On March 31st '21, while camping in the Lincoln National Forest in southern New Mexico, we took a day trip to White Sands National Park!
We could see the giant gypsum dune field from far above as we drove down through the Sacramento Mountains. Along the way we stopped at a viewpoint to check out the Fresnal Shelter, a prehistoric cave campsite that was occupied between 6000 & 500 BC.
After a steep descent down the mountain, the landscape flattened out as we entered the Tularosa Basin, with the purple San Andres Mountains looming in the distance. The entrance to White Sands NP is located about 15 miles southwest from the city of Alamogordo, NM.
The entrance fee is $25 for a vehicle pass that's good for 7 consecutive days. On the day we went, there was a sign on the entrance booth saying they weren't currently charging admission so we got in for free! WSNP is open daily except for Christmas, but sometimes closes for a few hours when nearby White Sands Missile Range is doing missile testing. This missile range is where the first atomic bomb was tested in 1945.
Once we entered the park, our first opportunity to get out on the sand was the 1 mile Dune Life Nature Trail loop.
Sure, we expected white sand, but to be out on the dunes and see it for ourselves was jaw-dropping. The sand was sugary soft and glittered in the sunlight.
After the nature trail, we continued along the main road through the park - Dunes Drive. It's 8 miles long, with plenty of opportunities to get out and explore. The dunes were tough to climb since the sand shifted under our feet with each step, but totally worth it.
Gypsum is a common mineral, used in a variety of products from drywall to toothpaste, but rarely found in the form of sand. The White Sands dune field contains over 4.5 billion tons of rare gypsum sand. In some areas it stretches as far as the eye can see.
20 major movies have been filmed here since 1950 (including Transformers & Stargate Universe) along with hundreds of commercials, music videos, TV shows, & documentaries. It's estimated that 90% of every make and model of cars produced in the US have been to White Sands to photograph or film their cars.
The dogs had an absolute blast zooming around on the dunes. They hiked, climbed, slid, dug, and rolled around the soft sand. It was so peaceful and the views were stunning. There were no other people around and it felt so surreal, like we had the whole desert to ourselves.
Dogs aren't the only ones digging in the park. Paleontologists working here recently found the oldest known human footprints in North America, dated at 23,000 years old! The park also contains the world's largest-known collection of Pleistocene age (ice age) fossilized footprints, including tracks of mammoths, saber-toothed cat, & dire wolf.
It's easy to believe this gorgeous desert would attract so much attention, and why over half a million visitors come here each year. We ended our adventure by sledding down the dunes and laughing the whole way. White Sands was one of the most unique and amazing National Parks we've visited, and I already can't wait to go back.
