Great national parks near White Sands

Witch's Finger at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

For travelers driving a distance to White Sands National Park, there are plenty of great sights that you ought to make a side trip to see.

Among the two biggest are Saguaro National Park if coming coming west from Tucson and the adjacent Carlsbad and Guadalupe Mountains national parks if coming east from southern Texas. Another excellent hiking area between Tucson and White Sands is southeast Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument.

All offer quite different experiences than White Sands, adding a variety of unique, fantastic hikes during your trip.

Some of the great sights near White Sands and some trails to explore them include:
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Chiricahua National Monument
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park
• Saguaro National Park

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.

Best trails to see White Sands’s wonders

White Sands National Park boasts the largest gypsum sand 
dunefield in the world.

Among the best ways to see the top sights of White Sands National Park – America’s newest national park – is via a day hike. Just five short trails will allow you to enjoy each of the park’s highlights: the world’s largest gypsum dunefield; sledding the dunes; desert wildlife; wildflowers; and stargazing.

World’s largest gypsum dunefield
Day hikers can walk across the park’s otherworldly pure white dunes. The 4.9-mile Alkali Flat Trail loops over the western portion of the New Mexico dunefield. It’s one of the few trails in the world that requires a different route every time you hike it – the route changes daily as blowing winds remold the dunes.

Sledding
Sledding on the snow-like dunes is a favorite activity of the park’s visitors with most of them doing so in the Heart of the Sands area. There’s not a trail exactly, but you’ll do a lot of walking – all uphill – as you ascend the dunes and then slide down them. Best of all, though, you can sled without stuffing yourself inside all of those bulky winter clothes. The steepest dunes are halfway along the Heart of the Sands loop as you begin heading toward the park entrance.

Desert wildlife
The vast, inhospitable gypsum dunes of White Sands look lifeless to most visitors. Truth be known, more than 800 animal species call the park home. A good way to learn about some of that wildlife is hiking the Dune Life Nature Trail. The 1-mile lollipop trail sits at the edge of the gypsum dunefield where it meets the surrounding desert scrubland. Fourteen trailside signs tell about wildlife of both the desert and dunes. Even better, each placard has two parts – one for adults and one for kids – making this a great family trail.

Desert wildflowers
Park visitors can enjoy desert flowers on the Native Plant Garden Tour. The short trail – just 150-200 feet tops – is a self-guided walking tour in front of the visitor center. It's best seen mid-April through late November, as desert plants are dormant during winter. Highlights include soaptree yucca, ocotillo, Torrey's Yucca, and several wildflowers.

Stargazing
Among the darkest skies in America’s national parks are at White Sands. For many who’ve never seen the night sky before, the sight is absolutely startling and awe-inspiring with up to 2000 stars visible on the best nights. The park’s 2.2-mile Backcountry Camping Trail is mainly for backpackers, but day hikers can take it as well while still light out. If backpack camping is your thing, though, this is an ideal trail for stargazing.

'White Sands' guidebook ready for pre-order

I'm proud to announce that pre-orders are now being taken for my forthcoming and latest title, "Best Sights to See at White Sands National Park."

The book lists the New Mexico park’s top 7 most popular sights and experiences while detailing the top day hiking trails to best enjoy them. Nearby hiking trails in Lincoln National Forest, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, Carlsbad Caverns/Guadalupe Mountains national parks also are included. It contains two BONUS sections - a day hiking primer, and a guide to hiking in national parks. Downloadable 8 x 11 inch maps are available at a special website for all featured trails.

Release date for the book is Sep. 30. The paperback also will be available on that date.

You can pre-order the ebook here.

Great trails explore White Sands’ geology

White Sands is the world's largest gypsum sand dune.
Photo courtesy White Sands NPS.

The world’s largest gypsum dunefield sits in southcentral New Mexico. At 275 square miles, about 4.5 billion short tons of white gypsum crystal make up the entire dunefield. White Sands National Park protects the southern half of the field. The dunes rise an average of 30 feet above the surface at White Sands, with the tallest dune about six-and-a-half stories high.

