White Sands National Park

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My first "official" stop of the day was White Sands National Park. I had originally planned to take a detour to Hatch, New Mexico (the chile capital of the U.S.), and grab a green chile cheeseburger from Sparky's, but I decided instead to head straight to White Sands, with only minor detours through Deming, New Mexico, and Las Cruces, New Mexico. (In Las Cruces, I did get sidetracked a bit when I discovered the awesome COAS Bookstore, New Mexico’s largest independent bookstore, with more than 500,000 books in stock. I had to set a timer on my watch so I wouldn't spend more than 15 minutes inside the bookstore!)

White Sands National Park was first established as a National Monument in 1933, and became a National Park in 2019, making it the 62nd national park. The Visitor Center building complex was built in 1938 by the WPA and is an excellent example of Spanish pueblo-adobe architecture constructed during the years of the Great Depression. Alas, I forgot to take a photo of the complex, but you can see it here.

White Sands National Park was established to preserve and protect the spectacular white dunes of gypsum which is used commercially in plaster and drywall. The gypsum dune is the largest active on the Earth. The National Park includes an 16-mile scenic loop, with a few trails into the dunes. I hiked the Dune Life Nature Trail, and walked the Interdune Boardwalk. I also walked a few of the other dunes, and then stopped back at the Visitor Center and gift shop before heading out to visit the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site.






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