White Sands National Park

Simply put, White Sands National Park motto is like nowhere else on Earth, and it is absolutely true! At roughly around 275 miles in the Tularosa Basin in the Chihuahuan Desert, New Mexico is home to something you have never saw in your life. Just entering the park makes you feel as though you are entering a movie set or a different planet. Dunes of gypsum have are everywhere, and is the largest gypsum dunefield in the world. It feels like a mirage walking and driving through the park, making you forget that there is a military missile testing facility located right outside the park.

After driving to the furthest point of the park, we hiked Alkali Flat Trail. First and foremost, I can tell you there is nothing flat on this trail. The Alkali is 5.5 mile hike up and dunes and cliffs made of gypsum. You may need to use your hand to get up hills at some parts, and can use sleds to get down faster. We also hiked two other trails, Dune Life Nature Trail and Interdune Boardwalk. The Dune Life Nature Trail is a 1 mile loop that will take around 45 minutes to get through, and the Interdune Life Nature Trail is an elevated boardwalk that leads you through the fragile interdune area to a scenic view of the dune field and the Sacramento mountains.

Having a few national parks under our belts, you never know what to expect, but White Sands literally blew us away. It’s hard to describe, but it’s like having the worlds largest beach to yourself. After looking at the pictures, it is also hard to believe that White Sands is home to 800 animal species, including my personal favorite the Greater Roadrunner. This is a place that I will absolutely be back too. The pictures we took are below. Next stop is Tombstone, Arizona. It might not be a national park, but we have to check it out. LET’S GO!