadows to cool-grass prairie to desert shrubland, depending on proximity to groundwater and soil type. 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. When overlying sand is removed by wind, magnetite deposits stay in place and are visible as dark patches in the dunefield. [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. 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. 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. The sand sheet is the largest component of the system, comprising sandy grasslands that extend around three sides of the dunefield. The park's large spread between high and low temperatures, about 2530F (1417C), is typical of a high desert climate. 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. [15], Most of the national park and the entire national preserve are open to horseback riding and pack animals. The Trujillo's extant homestead and the ruins of a destroyed one were declared a National Historic Landmark in 2004. [8] Ecosystems within the mountain watershed include alpine tundra, subalpine forests, montane woodlands, and riparian zones. At this time, the valley was a travel route between the High Plains and Santa Fe for Comanches, Utes, and Spanish soldiers. 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. [11], In 1848, John C. Frmont was hired to find a railroad route from St. Louis to California. [59] The objective of the Nature Conservancy, as well as the federal and state governments, is to combine conservation and sustainable use of the ecosystem, in a manner similar to the protected area mosaic recommended in the early 1980s for parts of the Yukon in Canada. The dunes were likely a visible landmark for travelers along the trail. Medano Pass, also known as Sand Hill Pass, and Mosca Pass, also called Robidoux's Pass, offered more direct routes from the growing front range cities and dropped into the valley just east of the Great Sand Dunes. 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. [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. Many animals visit the dunes from other habitats, including elk, pronghorn, bison, coyotes, bobcats, and raptors. [8], The dunefield is composed of reversing dunes, transverse dunesalso called crescentic or barchan dunesand star dunes. March is the snowiest month, though some days are above 50F (10C). Jicarilla Apaches settled in northern New Mexico and called the dunes Sei-anyedi (it goes up and down). [32][33], Inland saltgrass is the primary type of grass around sabkha wetlands in the park. 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. The creek was designated a National Natural Landmark in 2012. [40], Alpine tundra is the highest elevation ecosystem at Great Sand Dunes where the conditions are too harsh for trees to survive, but wildflowers, pikas, yellow-bellied marmots, ptarmigans, and bighorn sheep thrive. A trail to Medano Lake and the summit of Mount Herard is located off Medano Pass Road. 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. Private property of the Baca Grande subdivision of Crestone lies adjacent to the northwest. 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. [9], The dunes contain dark areas which are deposits of magnetite, a mineral that has eroded out of the Sangre de Cristo Range. Several trails located in the northeastern section of the park lead to alpine lakes high in the mountains. The Baca National Wildlife Refuge lies adjacent to the west, and the slopes of the San Juan Mountains begin at the western edge of the valley. 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. [62][63], In 2002, the Nature Conservancy purchased the Baca Ranchan area of 97,000 acres (151.6sqmi; 392.5km2)for $31.28 million. [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. [6], The nearest city is Alamosa which is about 30mi (48km) away by road to the southwest. Travellers are advised that hunting is permitted in the National Preserve during the months of autumn. Summer nights are coolthe park is located 8,200ft (2,500m) above sea levelwith nighttime temperatures often dropping below 50F (10C). Colorado Springs and Denver are located a few hours away by car to the northeast. The winds blow from the valley floor toward the mountains, but during storms the winds blow back toward the valley. [27] Precipitation is very low on the dunes, averaging just 11.13 inches (283mm) of rainfall per year. 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. 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. Camping is permitted most places in the national preserve and at designated sites along the Medano Pass Road, as long as minimum impact guidelines are followed. [44], Medano Pass Road is a 22mi (35km) four-wheel drive (4WD) road that begins where the main park road ends. Inland saltgrass is common in this area. Lake Alamosa suddenly receded after it broke through volcanic deposits in the southern end of the valley. [11], Gold and silver rushes occurred around the Rockies after 1853, bringing miners by the thousands into the state and stimulating mining businesses that are still in operation. [6] Elevations range from 7,515ft (2,291m) in the valley west of the dunes, to 13,604ft (4,146m) at the summit of Tijeras Peak in the northern part of the preserve. 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. [37], Fish living in the park's streams include the Rio Grande cutthroat trout, Rio Grande sucker (Catostomus plebeius), and fathead minnow. [6] The park was originally designated Great Sand Dunes National Monument on March 17, 1932, by President Herbert Hoover. Some of these migrating dunes become covered by grasses and shrubs and stop migrating. Pinyon-juniper and ponderosa pine woodlands are found on open, drier slopes, while cottonwood and aspen trees are in drainages. Spring conditions vary greatly, from mild and sunny to cold and snowy, with occasional high winds in the afternoon. The San Luis Valley encompasses the area between the two mountain ranges and is roughly the size of the state of Connecticut. [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. The tundra begins about 11,700ft (3,600m) and continues upward to the highest peaks in the park. 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. [12], Big Spring Creek is a unique spring-fed creek formed by an unconfined aquifer which creates wetlands that support rare species and plant communities in a generally arid area. 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. Blanca Peak, just southeast of the dunes, is one of the four sacred mountains of the Navajo, who call it Sisnaajini (White Shell Mountain). 