The sand dunes owe their creation to events from 251 million to 299 million years ago during the Permian. At the time, shallows seas covered this part of the world. When they receded, a seabed rich in gypsum was left behind. As the San Andres and Sacramento mountains rose, the gypsum was lifted to higher elevations. Rain dissolved the water-soluble gypsum, with rivers carrying the mineral down the mountains and depositing it in the basin below.

Fast-forward to the end of the last ice age, about 10,000 BC. Large lakes, streams and grasslands filled the Tularosa Basin between the two mountain ranges. As the ice sheets retreated, weather patterns shifted, causing the basin to warm and dry out. One waterbody, Lake Otero, evaporated and became the alkali flat while the grassland turned to desert.

Exposed selenite crystals on the flat eroded into gypsum grains between 8000 and 5000 BC. Prevailing winds then blew the grains eastward, forming dunes, which stabilized about 2000 BC.

Three great trails to explore White Sands’ geology are:
• Alkali Flat Trail
• Interdune Boardwalk
• Playa Trail

Great trails explore White Sands’ geography

Gypsum dunes make up the bulk of White Sands National Park.
Photo courtesy White Sands NPS.

Great trails explore White Sands’ geography White Sands National Park sits at 4000 feet elevation in southcentral New Mexico’s Tularosa Basin. The 148,588-acre park protects 115 square miles of the gypsum dunefield with the rest of it in the White Sands Missile Range.

Transverse-Barchan dunes sit behind them on the field’s western and and northern sides. These arc-shaped dunes have gentle sloping sides on the windward side leading to high ridges with a steep dropoff on their front.

Dome dunes also can be found at the field’s western edges, usually next to the park’s Lake Lucero and the alkali flat. These dunes are large, rounded piles of sand.

A vast 1,600-square-mile alkali flat stretches between the dunefield’s northwest side to the San Andres Mountains, which forms the basin’s western wall. The flat is the remnant of the evaporated Lake Otero, which was larger than modern Rhode Island.

Two connected pools that make up Lake Lucero are south of the alkali flat and west of the dunes. The lake often is dry, but after rain, snowmelt from the neighboring mountains, and upwelling from deep groundwater, it will fill, only for the water to eventually evaporate.

Trail access to the vast dune field is limited.

The northern half of the dune field sits in White Sands Missile Range with the western half of the park – which includes the alkali flat’s southern portion, Lake Lucero and the dunefield’s southwestern section are shared by the missile range and national park.

The park itself – the area accessible to the public – consists of the dunefield’s southcentral portion and some adjoining desert with a little bit of the alkali flat.

A single road – Dunes Drive – runs about 8 miles into the park, and all of the park’s trails can be accessed from it. About nine miles of trails head into the dunes.

Some great trails to explore White Sands National Park’s geography are:
• Playa Trail (dune front)
• Alkali Flats Trail (Transverse-Barchan dunes, Lake Lucero)
• Interdune Boardwalk (Parabolic dunes)

Sled on dunes at White Sands National Park

White Sands National park's gypsum dunes are perfect for sledding.
White Sands NPS photo.

Map of sledding areas in White Sands
National Park. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can sled during part of their walk at New Mexico’s White Sands National Park.

Sledding on the snow-like dunes is a favorite activity of the park’s visitors with most of them doing so in the Heart of the Sands area. There’s not a trail exactly, but you’ll do a lot of walking – all uphill – as you ascend the dunes and then slide down them.

Best of all, though, you can sled without stuffing yourself inside all of those bulky winter clothes.

To reach the sledding area, from U.S. Hwy. 70 enter the park on Dunes Drive. Once past the parking lot for the Interdune Boardwalk, vehicles are allowed to park off the side of the road.

While visitors often do this as soon as they see the first open dune to sled on, a much better choice is continuing to where the road loops, known as the Heart of the Sands area. This region will be less crowded, and there are actual parking lots. Any of the picnic areas are a good option. Being able to sled away from the main road also will be safer. The steepest dunes, however, are halfway along the loop as you begin heading toward the park entrance.

Unlike regular sand dunes, gypsum actually is great for tobogganing, as the firmer particles prevents the sled from sinking or piling up in front of you.

