The most interesting road to White Sands National Park winds through Cloudcroft, New Mexico, high in the Sacramento Mountains. From two overlooks, travelers can view snow-covered mountain tops above and white gypsum sands spread across the foot of the Andres Mountain Range. The two ranges form the Tularosa Basin, which encases the sands. After a 30-minute drive from mountain cool to desert hot, more surprises await.
The best time to experience the park is in late fall to early spring due to desert temperatures. However, the park opens at 7:00 a.m., so an early morning visit before the daily temperatures rise is possible. Glowing sunrise and sunset colors enhance the group walk/talks with park rangers. The White Sands Missile Range surrounds the park, which closes each week when nearby Holloman Air Force Base schedules tests, so call ahead.
Preparation is key to enjoying this park. Bring plenty of water, snacks, sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and sleds for everyone. Not the beach, digging in the sand isn’t allowed, but sledding the dunes is a treasured pastime. Many Alamogordo area lodgings check out sleds, boards and wax for free.
At the park’s entrance, stop at the adobe visitors’ center. Built in the 1930s in the Pueblo Revival style, it’s part of a national historic district within the park. Literature, interactive museum exhibits and a short video are offered along with the only potable water source in the park. Rangers offer tips, guidelines and information, or download the free NPS app.
While neighboring mountain roads need snowplowing, Dunes Drive in White Sands NP is plowed because the sand drifts constantly. Cleared parking areas accompany three trailheads, the Interdune Boardwalk (handicapped accessible), Backcountry Camping Trail, Lake Lucero (a playa) and the amphitheater. Roadside exhibits, shaded picnic areas and restrooms are available. When hiking the trails, always carry water and keep landmarks in sight. It’s easy to get lost among blindingly white dunes. Footprints disappear within minutes.
Covering 275 square miles, this is the largest gypsum field in the world, with gypsum left behind when the Permian Sea retreated and melting glaciers dissolved the mineral eons ago. Rain and snow continue dissolving the gypsum, while wind and sun separate and break down the crystals into sand. Water, lying just inches below the sandy surface, supports plant and animal life.
Animals, such as the bleached earless lizard and the Apache pocket mouse, scurry among the plants and visitors during early mornings, evenings and overnight. Adapted to life in the sands, they grew lighter than cousins living elsewhere. They are camouflaged and stay cooler. Early morning visitors might notice, on wind-stilled mornings, mouse tracks followed by fox tracks, two of many nocturnal animals.
Dune pedestals, created by shrubs such as the skunkbush sumac, shelter many animals. The soaptree yucca grows taller in the dunes, so new leaves stay above the sand. Desert flowers add beautiful color to the trails.
As Dunes Drive reaches its cul-de-sac turn, the surrounding dunes are clear of plants and ready to sled. After a challenging climb to a dune peak and waxing of the sled or board so it goes faster, visitors, young and old, thrill at sledding the dunes in tandem or solo.
People have been coming to this area since the Jornada Mogollon started farming in the basin during the Archaic Period. American Indians came in the 1600s, joined by Europeans and Americans in the 1800s as railways were built. White Sands NP was created in 1933, so visitors from around the world can continue visiting and enjoying this phenomenal natural treasure.
Photos by Virginia Riddle, LLC.
Written by Virginia Riddle
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