White Sands National Park

Too beautiful! The place is fantastic, and the alkali flat hike was the easiest, most pleasant, (and barefoot!) hike we have ever done! We started at 3.15 pm and while the sun was hot, the sand was cool, soft on the feet, and very easy to walk on. Surprisingly easy to climb the dunes, we both have knee problems and we felt zero stress while doing this hike. It seems indeed suitable for most people... Too beautiful! The place is fantastic, and the alkali flat hike was the easiest, most pleasant, (and barefoot!) hike we have ever done! We started at 3.15 pm and while the sun was hot, the sand was cool, soft on the feet, and very easy to walk on. Surprisingly easy to climb the dunes, we both have knee problems and we felt zero stress while doing this hike. It seems indeed suitable for most people. We waited for the spectacular sunset, and it did not disappoint. We were super lucky that there was zero wind this afternoon, and the temperature was unusually hot for this time of year. Cannot recommend enough.

We spent a wonderful afternoon exploring the White Sands located right outside of Alamogorgo, NM. You can drive along the dunes, walk sone trails, play in the sands and even rent some sleds from the gift shop for $25 and slide down the dunes. Always check their website for the operating hours for that day as they vary due to the weather, alerts and park entry fees. It is not open 24/7. The park... We spent a wonderful afternoon exploring the White Sands located right outside of Alamogorgo, NM. You can drive along the dunes, walk sone trails, play in the sands and even rent some sleds from the gift shop for $25 and slide down the dunes. Always check their website for the operating hours for that day as they vary due to the weather, alerts and park entry fees. It is not open 24/7. The park will close right before dark. Guess what? The sand is actually tiny granules of gypsum. The rocks roll into the basin from the rain and wind. When the water dries gypsum crystals are left which are then broken up by the strong winds and turn into these dunes of sand These dunes are actually only 4000 to 7000 yrs old. Millions of years ago giant mammoths, sloths and man walked this area which was a lake ( since dried) left their footprints which were discovered. The reason the sand does not blow away is because there is water way down under the dunes. The sand does feel slightly moist. Great place to enjoy walking and sliding along the dunes. Please visit the museum and don't miss the really interesting 15 minute video.

This was an unexpected experience. I thought it would just be some rolling white dunes, but it was SO much more. The visitor center is great. The staff were informative about how to maximize our experience. Ask them questions - they are amazing fountains of knowledge. There is a well done video and numerous diorama to show how the park evolved over millions of years - including human (and chi... This was an unexpected experience. I thought it would just be some rolling white dunes, but it was SO much more. The visitor center is great. The staff were informative about how to maximize our experience. Ask them questions - they are amazing fountains of knowledge. There is a well done video and numerous diorama to show how the park evolved over millions of years - including human (and child) preserved footprints that are well over 10,000 years old. We stopped at the first hiking loop which is the 1 mile Dune Life Nature Trail. Very beautiful and informative. Kids would love it. It's also a dog friendly walk (leashes). Miles further in, you get to the big dunes for saucer sledding!! It really works. You can hike for miles on the Alkali Flats trail where you easily see how people get disoriented and lost. Bring lots of water!!. This was a great full-day stop of fun.