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. By the end of November 1806, Pike and his men had reached the site of today's Pueblo, Colorado. [9] The four primary components of the Great Sand Dunes system are the mountain watershed, the dunefield, the sand sheet, and the sabkha. 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. [38], Amphibians include the tiger salamander, chorus frog, northern leopard frog, spadefoot toad, Great Plains toad, and Woodhouse's toad. 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. [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. Almost 90% of the sand deposit is found in the sand sheet, while the remainder is found in the dunefield. The surges occur at an average interval of about 20 seconds. [10], The sand sheet includes extensive grasslands and shrublands that surround the dunefield on three sides, from 7,500ft (2,300m) to 8,200ft (2,500m). If the deepest sand deposits can be accurately dated, the age of the dunes could be determined. [51], In 1976, the U.S. Congress designated the Great Sand Dunes Wildernessa wilderness area encompassing 32,643 acres (51sqmi; 132km2) within the monument. Financing was provided by the Department of the Interior, the Colorado State Land Board and private donors. Similar support in the late 1990s resulted in the monument's expansion into a national park and preserve in 20002004. Cottonwood and aspen trees, red osier dogwood, and alder grow well in this wet environment, in turn providing shade and habitat for black bears, water shrews, and western tanagers. [47][48], The national preserve adjacent to the national park is also managed by the National Park Service and seasonal hunting is permitted there. 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. Remnants of these lakes still exist in the form of sabkha wetlands. Trails were improved into wagon routes and eventually into rough roads. People had frequently speculated that gold might be present in the Great Sand Dunes, and local newspapers ran articles in the 1920s estimating its worth at anywhere from 17 cents/ton to $3/ton (equivalent to $2/ton to $41/ton today). 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. [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. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an American national park that conserves an area of large sand dunes up to 750 feet (230m) tall[5] on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, and an adjacent national preserve in the Sangre de Cristo Range, in south-central Colorado, United States. [35], More than 250 species of birds have been documented in the park and preserve. [8], There are hundreds of plant species in the park and preserve, adapted for environments as diverse as alpine tundra and warm water wetlands. [28] A high evaporation rate on the dunes qualifies the area as a desert, even though precipitation exceeds 10 inches (250mm). [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). Sisterhood and widely supported by local residentswas signed into law by President Herbert Hoover. [10], Subalpine forests and meadows capture heavy snow in winter and soaking rains in summer. Some wetlands in the sabkha are deeper with plentiful plants and animals, while others are shallow and salty. The San Juan Mountains to the west of the valley were created through extended and dramatic volcanic activity. Grassland species such as elk also use these waters for drinking. The average winter high temperatures are just above freezing even in January, which is the coldest month. [2] Similar support in the late 1990s resulted in the monument's redesignation as Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in 2000. Rio Grande cutthroat trout are found in Medano Creek. [53] The IUCN has included the same 51 square miles (132km2) of dunes and surrounding sand sheet on their global list of wilderness areas (management category Ib) since 1976. 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. [39], The park harbors several endemic insects including the Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle, a circus beetle (Eleodes hirtipennis), Werner's (Amblyderus werneri) and Triplehorn's (Amblyderus triplehorni) ant-like flower beetle, as well as undescribed species of clown beetle, noctuid moth, and robber fly. The Nature Conservancy's Medano Ranch property may only be visited on a guided tour. [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. These opposing wind directions cause the dunes to grow vertically. 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. Small parabolic dunes form in the sand sheet and then migrate into the main dunefield. The transition zone between subalpine forest and alpine tundra is an important refuge during storms for some mammals and birds who primarily live on tundra. 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. 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. Climate change later significantly reduced these lakes, leaving behind the sand sheet. The explorers were soon followed by settlers who ranched, farmed and mined in the valley starting in the late 19th century. 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. [10], The park preserves the tallest sand dunes in North America,[7] as well as alpine lakes and tundra, mountain peaks over 13,000 feet (3,962 m) in elevation, mixed conifer forests, grasslands, and wetlands. 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. [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 original boundaries protected an area of 35,528 acres (55.5sqmi; 143.8km2). The "surge flow" mainly occurs during the peak flow period from late May to early June in most years. The first historic peoples to inhabit the area were the Southern Ute Tribe; Apaches and Navajo also have cultural connections in the area. In other months, the creek is usually only a few inches deep, if there is any water at all. [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]. [13] Sand wheelchairs are available at the visitor center. In late spring, when Medano Creek usually has its peak flow, snow and high winds are still possible. [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 creek typically has a peak flow from late May to early June. These various tribes collected the inner layers of bark from ponderosa pine trees for use as food and medicine. [15] Fat tire bikes are the only type of bicycle recommended by the park service due to the deep sandy stretches. Although many settlers arrived via the trails from Santa Fe or La Veta Pass, several routes over the Sangre de Cristos into the valley were well-known to American Indians and increasingly used by settlers in the late 1800s. [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. Members of the P.E.O. Widely supported by local people, the bill was signed into law in 1932 by President Herbert Hoover. [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. [50], The dunes and surrounding area were designated a national monument in 1932 after a billsponsored by the P.E.O. 