05/03/2024
Planning a visit to experience Medano Creek this season? Here are some for a successful trip!
• Snowpack above the dunes is about 60% of average for this date. Follow Medano Creek’s detailed current and forecast flow on our Medano Creek page:
https://www.nps.gov/grsa/planyourvisit/medano-creek.htm
• Late May and early June are usually the creek’s peak, and the best time to experience ‘surge flow’, a globally rare phenomenon, where waves flow down across the sand. Even though snowpack is lower this year, there will still be some small waves.
• Expect huge crowds on weekends in late May and early June during peak flow. Traffic lines can reach up to 3 miles long, and parking lots overflow, with cars parked along roadways. Plan your visit on weekdays for less traffic and congestion. Early morning and evening hours have less crowds along the creek.
• Mosquitoes typically emerge in large numbers as the creek water becomes low, from around the second week of June into late July. If conditions remain drier than average, mosquito season will be shorter.
Photo: NPS/Patrick Myers
Image description: At lower-than-average flow, three children in swimsuits run across a wide, shallow creek flowing at the base of dunes. Other children and adult visitors splash and play in the background.
