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https://www.theamericansouthwest.com/white-sands-national-park I absolutely love White Sands National Park, although back in my day it was just a little humble Monument with a lot less traffic than nowadays. I’ve been in the summer & the spring & as usual with the Southwest, the weather can be wild! I’ve been to the summer & the spring & as usual with the Southwest, the weather can be wild! I’ve seen it in a wind storm that painfully whipped sand into your eyes & I’ve seen it in blindingly bright white beautiful sunlight. I’ve worn layers of clothing & I’ve worn only a tank top. No matter when you’re there, it’s going to be a blast… although, that blast can sometimes feel like the wave of heat after opening a furnace. There are a few short trails in the park (Playa Trail, Dune Life Nature Trail, Interdune Boardwalk) but the real fun is the self exploration of the massive area of white dunes. A good place to start is the Alkali Flat Trail but you can pretty much park anywhere there’s a parking space. Just get out of your vehicle & explore! But make sure to have lots of water. The dunes are firmer & cooler than other sand dunes like the Kelso Dunes in California or the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado. You should reach down & feel the sand. & if you’re so inclined, you can rent a sled at the Visitor Center (created in the Pueblo Revival style by the CCC in the 1930s) & do some sledding! You can walk as far as you desire or until you hit a fence barring you from entering the White Sands Missile Range (which surrounds the park & sometimes closes it if they’re testing missiles), but no matter where you go you’ll be surrounded by white gypsum dunes with distant mountain views all around. To the west lie the rugged Andres Mountains (San Andres Peak is 8,235 feet tall), to the southwest lie the Organ Pipe Mountains, & to the east you can see Sierra Blanca where Ruidoso sits. To the north of the dunes, 60 miles, is the Trinity Site where on July 16th, 1945, the world’s 1st atomic bomb was exploded. People from 160 miles away saw the 38,000 foot tall mushroom cloud. The world would never be the same & the American Empire Coalesced, like the sand beneath the explosion which turned into green Trinitite Glass. The white sand comes from the ancient Permian Sea that existed millions of years ago. When it dried up, it left all this sand that sits in the basin today. The Pleistocene or Ice Age also helped form the landscape that lays out before you & today’s wind, snow, & monsoons continue the process. The wind & weather is constantly changing the landscape & when you’re there you may see some snow plows plowing what looks like snow but is really these broken down gypsum crystals. Surprisingly, cause Gypsum holds water so well, the dunes stay in place in the Tularosa Basin. There’s water inches or feet below the surface of the dunes, gluing them together & to the surface of the ground. Even during long & hot droughts. but only the heartiest should attempt the windy & sandy overnight adventure. There is wildlife at the park! The bleached earless lizard & the cute Apache pocket mouse during the day. & at night, the kit fox. You’ll hear plenty of bugs while hiking & at the parking lots will be some smart crows, so watch out. n my Pleistocene Podcast episode I talked about the Ice Age people of the American Southwest & I specifically talked about this place, White Sands. I talked about it because there is evidence of people here dating back over 20,000 years ago. Which findings shatter the belief that humans had only been in the New World for 15,000. The footprints seem to be following a Giant Ground Sloth. Although, they may not have been hunting the beast. Later, the Mogollon (Anasazi cousins) moved to the area before the Apaches were sent to their reservation nearby. For some amazing information on the area, head to the Tularosa Basin museum! Lastly, I’ve been writing a novel for a few years now & the final scene of the story, set in 1953, takes place at the White Sands Missile Range. If you’re interested in reading a historical fiction novel about a southern bank robber who flees on his motorcycle to Ruidoso where he tries to get straight & where he falls in love with a widowed horse trainer only for his past to catch up to him & forces him to rob the race track… stay tuned.