White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park is a place of wonder—a testament to the forces of nature and the resilience of life in extreme environments. Whether you are sliding down the dunes, marveling at the moonlit sands, or simply soaking in the serenity, this park is a unique experience. One note – bring sunscreen and Chapstick. The sun reflects off the dunes and it seriously gets hot and burns your skin and lips without protection.
The Park is located in the middle of the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico. When you first see the dunes, they just look out of place, as they appear and you feel like you have arrived at some vast middle eastern desert. You see glistening white sands stretching into the distance – a landscape from another part of the world. The dunes cover 275 square miles and are wave like in their appearance. This is because, unlike typical quartz sand that is found on the beaches at Destin Florida, the dunes at White Sands are made of gypsum, a mineral that dissolves in water. As rainwater washes down from the surrounding mountains, it dissolves the gypsum, creating a unique cycle of erosion and deposition. It feels almost like a mix of sand and powder. We rented a sled (sandboards as they call them) and glided down the dunes. It was so much fun and felt like surfing on snow.
We hiked the Alkali Flat Trail which was a first for us – hiking in pure sand dunes. Because the sand shifts constantly, there is not a fixed path for the trailer, but rather marking poles that stick high out of the sand to guide you along the trail, otherwise, you would get lost for sure. Walking in the sand including going over high dunes made the hike difficult. We completed about half the hike and turned back for more sledding. The surroundings for the Alkali Flat Trail all looked the same to us, so there was not point in continuing. Also – the sledding was so fun, that is what we spent most of our time doing.
Definitely recommend visiting White Sands National Park, it is a unique experience and the sledding is so fun. Our pictures from the visit posted below.
