How Crowded Is Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve in May?

May runs about 1.7× Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve's average month, which makes it a very busy month here — roughly 14% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 65,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 4th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the June peak (2.4×) and the January low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 45/100 ("Fair"), versus the top-rated September at 59/100 — best overall balance of crowds, weather and daylight.

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 66°F and an overnight low around 38°F, with about 1.2" of precipitation and roughly 2" of snow.

That average of about 52°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 53% of annual visitors, choosing May instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 14 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 9.4-hour midwinter low and the 14.6-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 432,498 recreation visits, down 1.2% from 437,661 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 15.5%, so a May visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.