Unlike snow, which when compact turns to ice, the gypsum is not slippery. Because of this, sleds need to be waxed. Plastic saucers also tend to work best.

Selecting a dune to sled
You can bring your own sled or purchase one at the gift shop back at the entrance. Wax for your sled also is available there in case you forgot it. If you slide down in the same spot several times, that will create a smooth track, which reduces friction and so increases your speed.

The best kind of dune to slide is one with a gently sloping face and a level end. This allows you to come to a safe stop.

Take note of where the dune slope meets the desert floor. While the gypsum sand is soft, the base of the dune that is thin and touches the regular sand beneath can be extremely hard. Injuries have occurred.

Don’t come to a stop in a roadway or a parking lot either. That will be just as hard as the desert floor with the added threat of moving vehicles.

How to go fast
Also make sure there are no plants, sand clumps, or other obstructions in your sled’s path. Besides destroying the fragile vegetation, you’ll probably get scratched or cut up from sharp thorns, and those sand clumps can be like hitting concrete.

Sitting in the sled with your feet pointing downhill can make you more aerodynamic and increase your speed. Don’t sled head first, though; while that still is fast, gypsum particles can more easily blow into your eyes, and should you crash, your noggin likely will take the brunt of the blow. Don’t stand while sledding either, as you easily can lose your balance.

If little children are with you, they always should sled with an adult. Older children should be told about the various safety rules before allowed to hit the dunes.

Be sure to don sunscreen and sunglasses while sledding. The bright sun and reflection off the white sand will burn you quickly, and the all-white terrain will be blinding without eye protection.

Brief walk explores White Sands desert flora

The Native Plant Garden Tour sits in front of the White Sands visitor center.

Native Plant Garden Tour map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can enjoy desert flowers on the Native Plant Garden Tour at New Mexico's White Sands National Park.

The short trail – just 150-200 feet tops – is a self-guided walking tour in front of the visitor center. It's best seen mid-April through late November, as desert plants are dormant during winter.

To reach the trail, from U.S. Hwy. 70 enter the park via Dune Drives. Turn right/northeast on the very next road. Park in the lot and head northwest toward the visitor center entrance.

The visitor center was constructed during the mid-1930s in Spanish pueblo-adobe (“Pueblo-Revival”) style using local materials. The center offers an excellent orientation film “A Land in Motion” about the national park. The 17-minute long film plays on the hour and half-hour.

At the visitor center information desk, you also can obtain a native plant garden guide for the walk.

White Sands sits at the northern end of the Chihuahuan desert. Plants growing there must be very durable because of the nutrient-poor soil and extreme temperature changes.

Start the walk by looking at the garden to right/east of visitor center door. Among the plants there are Apache plume, desert willow, Indian ricegrass, Colorado four o'clock, creosote bush, and to the right of White Sands sign, honey mesquite.

Of them, the Colorado four o’ clock blooms from spring through summer. With showy purple to magenta blossoms, its five-lobed, funnel-shaped flower can grow up to two-and-a-half inches wide. It is found all across the American Southwest and northern Mexico.

The garden across from the Colorado four o'clocks contains three interesting desert plants – the three-leaf sumac, Torrey's jointfir, and soapatree yucca.

For visitors to New Mexico, the soaptree yucca will be the most noticeable because it's the absolutely alien looking. A long stem rises from a squat set of draping leaves. Large, cream-colored flowers bloom on the stem in late April through May.

Directly across the visitor center door is ocotillo and Torrey's Yucca.

Some desert plants bloom only after monsoon rains, and such is the case with ocotillo. Long, spiny cane-line stems rise from the shrub’s short trunk. The stems can reach up to 20 feet high, as tall as a two-story building. When rain falls from March through June, dense clusters of red tubular flowers blossom from stems’ ends.

The garden along the path behind this garden and next to the parking lot includes several desert plants. From northeast to southwest are New Mexico agave, lechuguilla, cane cholla, hoary rosemary mint, fourwing saltbush, purple prickly pear cactus, and desert spoon (also known as sotol).

