I've been fortunate to visit White Sands twice in my life: once, when I was nine and just thought it was really pretty, and a second time, when I was 21 and went sledding down the 40-70' dunes on a plastic saucer that you can purchase from the visitor's center.
Oh, yes. I was quite the pro sledder, as you can tell.
Why is the sand white? The mountains on either side of the park contain gypsum rock which dissolves when wet (from rain or snow) and collects in the park's natural basin, Tularosa. This water evaporates leaving the gypsum deposits behind. The wind is the final element of this natural wonder as it flakes off the mineral and carries the small particles to the ever-changing sand dunes.
In addition to the pure white color, gypsum does not absorb heat. This keeps the sand cool year-round and saves your feet from being burned, unlike that pesky hot sand at the beach that makes you run like it has a pressure sensor alarm system ready to go off if your feet touch the ground for longer than one second.
That being said, make sure you bring plenty of sunscreen and water as there is no water inside the park and it gets hot fast!
I highly recommend exploring this one-of-a-kind park! Just check the site for hours and closures as the surrounding area is a United States Army range used for missile testing. No need to get blown up on your vacation!
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How was your sledding experience at the White Sands? What has been your favorite national park that you've visited? Let me know with a comment below!
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Love your very vivid description of the temperature of the sand at the beach hahaha!!! & I totally wanna do this, it looks like so much fun!!
ReplyDeleteWhen my family visited White Sands, I must have been like 7 or 8, and all I remember is that we had to sit in/around the car for what felt like HOURS because there was a missile test going on and the road was closed.
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