Hiking White Sands
Hiking White Sands at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico; easy walks with big rewards! This national park consists of 275 square miles (450 km) of the desert made up of white sand dunes. The photos you can take from these hikes are nothing less than spectacular!
The white sand is made of gypsum which can form white crystals on the top of the water and the plants that are native to the area. Gypsum is a salt compund that is often used to make fertilizer and building materials like plaster. I drove my car to the hiking trails in the park, and when I left my wheel wells had a buildup white Gypsum on them.
Please note; I only had a day to visit this park so I only did the easy hikes. There are some hikes that are considered more advanced. You can find more information on the different hikes by visiting the official White Sands Monument website.
Hiking White Sands
First, you will want to go to the visitor center and get a map and the most recent trail information if you want to go hiking. From the center, you will drive a couple minutes up the road to the park entrance booth. It was 5 USD when I was at the park. Check the website for the latest prices.
Desert Scenery
You can expect to see a lot of different cacti, and other types of plants that have adapted to the desert environment.
Playa Trail
The first hike you will most likely do is the Playa Trail. It’s just a short walk along dry lakebed. If you follow the map it’s the first hike on the right side of the park road.
Sometimes if it rains enough you will see a small lake in the middle of this hike. When you walk on the dried up lakebed you can hear the salt crystals crumble under your shoes. The dry lakebed along the Playa trail reminds me of The Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.
Dune Life Nature Trail
The Dune Life Nature Trail is considered moderate and takes about one hourto complete. You can follow the makers and there are maps posted along the trail. I took so many
Backcountry Camping Trail
The last spot I stopped was the trail head of The Backcountry Camping Trail. This is a moderate hike, but I didn’t get time to check much of it out. I only walked in for about 10 minutes so I could get some photos.
Getting There
To get to The White Sands National Monument visitor center from Las Cruz, NM; Take highway US-70 East towards Alamogordo for about 50 miles (80 km). You will need to pass through a Border Patrol Station (Security Inspection) just before the visitor center.
The park is within a military training area where missiles are often tested. If you look overhead while you are hiking you will most likely see a few fighter jets patrolling the big blue desert sky.
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Tyler England