Purple prickly pear cactus is a Southwestern icon. A shrub, it spreads by growing pad-like segments that turn shades of pinkish-purple. From April through May, its blooms open midmorning, close at night, and never reopen. The flowers consist of yellow petals with its lower portions red, which form a brilliant red center.

The native garden lacks shade, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. Sunburn can occur even after just a few minutes in the intense summer light.

Gaze at breathtaking stars on remote trail

More than 2000 stars can be seen on a moonless night at White Sands
National Park. White Sands NPS photo.

Backcountry Camping Trail map. Click for larger version.

In most urban areas, artificial lighting and smog wash out the stars. Many people grow up only seeing a few of the brightest points in the night sky and never realizing the grandeur of the Milky Way that humankind has enjoyed for tens of thousands of years. But there still are places where one can see the night sky.

Among the darkest skies in America’s national parks are at New Mexico’s White Sands. For many who’ve never seen the night sky before, the sight is absolutely startling and awe-inspiring.

The park’s 2.2-mile Backcountry Camping Trail is mainly for backpackers, but day hikers can take it as well while still light out. If backpack camping is your thing, though, this is an ideal trail for stargazing.

To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy. 70 enter the park on Dunes Drive. Take the loop almost full circle. Just before coming back to Dunes Drive, enter the parking lot on the right/west. Leave your vehicle there.

There’s no real trail – the ever-shifting sand prevents that. Instead, you’ll follow orange-topped posts from point to point. The trail markers are set up with a 0.22-mile long stem and then a loop from it.

Trail heads up and down the dunes. Desert grasses, mesquite and yucca grow in the lower sections between the dune crests. Plenty of expansive, awe-inspiring views of the dunefield are to be had.

But if you really want to be awed, camp out in the dunefield and look at the starry sky. The least amount of light pollution in the park is in the middle of the dunefield, so on a moonless night, you’ll be able to see more than 2000 stars.

The first delight is sunset. As the shadows deepen, the dunes’ brilliant white turns to tan then pink, purple, deep blue and finally gray as the sky becomes a black field of stars.

Stars by the season
What you’ll see in the night sky changes with each season.

Summer brings the spectacular band of the Milky Way, which is best seen on a moonless night. The Summer Triangle features the three bright blue stars, Vega, Altair and Deneb. Mid-August marks the Perseid Meteor Shower; park rangers usually hold a watch party for the meteor shower on another trail.

Autumn offers the Great Square of Pegasus, which rises in the northeastern sky at dusk. The Andromeda Galaxy is a fuzzy patch near the square. Autumn days are great for hiking the trail but nights in the high desert can be cold.

Winter delivers the constellation Orion and the sky’s brightest star, Sirius, which is only 8.6 light years from Earth. The red star Aldebaran is the winking eye in the constellation Taurus. While late winter can have pleasant days, nights will be very chilly.

In spring, two bright stars – orange Arcturus and blue Regulus – both are visible. The Big Dipper’s handle points toward Arcturus, which appears near dusk in the eastern sky. To the south, Regulus is in the constellation Leo’s front paw.

Stargazing pointers
Some quick tips for stargazing:
• Go on moonless nights – Reflecting sunlight to Earth, the moon can reduce the number of stars you’ll see. Check the moon phases to find the perfect evening to stargaze.
• Only use red lights – The human eyes needs at least 20 minutes to adjust to low light, Bright non-red lights delay that process and can wash out the stars.
• Layer your clothing – The dry air at the higher elevations can make for nippy nights, even in summer. You’ll probably need a sweatshirt and jacket on July evenings, though during the day you would roast alive wearing that.
• Watch your step – Animals come out at night, and you don’t want to accidentally step on a snake or off a dune. All will end your stargazing adventure.
• Bring a folding chair – One that you can lean back in will reduce neck strain. Sitting in one spot, even if you adjust the chair slightly to see different parts of the sky, will reduce the chances that you trample vegetation.
• Carry water – Many areas of the park have no running water. Even if not hiking, the dry air will cause you to feel parched.

Planning notes
A permit is required to backcountry camp at White Sands and can be purchased at the entry booths. They are given on a first come, first served basis. Only six people are allowed per backcountry campsite.

