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Campers Corner USA Southwest
WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMNET, NEW MEXICO, USA – A winter white snowscape stretches out as far as the eye can see. Tourists toting colorful plastic sleds are hiking up white slopes and sliding down to the tune of gleeful squeals and laughter.
Wait…something’s not quite right. This is New Mexico and it’s not even winter. The sun is shining high and the aforementioned tourists are clad in shorts and t-shirts, not snow parkas and thermal underwear.
This little bit of travel surrealism is brought to you by the White Sands National Monument. What appeared to have been snow from a distance and snow white beach sand up close is actually, at 126,000 acres, the world’s largest gypsum field.
Part of the Tula Rosa basin, the field is strategically situated between two mountains, coated in a huge layer of gypsum. Wind and water cooperate to create crystals that break down into the sands which create the white dunes ever shifting against the desolate desert landscape. T
he dunes can move up to 30 feet in a year. The park service is ready for the phenomena and all buildings in the park like restrooms and picnic shelters can be easily moved should conditions dictate.
As much as the dunes resemble beach sand up close, there are important differences. Unlike sand, the gypsum is not an abrasive, so even if you and your vehicle should get caught in a wind storm, your paint finish and glass should come out unscathed. The gypsum does not retain heat either. You can comfortably sled barefoot, even in the middle of summer.
Which is not to say the rest of you won’t get overheated. Desert temperatures often venture into triple digits in the summer, so always take plenty of water with you.
Visitors can explore the park on the eight-mile scenic dunes loop drive, pen from 7AM to sunset. Take time to leave the vehicle and take a nature hike. Interpretive markers help you get in touch with the unique ecosystem of plants and animals living on, in, and under the white sands.
Nature adapts to its surroundings. You probably won’t be able to spot many of the animals designed to blend in to their surrounding, but you’ll see plenty of tracks. Plants adapt too, none more dramatically than the cottonwood trees buried in the dunes with just the tops peaking out. Apparently as long as some part of the tree can reach daylight, it’s enough for survival until the shifting dunes moves on. We should all be so resilient.
Learn more about visiting White Sands National Monument at their website www.nps.gov/whsa or phone 575-679-2599. Check out the visitor’s center before venturing into the park. They offer a wealth of information about the park and its unique geology and ecosystem, as well as sled rentals for fun on the dunes.
In addition to hiking trails you enjoy at your leisure, park rangers offer daily guided sunset walks and monthly full moon hikes.
For more information about visiting this area in general, contact the Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau at 211 N. Water St. in Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001. Call them at 575-541-2444 or visit their website at www.LasCrucesCVB.org.
Campers Corner USA Southwest
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WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMNET, NEW MEXICO, USA – A winter white snowscape stretches out as far as the eye can see. Tourists toting colorful plastic sleds are hiking up white slopes and sliding down to the tune of gleeful squeals and laughter.Wait…something’s not quite right. This is New Mexico and it’s not even winter. The sun is shining high and the aforementioned tourists are clad in shorts and t-shirts, not snow parkas and thermal underwear.
This little bit of travel surrealism is brought to you by the White Sands National Monument. What appeared to have been snow from a distance and snow white beach sand up close is actually, at 126,000 acres, the world’s largest gypsum field.
Part of the Tula Rosa basin, the field is strategically situated between two mountains, coated in a huge layer of gypsum. Wind and water cooperate to create crystals that break down into the sands which create the white dunes ever shifting against the desolate desert landscape. T
he dunes can move up to 30 feet in a year. The park service is ready for the phenomena and all buildings in the park like restrooms and picnic shelters can be easily moved should conditions dictate.
As much as the dunes resemble beach sand up close, there are important differences. Unlike sand, the gypsum is not an abrasive, so even if you and your vehicle should get caught in a wind storm, your paint finish and glass should come out unscathed. The gypsum does not retain heat either. You can comfortably sled barefoot, even in the middle of summer. Which is not to say the rest of you won’t get overheated. Desert temperatures often venture into triple digits in the summer, so always take plenty of water with you.
Visitors can explore the park on the eight-mile scenic dunes loop drive, pen from 7AM to sunset. Take time to leave the vehicle and take a nature hike. Interpretive markers help you get in touch with the unique ecosystem of plants and animals living on, in, and under the white sands.
Nature adapts to its surroundings. You probably won’t be able to spot many of the animals designed to blend in to their surrounding, but you’ll see plenty of tracks. Plants adapt too, none more dramatically than the cottonwood trees buried in the dunes with just the tops peaking out. Apparently as long as some part of the tree can reach daylight, it’s enough for survival until the shifting dunes moves on. We should all be so resilient.
Practicalities
Learn more about visiting White Sands National Monument at their website www.nps.gov/whsa or phone 575-679-2599. Check out the visitor’s center before venturing into the park. They offer a wealth of information about the park and its unique geology and ecosystem, as well as sled rentals for fun on the dunes.
In addition to hiking trails you enjoy at your leisure, park rangers offer daily guided sunset walks and monthly full moon hikes.
For more information about visiting this area in general, contact the Las Cruces Convention and Visitors Bureau at 211 N. Water St. in Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001. Call them at 575-541-2444 or visit their website at www.LasCrucesCVB.org.
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