West of Alamogordo, a vast area of desert and mountain ranges 100 by 40 miles in extent is closed to public access and used by the military for various kinds of weapons testing; this includes the Trinity Site where the first atomic bomb was detonated, in July 1945. Determined tourists may visit on 2 days each year, the first Saturdays of April and October, when accompanied tours are provided. The only other feature of interest in this otherwise desolate and unwelcoming land is 60 miles south in the flat Tularosa Basin - here, for thousands of years the prevailing westerly winds have deposited gypsum powder - formerly eroded from the nearby San Andres Mountains, washed down by rainwater and deposited in the seasonal Lake Lucero, a few miles southwest - creating a huge area of white dunes covering 275 square miles. About half of the sands are within the boundaries of the White Sands National Monument, one of the most unusual and magical places in the Southwest.
Hotels: The nearest towns with hotels close to White Sands National Monument are Alamogordo and Las Cruces.
Military Bases: The national mnument is entirely surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range; just east is the Holloman Air Force Base, and a few miles north is one of the space shuttle landing sites. The space theme is reflected in the nearby town of Alamogordo, where there is the International Space Hall of Fame and Space Theater. The dunes extend north into the missile range.
White Sands Map:
 PDF format map of White Sands National Monument, from the National Park Service (184 kb).
Approach: The main road past White Sands National Monument is US 70; this (and the dunes) is closed to all traffic for a few hours once or twice a week as test missiles are fired overhead. A paved road leads from the visitor center at the monument entrance on US 70 to the start of the sands 2 miles north. The edge dunes are just a few meters high and support some plant life, with various species of grass, yucca and saltbush managing to survive at scattered points. Further into the monument there is little or no vegetation, just unbroken white landscape. The road is paved for a while although blowing sand often covers the surface; towards the centre though, the surface is just compacted gypsum, and the 'road' becomes a series of large cleared areas, which can be adapted to changes in dune position - they move by up to 20 feet per year. In this surreal environment, everything is white, dazzlingly bright and intensely hot in summer, capped on most days by a clear blue sky.
Update: Dec 2006 - the last 1.5 miles of the scenic drive remain closed, following flooding that occurred in Sept 2006. As a result, only one of the park's picnic ares is accesisble by vehicles.
Sunset: Walking through the dunes is an unforgettable experience; often there are no other footprints ahead, just wind-created ripples and occasional lizard tracks. When daylight begins to fade after a sunny day, the sands take on a reddish-pink hue, and the surface patterns become more pronounced as the shadows lengthen. An overwhelming sense of peace and stillness descends, and when the sun finally dips below the distant San Andres Mountains, for a few minutes the land is bathed in a mysterious light, as the sands themselves seem to glow while the horizon on all sides becomes dark. If experience is a guide, though, this magical moment is difficult to photograph effectively.
Wildlife: The dunes support a limited range of wildlife, some of which has evolved white colouration to match the surroundings, and exist as species unique to this region, such as a species of mouse, the white sands prairie lizard and the bleached earless lizard.
Camping: There are two signposted nature trails (The Big Dune Trail and The Interdune Boardwalk) near the edge of the dunes where a few plants and bushes can survive, although walking is allowed anywhere within the national monument. There are no camping facilities apart from primitive sites in the dunes, well away from the main road. The closest accommodation is in Alamogordo, 14 miles east, while the nearest free camping is in the Lincoln National Forest, 5 miles further
east along US 82.
Satellite Photo/Map: View above the end of the scenic drive in White Sands National Monument:
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