There is absolutely no shade, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat as well as bring plenty of water. If you can’t see the next trail marker – which can occur thanks to blowing sand (especially in spring when visibility can be reduced to a few feet) or after heavy winds knock down a trail marker, return to the trailhead.

Lastly, leashed dogs are allowed on the trail.

Short, easy trail skirts White Sands NP playa

The Playa Trail heads to a dry lakebed that fills with water after rainfall at
White Sands National Park. NPS photo.

Playa Trail aerial map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can explore a desert playa on a short trail at New Mexico’s White Sands National Park.

The 0.5-mile out and and back Playa Trail by far is the park’s easiest hike. Utterly flat, it avoids the dune’s deep sands that feet sink into.

To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy. 70 take Dunes Drive into the park. Leave your vehicle in the first pullout on the road’s right side.

The trail leaves from the pullout’s center heading north into the Chihuahuan Desert scrubland at the edge of the vast gypsum dunes. In short order, it reaches the east side of a small playa and continues along its shore.

A playa is a low-lying area that fills with rainwater from storms. Most of the time, though, it is a dry lakebed.

Playas are a common feature of deserts, and there are several others at White Sands. Lake Lucero at 10 square miles is the park’s largest playa and the current source of its gypsum sand. The playa on this trail, however, is the only one in the park that can be hiked, though sometimes ranger-led tours head out to Lake Lucero.

Cryptobiotic crust
During summer, monsoon-like rains fill the playa with water. That instantly draws animals to it, and creates a lush new mini-ecosystem.

Even when the playa is dry, the area is not barren. A cryptobiotic crust grows around the playa atop the desert soil. The crust consists of lichens, algae and other microorganisms, and are the darker brown and black areas on the tawny sand.

Without this crust, the sandy soil never would have enough nutrients for other plants to grow. They also help stabilize the sand, and by doing so give plants a layer to take root in.

While the dry lake bed may be tempting to walk into, stay on the trail. Footsteps easily can damage the fragile cryptobiotic crust; in the harsh desert environment, it sometimes needs up to seven years to fully regenerate.

Lush grassland
The Sacramento and Sierra Blanca mountains on the distant horizon emphasize how this is a land of extremes. Even in summer when temperatures on the desert floor top a 100 degrees, the highest point on the horizon, Sierra Blanca Peak, can be snow-capped. The peak is southern New Mexico’s tallest mountain at nearly 12,000-feet elevation.

Five interpretive panels are located along the trail. At the end of the trail is one that imagines how this playa looked a mere 10,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. The playa then was in a verdant grasslands, and giant creatures – Columbian mammoths, lions, ground sloths, dire wolves, camels and saber-toothed cats – all gathered at its shores.

After taking in the time-traveling sign, retrace your steps back to the pullout.

The trail is entirely exposed to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. Though the route is short, always bring water.

Animals abound at inhospitable White Sands

The tiny kit fox is among more than 800 animal species that can be found
at White Sands National Park. White Sands NPS photo. 

Dune Life Nature Trail. Click for larger version.

The vast, inhospitable gypsum dunes of White Sands National Park look lifeless to most visitors. Truth be known, more than 800 animal species call White Sands home.

A good way to learn about some of that wildlife is hiking the Dune Life Nature Trail. The 1-mile lollipop trail sits at the edge of the gypsum dunefield where it meets the surrounding desert scrubland.

Fourteen trailside signs tell about wildlife of both the desert and dunes. Even better, each placard has two parts – one for adults and one for kids – making this a great family trail.

To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy. 70, enter the park on Dunes Drive. A turnoff on the left leads to a parking area for the trail, which leaves from the lot.

The trail’s first 300 yards is the stem crossing the desert scrubland as approaching the dunefield. Then the route climbs steeply up a slope onto the white gypsum dunes and onto the loop.

From there, you’ll have to walk through the soft sand. There is no marked trail on the ever-shifting dunes; instead, aim for the next marker.

As a transition zone between the dunefield and surrounding desert, there are more plants growing among the gypsum than you’ll find deeper in the field. Yucca and grass clumps can be found here.

