White Sands National Monument

March 14, 2017
White Sands National Monument
Alamogordo, NM

The map of the monument.  

The White Sands are gypsum dunes that cover 275 square miles of the Chihuahuan Desert in the Tularosa Basin.  This is the largest gypsum dunefield in the world.  The monument preserves over half of it.  This cloud hovered over us the entire time we were there.

The dunes probably started forming about 7000-10000 years ago when Lake Otero started drying up.  Lake Otero covered most of the Tularosa Basin at that time.  Lake Lucero is the last remnant of Lake Otero and is located in the SW corner of the park at the base of the San Andres Mountains.  To get there, you have to hike over the dunes or hire a guide.  We did neither.  We drove the auto tour road.

Many of my photos appear similar.  I don't think they do justice to the the beauty of the dunes, but I post them here anyway.  The expansiveness (is that a word?) of the dunes is where the beauty is found. 

One thing I found amazing is that there is water just a few feet below and that is what creates the stability of the dunes.  You can purchase a disc sled and climb a dune to sled down the tall dunes.

Donna was surprised when she entered the boardwalk at the park.  Does she look confused?

I will try to find the plants from their descriptions.  I cannot confirm nor deny the accuracy of my photos.

Here's that cloud again.

You can walk on the sand in most areas.  The nightly winds will cover your tracks

The San Andres Mountains in the background.

The sands seem to go on forever.

The top of a dune makes a nice picnic place.  I'm not sure what is on the other side of this dune, but my guess would be more sand, maybe some mountains in the distance.

See the kid with the disc, they are heading up the dune, to sled down.

More sand

The road is plowed almost daily

These are called "pedestals", they form when sand accumulates around a plant, like the soaptree yucca.  The yucca grows taller and taller trying to survive, until it topples over and leaves behind a "pedestal."  This one is forming.

The sand is firm and stands until the remnants of the plant, buried inside, can no longer support the structure.

The edge of the dunes.

At the Visitor Center

The park is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range.  They close US Highway 70 and the park for a couple hours when they are firing missiles. We heard the explosion one morning while staying near there.   The first Atomic bomb was exploded here at the "Trinity Site".  That site is only open two days each year, once in April and once in October.

For more information checkout these sites:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Sands_National_Monument
https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm