The end of February marks the start of the Sandhill Crane migration into the beautiful San Luis Valley! This is an extraordinary time of year when more than 20,000 cranes grace the area with their beauty, but only for a short few weeks! Keep reading below to read about the top 5 things you should know about the 2025 Sandhill Crane Migration!
1. How Long Do They Stick Around?
The cranes generally begin to make their way into the San Luis Valley starting the second week in February. Visitors will experience the most birds during the first and second weeks in March, but most plan their visits around the Monte Vista Crane Festival, hosted the first weekend in March, 2025 this year. The cranes usually have made their exit by the first week in April, though there are sure to be a few stragglers left behind until mid April.
2. Where Are The Best Places To View Them?
As the cranes spread out across the entire San Luis Valley, there are a few central locations that host them in larger numbers than others. Here are our top three viewing locations:
One: Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge
Two: Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge
Three: Baca National Wildlife Refuge
Between the three refuges, there is more than 100,000 acres of wetlands for these birds to find sanctuary in. This ensures that you will be able to find the perfect spot for your viewing and all but guarantee a million dollar photo opportunity!
Though we only picked the top three, keep in mind that these birds can be found all over the place, including pastures, crop circles, and even hanging out on the side of the roads, there is really no boundaries to where these birds will be found.
3. Three Photography Tips From The Pros
It is no secret that this time of the year is a wildlife photographer’s dream! There are limitless opportunities to spot these birds and capture beautiful photos of them. Two San Luis Valley photographers annually capture stunning images of the birds, and with years of experience doing it, their advice could lead you to an award winning shot! Here are their top three tips:
One: Get out early!!
Valley resident and local photographer for 15 years, Yael Defaye said, “The cranes will be closer in the early morning before the bus arrives.(speaking of the tour buses that are part of the Crane Festival Viewing Tours) The bus has a tendency to push the cranes away from everyone. Bring something to stay warm, the early mornings can be cold!”
Kim Marquez, another Valley resident and local photographer offered a similar opinion, “I recommend shooting in the morning within an hour after sunrise or an hour before sunset for the most ideal lighting and dramatic clouds as a backdrop when shooting in the sky. However, any time of day can be great!”
Two: Camera Settings
The settings on your camera can make or break your shot, take some tips from Yael and Kim on how they capture their incredible images
Yael recommends the following, “Set your camera to sport mode if you can. It will let your camera know it needs a fast shutter speed. Faster the shutter speed, the faster the camera freezes the action and gets the subject without any motion blur. A long telephoto is always better to bring the cranes closer. Avoid the 2x add-on in front of your lens. It would make you lose a lot of details in your pictures. A long telephoto will require a faster shutter than usual, except if you have stabilization in the lens or camera.”
While Kim stated, “I recommend turning up the shutter speed to 1/800 if photographing them while flying without a tripod. A lens that shoots 300mm or more is great to get really up close shots, but my photos were shot on a 70-200mm and still effective.”
Three: Don’t be scared to try new things!
Trying new settings and playing around with your camera and photography can be intimidating, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? So as you take your photos this year, Kim reminds our viewers to, “not be afraid to experiment and take lots of shots!” You never know which one will be that one in a million shots that will long keep your memories of this incredible event.
Shopping in Downtown Alamosa is both peaceful and exciting. Visitors will find unique shops that host items that are sure to catch your eye! From our most unique shops like Kreative Kraftworks, specializing is custom handmade work and White Shell Mountain Ranch who specialize in goat milk products to fine, higher scale items found in Treasure Alley, to actual souvenir shops like Mammoth, to stores like Narrow Gauge Book Coop and Milagros Coffee House who host artwork and items that are made locally! There are surprises around every corner and the entire family will be able to find a souvenir to cherish for years to come!
4. Best Crane Viewing Practices
Being a courteous birder is a must, and we have a few recommendations to make your and those around you’s experience incredible!
One- Being quiet and using low volume levels while in viewing areas is key to not scaring off the birds before they get a chance to be viewed! Silence your phone, turn off anything that may make loud noise, whisper to communicate, and be mindful of the other viewers that might be watching nearby.
Two- Minimize your use of flash on your cameras or the use of flashlights. Depending on the time you show up to view, the sun should be peeking above the mountains and allow enough natural light to navigate your surroundings. If you are taking a less traveled path and need to use light, be courteous and use it as minimally as possible!
Three- Be courteous of the other wildlife that lives in the area. The refuges are home to countless creatures that may be present at the time of your viewing. Give them the proper amount of space and respect their territory and relocate if necessary!
Information About The 42nd Annual Monte Vista Crane Festival
The Monte Vista Crane Festival is a locally loved and cherished event. This year marks an incredible 42 years of celebrating the arrival of these magnificent birds and much like the other years, offers a ton of festivities to go along with it!
The festival will be held at the Ski-Hi Multipurpose building in Monte Vista Colorado from Friday, March 7 through Sunday, March 9. Visitors will take part in expert-guided crane viewing, talks given by experts, and more depending on the ticket that is purchased! There is also a makers market in the multipurpose building for the duration of the events for festival goers to shop around at as well! Tickets for the event can be purchased here. The full schedule of events can be found here. Need more information? Your first stop should be the Monte Vista Crane Festival website here.
Visiting Alamosa and the surrounding San Luis Valley is always an incredible experience, but pair it with the annual crane migration and festival and you are in for a special treat! Waste no time booking your rooms, they fill up fast for this event!
From all of us here at Visit Alamosa, happy crane watching!
