At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley, the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and have created the world's largest gypsum dune field. The brilliant white dunes are ever changing: growing, cresting, then slumping, but always advancing. Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to urvive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved a white coloration that camouflages them in the gypsum sand. White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.

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Park Closures
Due to missile testing on the adjacent White Sands Missile Range, it is occasionally necessary, for visitor safety, to close the Dunes Drive for periods of up to two hours. U.S. Highway 70/82 between Alamogordo and Las Cruces is also closed during times of missile testing. Visitors on a tight schedule are encouraged to call the day prior to arrival for information on closures.

A good way to start the visit at White Sands National Monument is to walk the Big Dune Nature trail that leads you to the top of one of the dunes near the edge of the dune field. This walk gives you a good impression of what you will find when you further explore this amazing place.

Although driving the Dunes Drive (8 miles / 12.8 km) is quite an experience, you need to get out of your comfortable, climate-controlled vehicle to fully enjoy the beauty of this unique desert. Just climb on top of any dune to get a great view across the vast area of white sand.

If you wish to hike cross-country, be sure to carry plenty of water. Warning When you leave the marked trail, it's very easy to get lost, since all the dunes look pretty much the same, and after crossing the first of the dunes, your only point of reference, the car parking area, can no longer be seen. My advice is to walk into the dune field on a straight line, maybe crossing a few dunes, and then, after taking pictures, walk straight back to your car. If you decide, after loosing eye contact with your car, to walk just a bit to the left, then, maybe, let's go over there and so on, you might easily loose any sense of direction and walk off to the wrong direction when trying to get back to the car.

My pictures of White Sands National Monument