In 1848, John C. Fremont was hired to find a railroad route from St. Louis to California. 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.

Peregrine falcons nest in high cliffs or forests of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In the 1970s, this species was federally listed as endangered. Due to recovery efforts, peregrines were de-listed in 1999. Continued recovery and monitoring efforts continue.

Though they typically nest higher in the mountains, they sometimes glide over the park's entrance road and across the grasslands surrounding the dunefield.

At sunset, the Sangre de Christo take on a blood red glow which inspired the Spanish explorers to name them “Blood of Christ.”

Credits and Sources:

“About the Refuge,” National Park Service, http://www.fws.gov/refuge/Baca/about/about_the_refuge.html.html, Accessed on June 28, 2015.

“Great Sand Dunes: Birds,” National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/grsa/learn/nature/birds.htm, accessed June 28, 2015.

“History and Culture,” National Park Service, http://www.nps.gov/grsa/learn/historyculture/index.htm, Accessed on June 28, 2015.