Dune life
Along with the desert scrubland, all of this makes a nice home for a variety of wildlife.

You’ll probably spot tracks for the kit fox, the largest animal that lives on the dunes. The size of a chihuahua, the kit fox weighs in at a mere five-pounds. Fur growing between its toes helps it maintain traction on the sand. It preys on kangaroo rats, Apache pocket mice, insects, lizards, and snakes.

Marriam’s kangaroo rat isn’t a marsupial but sort of looks like its Aussie namesake. Long, powerful hind legs allow it to jump 10 feet high. More than half of its 13-inch body consists of its tail, which it uses like a rudder to quickly change directions when chased.

Another animal that’s adapted to living on the dunefield is the bleached earless lizard. Their coloration is white to match the gypsum, and they have no external ear openings for sand to blow into. They typically bury themselves under the dunefield’s surface and feed on insects and spiders.

Most White Sands visitors are amazed to find that a couple of animals that are more associated with the northern forestlands also reside in the park.

The American badger lives on the dunefield’s outer edges. Their long, powerful claws dig up burrows so they can capture reptiles, rodents and insects.

Porcupines are another surprise, though their numbers have diminished during the past few decades. They live in the scrublands on a diet of bark, buds and roots.

Roadrunner and the coyote
Thanks to the popular cartoon, most people associate coyotes and roadrunners with the desert, and White Sands has both.

Highly adaptable, coyotes prefer the desert scrublands but will go onto the dunefield if an opportunity for a meal presents itself. They’ll eat just about anything, including road kill on the nearby highway.

The greater roadrunner – New Mexico’s state bird – often can be seen darting about the park. This small creature can run up to 15 mph as it hunts lizards, rodents and snakes. It also can fly and uses elevated perches to search for prey.

Birds make up more than a quarter of all animal species found at White Sands. In addition to owls and a variety of songbirds, the red-tailed hawk is quite common. With a wingspan of more than four-and-a-half feet and red-colored tail feathers, they usually can be spotted flying overhead searching for small mammals and reptiles to eat.

Interdune
One good area on the dunes to spot wildlife is the hike’s halfway point, where there’s an interdune area of desert scrubland. Water flows into and collects in these bowls, allowing for plants – and hence animals – to thrive there.

Most animals are out at dawn or dusk, so those mark your best times to see any. Don’t worry if you miss them, though, as there is a great view of the San Andres Mountains to the northwest to make up for it.

A couple of animals – or at least their tracks – to look for at the interdune area is the pocket gopher and the bobcat.

Pocket gophers primarily live in burrows but will come out to find a mate or dinner. If you see mounds or four wing saltbush and Indian rice grass, you can bet there’s a maze of pocket gopher tunnels beneath your feet.

Badgers and coyotes usually dine on pocket gophers, but bobcats will too. The solitary, nocturnal cat ranges over several miles. The mostly stick to the dunefield’s outskirts, but sometimes the flight of nesting birds will draw them to the interdune area.

From the interdune area, the trail ascends the second incline of the hike. The ascent is marked by a lone Rio Grande Cottonwood growing in the gypsum.

Desert rabbits
As the loops ends, it descends the dune and rejoins the stem crossing the desert scrubland.

Two kinds of rabbits make their home in the scrubland. The black-tailed jackrabbit can hit speeds of up to 40 mph, necessary if they are to escape their enemy the coyote. They don’t burrow, however, so sometimes the coyote outlasts and catches them.

The desert cottontail, in contrast, likes to stay in burrows, though during cooler weather they’ll come out during the day. They rarely stray far from their homes, as they are only half as fast as their relative the black-tailed jackrabbit.

One other scrubland animal you might spot is the desert box turtle. A subspecies of the box turtle, it is adapted to living in the arid desert. It dines on small insects and plants.

Upon reaching your vehicle, be sure to check out the park’s visitor center, which has displays about the dunefield’s fauna.

There’s no shade anywhere on this trail, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses (the white gypsum dunes reflect sunlight far more than beach sand does), and sunhat. Bring plenty of water. If unable to see the next marker while on the dunes, turn back; you easily can get lost out there.

