White Sands

After years of dreaming, I finally made it to one of my lifelong destinations: White Sands National Monument, New Mexico!

We arrived at the visitor's center at White Sands National Monument on a cold, early morning. The sky was still dark when we left Las Cruces, and we were soon engulfed in fog so thick that we had to slow to a crawl and drive with our hazards on. It was really scary! Fortunately, the fog cleared, and by the time we got to the national monument (just before it opened) the cold drizzle was slacking off. 

As soon as we entered the park itself, though, it was like going through a magic portal! We passed through the guard barrier, and as soon as we were in the desert sands, the sky was a magnificent clear blue with barely a cloud to be seen . That's the magic of the desert, I guess!

There's a partially-paved road that loops through the monument, with several trails of various lengths jutting off from it. The first trail that we came to was the La Playa, just a short walk of a few hundred meters. The La Playa Trail took us through a field of scrubby brush to a small alkaline lake - we hadn't really entered the desert proper yet, and life was much more abundant here on the edge of the desert.

It was so cold as we arrived at the park, but as the sun rose, it rapidly became warmer and warmer (still not horribly hot, as it was still the winter). First the gloves came off, then the scarves, and by mid-morning, we didn't even need our jackets anymore.

The desert begins really suddenly! One moment we were trekking through a narrow path with course brush on either side, and the next, we had come up against a steep white dune. The sand began immediately! 

This was the Dune Life Nature Trail. Here, at the border of the dunes, there's still a lot of life. As we hiked, occasional sign posts told us information about the creatures who call this place their home. Native animals include kit foxes, mice, hawks, wolves, snakes, and much more.

It was still a little chilly at this part of the morning, but it would soon become warmer.

There are still a lot of plants at this part of the park, but as we got deeper, the landscape shifted until there was nothing but blinding white sand and pure blue sky wherever you looked. I can see how it would be easy to get lost out there in the desert. 

Unfortunately, several visitors (mostly foreign tourists who don't know how wild nature in the US can be) have died out at White Sands. People will read a sign that points the way to a 5km (3 mile) trail. They think "that's not far at all! I walk more than that every day!" But they don't pay attention and get lost, or think that they won't need any water with them. That's a big mistake! The desert is beautiful, but it can be deadly if not treated with respect.

A lone tree in the desert.

Despite the harsh climate, the desert is very much alive. Most of the nature is nocturnal, and lives underground during the day to stay cool.

The Inter-Dune Boardwalk. The national monument is pretty wild and undeveloped, but there are parts that are accessible for people with disabilities, or who have difficulty walking in the sand.

White Sands is made entirely of gypsum crystals. The Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico are rich in the mineral. Every year, rains dissolve the gypsum, which runs down the mountains, collecting in a lake at the edge of the national monument. In the summer, the lake dries up, leaving jagged gypsum crystals, which get broken, blown, and tossed by the wind, eventually forming the dunes at White Sands.

White Sands is the largest gypsum desert in the world. It stretches over 30 kilometers across! The second largest gypsum field in the world (located in Mexico) is only 5km.

Eventually, after a picnic lunch at one of the rest areas, we came to the high desert, where nothing but pure crystalline sand stretched out for miles in every direction.

 It's surreal - when you look out, you can see nothing. Just miles and miles of sand without any sort of marking or landmark to break it up. The view is really breathtaking.

It's also a great place to take fun photos.

Pinky and me admiring the dunes.

I'm so glad that the weather finally cleared up! I've been wanting to see White Sands for years, and it was the real reason that we all wanted to go to New Mexico over our holiday. It would have been sad if the weather (or the government shutdown which happened to shut down White Sands just a few days after we left) had kept us from seeing the park. 

White Sands, New Mexico. I've never seen a place more accurately named than here.