One of the most eerily beautiful places to visit in Southern New Mexico is White Sands National Park. It is approximately 275 square miles of brilliant white sand dunes. Very similar to the sandy beaches in Destin, FL, but actually even whiter! The sand is made of Gypsum and is a little coarser than beach sand. As stark as the landscape may seem, people have lived in the area for more than 10,000 years. In more modern times Miners and Ranchers, as well as the US Military has populated the surrounding landscape.
The US Military established its military base during WW2 known as the White Sands Missile Range. If you are interested in our military history you will enjoy a visit to the White Sands Military Museum and to the Trinity site, where the first Atomic bomb was tested.
There is also a small historic district where you can learn about early settlement of Ranchers and what their daily life was like. The buildings were built during the Great Depression by the WPA and are a great example of the Pueblo Adobe style of construction.
The ecosystem is remarkably diverse with over 800 species of animals calling it home. Everything from reptiles, birds, mammals, amphibians, invertebrates and fish can be found here. Some species have even evolved and adapted in color to be camouflaged in the white sand.
We enjoyed our visit to White Sands. The Park Service has provided nice boardwalks and facilities that accommodate everyone. Even those of us in wheelchairs.
White Sands is definitely worth visiting if you are in New Mexico. It is near Las Cruces, just a few miles North of Interstate 10.
Don’t forget the kids! The whole park is a giant sandbox. You can even bring your sledd and enjoy sledding the dunes without freezing in snow.
Here is a link to the White Sands National Park, where you can plan your visit.
You might also enjoy this virtual visit link.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about White Sands National Monument. Please consider following me on social media. I try to blog about once a week on different places we like to travel. If you have any questions about any of the places we have traveled or how wheelchair accessible we have found them to be, please contact me!
