Tucked away in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, White Sands National Monument is an oasis of wave-like gypsum dunes that glisten under the desert sun. Millions of years ago the monument was home to a deep lake layered with gypsum, which is rarely seen as sand because it is water-soluble. However, the isolation of the Tularosa Basin combined with unique weather patterns led to the world’s largest gypsum dune field. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
White Sands covers 225 square miles and welcomes visitors to explore, hike, go sledding, or even camp overnight. Liz and I chose to park the car road-side after driving into the park and explore on our own. Despite the heavy traffic the park welcomes daily, this was the one stop on our road trip where I felt like we were one of few visitors. I honestly felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.
I was hesitant to remove my shoes and gallivant barefoot in the dunes, but unlike silica sand, gypsum does not absorb heat from the sun. The dunes were cool and comfortable to walk on, and actually a bit refreshing as the sun beamed down on us. We could not stay long, as we had a 10-hour drive to Austin, Texas ahead of us. But I think I could have stayed and played all day in each part of the monument, watching the hues of the dunes change with varying levels of sunlight.
reminds me of jockey’s ridge!
I’ve never been to Jockey’s Ridge, but it does kind of remind me of dunes in the Outer Banks now that I think about it!