White Sands trail crosses surreal dunefield

The Alkali Flat Field crosses the world's largest gypsum dunefield.

Alkali Flat Trail map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can walk across the world’s largest gypsum dunefield at White Sands National Park.

The 4.9-mile Alkali Flat Trail loops over the western portion of the New Mexico dunefield. It’s one of the few trails in the world that requires a different route every time you hike it – the route changes daily as blowing winds remold the dunes.

To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy. 70, take Dunes Drive into the park. As Dunes Drive circles back on itself, look for the parking lot on the road’s west side. Do the trail counterclockwise.

The trail starts in a flat basin between dunes. After that, it’s up and down the Transverse-Barhan Dunes.

Red fiberglass stakes with black arrows mark the way. The stakes are a must, as blowing sand would quickly obscure any path. They are about 300 feet apart, with signs every half-mile note distances traveled, so the hike’s route largely is a matter of playing dot-to-dot with the stakes.

Part of the trail’s beauty is you get to decide how to best reach the next marker. A straight line usually isn’t the smartest. Instead, follow the dune crests. Your feet will not sink into the sand as much on the dune’s top as they would if going into a trough then back up the steep dune to the next crest. This turns the hike into a series of curves between markers.

275 square miles of white
Entering the dunes is a surreal experience, as pure white gypsum dunes and nothing else seemingly stretch forever before you. The only sight on the horizon are the hazy San Andres Mountains. You’re actually crossing the narrowest portion of the dune field.

The white sand dunes cover 275 square miles of desert in the Tularosa Basin. Winds blowing off the San Andres sweep particles of gypsum off the Alkali Flats ahead and Lake Lucero to the southwest, forming the dunes.

Virtually no vegetation can grow in the gypsum dunes. On occasion, you will spot sumac bush, soaptree yucca and clumps of grass, sitting on plant pedestals of hard, compacted sand that rises out the dune.

The dunefield’s starkness is disorienting. Nothing but whiteness spreads around you, like you are lost in a snowstorm.

Sights to behold
Still, as your eyes and mind get used to the dunes, you’ll be able to notice some features.

Look out for footprints of fox and kangaroo rats. Soon you’ll notice a lone beetle or lizard scampering about or a hawk soaring overhead.

Spotting the ground animals can be difficult. Mice, insects and lizards living on the gypsum dunes all use white coloration as camouflage. A product of evolution, the white versions of these creatures only appear in White Sands.

Stone ridges are another common feature. Thin, raised lines in the interdune flats, the gypsum here has solidified, marking the last spot the wind blew it. Gypsum is an ingredient in cement mix and used to make plaster and dry wall, so that it hardened in the natural world is not surprising. The stone ridges formed when heat removed water from the particles; when rain fell, the gypsum rehydrated and solidified.

A few gypsum pinnacles also can be found. The pinnacles formed in the same way as the ridges, but erosion has shaped them into fantastical shapes.

About a mile from the trailhead, the edge of the dunefield comes into sight. Beyond it is the trail’s namesake, a 20-mile wide alkali flat. To the northwest, you’ll also spot a few buildings and water tower at the White Sands Missile Base’s National Radar Cross Section Test Facility. On clear days, you also can see the hangars and buildings of White Sands Space Harbor, an alternate landing site for the defunct space shuttle.

Alkali flat
In 2 miles, the trail reaches the last dune. Just 0.2 miles beyond it the trail enters the dry lake bed, a remnant of ancient Lake Otero. A sign at the trail’s western tip warns against going further because of unexploded ordnance. Part of the park is shared with the White Sands Missile Base, and sometimes the park and Hwy. 70 are closed for missile tests.

By this time, you’ve probably got a good amount of gypsum in your shoes and shoes. You may want to quick take them off and shake it all out.

Don’t think of going barefoot on the way back, though. Gypsum is dry and abrasive, so walking barefoot across it for any length of time will leave your feet parched and cracked. On the plus side, unlike beach sand gypsum isn’t hot to touch and doesn’t stick to you, so in those respects it’s quite pleasant compared.

The trail soon circles back into the dunes. You’re roughly a half-mile south of the route you walked in on.

