Today we are playing at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. It is the 3rd national park on our road trip and last one on the way back. To read about how we got here, see: Our Road Trip from Florida to Arizona and Back. Today is sunny and we are looking forward to spending a few hours here until sunset at White Sands National Park.
Planning
We plan to arrive early afternoon and hopefully have a couple hours in the park before sunset. White Sands National Park has only 1 main road, the scenic Dunes Drive. Along this 16 mile loop drive are picnic areas, parking areas, hiking trails and restrooms. We are grabbing lunch in nearby Alamogordo and plan to picnic in the park. After eating we will explore the spots along Dunes Drive.
Entrance fees to the park are $10 per adult normally. However, we bought the America the Beautiful Annual pass for $80 knowing we would be going to multiple parks on this trip. This pass is good for any national park site fees for up to 4 adults. It is also good for one year. So, with our daughter and Becky’s parents we have plenty of time to play in White Sands National Park. For more information on this park, see White Sands National Park (nps.gov).
White Sands Primrose Picnic Area
Normally we would stop at the Visitor Center first, but it was closed due to Covid. So, we grabbed some subs from Brown Bag Deli in nearby Alamogordo to have a picnic in the park. With the visitor center closed, there is absolutely nowhere to get any food in this park. So when we return with our subs, we go through the entrance and show them our annual pass. We are now on Dunes Drive.
We bypass some trails and head straight to the nearest picnic area. Once the pavement ends and the hard gypsum sand road starts we drive slower. White sand dunes line both sides of the road. And we turn into the first one on our right, the Primrose Picnic Area. The picnic area is basically a parking area with covered picnic tables with garbage cans and grills. Surrounding the picnic areas are more dunes.
We find an open spot and park. When we grab our food to exit the car, we realize it is cold. The Sun is shining but this is the coldest day so far on our trip. We layer up and huddle to eat our subs on the picnic table. After lunch, we let our daughter loose to run in the sand.
Climbing Up and Sliding Down the Dunes
Climbing the dunes is fairly easy. Unlike beach sand, the white gypsum is compact, but not slippery like snow. And once on top of a dune, you can see white sand all around. The landscape looks like something that should be on the moon. Poppa follows after our daughter up the nearest dune.
When Poppa comes down, our daughter still wants to play. Unfortunately Becky can’t walk in the sand with her broken foot. So, I head up to the top. The dunes don’t seem too tall, but you can get a good view of the surrounding area.
When researching the park, we found one of the activities was sliding down the dunes. And waxed plastic saucers can be purchased at the park’s gift shop. But because the visitor center is closed, we can’t purchase them. So, after we left the picnic area, we headed to another area with some bigger dunes.
Though even without saucers, our daughter still enjoys sliding down some dunes. After a couple times, we walk through the dune field that seems to go on forever. And the sun is starting to set over the San Andres Mountains that border the park. When we get back to the car, we shake out our daughter’s shoes, but she inevitably gets plenty of sand in the car.
Sunset at White Sands National Park
The sun is glistening off the white sands and the dunes just seem to glow. And with the San Andres Mountains in the distance, it is truly beautiful.
I can see why they have an area on the Dunes Drive named the Sunset Stroll Meeting Area. It must be a popular activity to watch the sunsets here. After shaking some more sand out of our clothes, we decide to head to the short Interdune Boardwalk trail.
Interdune Boardwalk Trail
We are now driving back the way we came down Dunes Drive. We park in the parking area for the Interdune Boardwalk. Though this short boardwalk trail is only 0.4 miles, Becky decides she doesn’t want to do it. So our daughter and I walk down the trail. There are interpretive signs along the boardwalk until the end. Where many people are exiting the boardwalk to continue on. However, we stay on the boardwalk to return the same way we started. Becky didn’t miss much. This seems like a nice trail for those who are mobility impaired, but doesn’t offer good views. So, we leave and head to the Playa Trail near the end.
Playa Trail at White Sands National Park
The Playa Trail is an up and back 1/2 mile trip. No one wants to do the trail except me so I start hiking. The trail sign explains the playa is a barren dry lakebed that changes depending on the weather. The lakebed is dry and white, but the remaining trail has a lot of vegetation and very different than the sand dunes.
You can hike to the playa which is a low-lying area that temporarily fills with rainwater. Today it is dry. But this area is very open and you can clearly see the surrounding mountains. As the Sun is setting from the other direction, the mountains glow red. The moon is visible above the mountains just waiting for the Sun to set.
White Sands National Park Summary
At this point we have been in the park about 2 hours. We could spend more time playing in the sand, but we have to leave. Though if you bring in sleds and have a picnic we can see making a day out of it. There are also some longer hikes through the dunes as well for those that want to venture farther. This seems like a popular and unique place to have some fun with family or friends. Our daughter absolutely loved playing in the dunes, though she brought a lot of sand into our car. But the sunsets were worth it, and we loved playing at White Sands National Park!