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. [10], While the top few inches of the dunefield are often dry, the dunes are moist year-round due to ongoing precipitation. The dunes cover an area of about 30sqmi (78km2) and are estimated to contain over 1.2 cubic miles (5billion cubic metres) of sand. [12] Hiking is permitted throughout the dunes, with the warning that the sand can get very hot in the summer, up to 150F (66C). [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). Smaller lakes still covered the valley floor, including two broad lakes in the northeastern side of the valley. [15] Hunting is permitted in the preserve in the autumn, but prohibited within national park boundaries at all times. [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. Gunnison's party crossed the dunefield on horseback. Many species nest in the mountains, forests, grasslands, or wetlands during the summer. The road then continues down into the Wet Mountain Valley and connects with Colorado State Highway 69. Magnetite is both attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a magnet itself; it is the most magnetic mineral in nature. Juan Bautista de Anza, Zebulon Pike, John C. Frmont, and John Gunnison all travelled through and explored parts of the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. [26] Summer high temperatures are moderate with an average high temperature slightly above 80F (27C) in July, which is the warmest month. [10], Evidence of human habitation in the San Luis Valley dates back about 11,000 years. [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. [16] The preserve encompasses nearly all of the mountainous areas north and east of the dunefield, up to the ridgeline of the Sangre de Cristos. All national park horse camping areas are in the wilderness in designated backcountry campsites or other wilderness areas at least 0.25mi (0.4km) from roads or trails. [1] The recreational visitor total was 527,546 in 2019. Moisture content of 7% beneath the surface sand allows species such as Ord's kangaroo rat, Great Sand Dunes tiger beetle, scurfpea, and blowout grass to survive here. [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. The water then drained through the Rio Grande, likely forming the steep Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, New Mexico. The purchase approximately tripled the size of the monument. The Herards grazed and bred cattle in the mountain meadows, raised horses, and established a trout hatchery in the stream. [10], The sabkha is a wetland region where groundwater rises and falls seasonally, leaving white alkali deposits on the surface. The sabkha and wetlands are at approximately 7,500ft (2,300m) in elevation. [6] 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). Fall is generally mild, with Indian summer days when temperatures reach or exceed 60F (16C), but nighttime temperatures drop below freezing. Trees include aspen, Douglas fir, pinyon pine, ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper, three-leaf sumac, bristlecone pine, red osier dogwood, and narrow-leaf cottonwood. He was followed in 1853 by Captain John Gunnison of the Corps of Topographical Engineers. They call the lake Sip'ophe (Sandy Place Lake), which is thought to be the springs or lakes immediately west of the dunefield. Sisterhood sponsored a bill to Congress asking for national monument status for Great Sand Dunes. [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. Numerous small strikes occurred in the mountains around the San Luis Valley. [42], Accessing the dunes requires walking across the wide and shallow Medano Creek. [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. Also, the main dunefield is moist beneath a thin layer of dry surface sand. [19] Magnetite is an oxide of iron which is heavier than the surrounding particles of sand. Occasional fall storms bring icy rain or snow. The national preserve remains open to regulated seasonal hunting, as it was when designated national forest land, but is protected from logging and mining activities which are generally permitted in national forests. [12] Hiking is permitted throughout the dunes with the warning that the sand surface temperature may reach 150F (66C) in summer. The land includes the area presently occupied by the bison herd, as well as adjacent meadows and wetland areas. 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. Toads can reproduce in sabkha wetlands when they are seasonally filled with sufficient fresh water. De Vargas and his men hunted a herd of 500 bison in the southern part of the valley before returning to Santa Fe. [57], In 1999, the Nature Conservancy purchased surrounding state-owned land. From July to April, it is usually no more than a few inches deep, if there is any water at all. [18] Frank and Virginia Wellington built a cabin and hand-dug the irrigation ditch that parallels Wellington Ditch Trail located south of the park campground. While the top few inches of sand are blown around during windstorms, the moist sand remains largely in place. More than a thousand different kinds of arthropods have been found at the Great Sand Dunes. Owls, dusky grouse, turkeys, and bullsnakes all find habitat in these drier, open woodlands. The body of water was named Lake Alamosa after the largest town in the valley. [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. The combination of opposing winds, a huge supply of sand from the valley floor, and the sand recycling action of the creeks, are all part of the reason that these are the tallest dunes in North America. In a high-water year, the surges can be as high as 20in (51cm). Partially rebuilt at times in the 1930s through the 1950s, the road was repeatedly closed due to flood damage and is now a hiking trail. "[61] The new designation as a national park and preserve was made official in September 2004 after sufficient land had been acquired, quadrupling its sitze. Montane forests and woodlands are found along the drier foothills at approximately 8,000ft (2,400m) to 9,500ft (2,900m).
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