The distant Sacramento Range looms ahead. These are much taller mountains than the San Andres, and snow can be on some of their caps even during summer.

Desert safety
If wind-blown sand proves too much for you, watch for "bowls" between the dunes. Here the dunes have left ground uncovered, and some desert scrub grows in them. The dune walls also provide some relief from the sand.

Sunscreen and sunglasses are a must on this trail, as the sand reflects the light in every direction. Sunglasses provide additional protection against blowing sand. Bring a lot of water, as well, at least 1.25 quarts per person. If you can’t see the next red marker, turn back; getting lost on the dunes is easy.

Avoid the trail during the summer day, hiking it only very early in the morning or before dusk. Winter days are best for hiking this trail, as highs reach the sixties. Spring usually means heavy winds as heat rises off the desert floor and cold descends from the San Andres. Regardless of the season, temps will drop in the evening by up to 30 degrees, which is a quite noticeable change in a dry climate.

Boardwalk heads between gypsum dunes

White Sands National Park's Interdune Boardwalk heads over and between
gypsum dunes. White Sands NPS photo.

Interdune Boardwalk aerial map. Click for larger map.

Day hikers can walk a boardwalk above the world's largest gypsum dunefield at White Sands National Park.

The 0.4 mile round-trip Interdune Boardwalk’s flat aluminum “bridge” heads through a fragile interdune area. While plant life is sparse on the dunes, it flourishes in the lower spots between them.

To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy 70 west of Alamogordo, New Mexico, go north onto Dunes Drive into the park. After 3.6 miles, turn right/north into a parking lot. The trail leaves from the lot's northwest side.

Ten signs along the boardwalk tell about the interdunal ecosystem. You’ll probably spot animal tracks in the sands just off the boardwalk and certainly see plenty of flora.

Array of plants
Among the many plants visible from the boardwalk are soaptree yucca, little bluestem, Mormon tea, rubber rabbitbrush, little sand verbena, Gypsum centaury, and blazing star.

A long stalk rising high from a leafy shrub, soaptree yucca is the easiest to spot. If visiting in spring, watch for its large, cream-colored flowers. Native Americans dined on the yucca flower pods, used the leaves to construct rope and sandals, and boiled the roots to make soap and rugs.

Grasses thrive in the interdunal area. The prairie grass little bluestem is one such species. Because the water table is only a couple of feet below the surface at White Sands, the interdunal soils are moist, allowing the grasses to thrive. Alkali sacaton and Indian rice grass are two other grasses found at the park.

The short Mormon tea plant is spiny and stick-like, as if bamboo. Its leaves act as tiny scales. Each spring, pale yellow flowers bloom. It garnered its name from early pioneers who brewed a weak tea from its stems.

During late summer, hundreds of golden flowers bloom and produce downy white seeds on the tall rubber rabbitbrush. Migrating butterflies flock to the gray-green shrub for food. Native Americans used the plant to make arrows shafts, baskets, and as a yellow dye.

The Gyp Nama, which grows only a couple of inches high, needs the sulfur in gypsum to grow, so the interdunal flats are a perfect habitat for it. They grow in tangled coils of thin green leaves with white edging, so look like a succulent plant; it’s actually part of the waterleaf family.

Wildflowers also thrive in the flats. Gypsum centaury blossoms from April to October; the flower consists of five bright pink petals around a white center. Purple petals grow in tiny clusters on the little sand verbena while the blazing star looks like a yellow fireworks shooting out of a foot-high stalk.

Great view
The boardwalk ends with a viewpoint showing the dunefield and the mountain range beyond the valley floor. Sierra Blanca Peak stands out on the range's left side. Southern New Mexico's highest point, the usually snow-capped peak sits more than 7000 feet above the desert floor.

Note that the boardwalk's surface can be slick because of blowing sand. Also, avoid using the handrails unless you enjoy getting a shock due to static electricity buildup.

The trail is entirely exposed to the sun, so be sure to don sunscreen, sunglasses and sunhat. A structure offering shade is about midway along the boardwalk.

Wheelchairs and strollers will have no trouble using the boardwalk. Dogs are allowed on the trail but must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks series.