The Monte Vista Crane Festival is held late each winter during the Sandhill Crane migration. Monte Vista is located in the San Luis Valley, an agricultural hub that attracts over 23,000 Sandhill Cranes during migration. These particular cranes spend their summers in Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and northwestern Colorado. They spend their summers in New Mexico and northern Mexico. As they pass through Colorado, they return to established staging grounds where there is an abundance of calorie-rich grains. The San Luis Valley is one of the last strongholds of agricultural land in Colorado, and the Sandhill Cranes return to it year after year. The festival takes place during the heart of migration. In addition to the opportunity to view thousands of cranes, the festival offers field trips, workshops, talks, and a craft fair. While cranes are the focus of the festival, this is a good opportunity to see large numbers of waterfowl and raptors.