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White Sands National Monument |
Description:
At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley, the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico.
Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and have created the world's largest gypsum dune field. The brilliant white dunes are ever changing: growing, cresting, then slumping, but always advancing. Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved a white coloration that camouflages them in the gypsum sand.
White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.
Accessibility:
All facilities in the visitor center and picnic areas are wheelchair accessible. The sand dunes themselves are accessible to wheelchairs to a limited degree. The Interdune Boardwalk is a 1/4 mile wheelchair-accessible trail through an interdune area and to the top of a dune.
Getting Around:
An eight-mile scenic drive leads from the Visitor Center into the heart of the dunes. Wayside exhibits at pullouts along the drive provide information about the natural history of the park.
Activites:
Biking | Educational Programs | Hiking | And more.
Facilities:
Visitor_Centers | Restaurant or Snack Bar | Picnic Areas | And more.
Directions to White Sands National Monument
Plane:
El Paso International Airport
Car:
The visitor center is located on U.S. Highway 70/82, 15 miles (24.15km) southwest of Alamogordo and 52 miles east of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Travelers from Carlsbad Caverns to southern Arizona can follow U.S. 82 through the scenic Sacramento Mountains to White Sands National Monument.
Public Transportation
To Park: No public transportation serves the park. Cars may be rented in Alamogordo or Las Cruces.
Attractions:
International Space Museum and Planetarium
Phone:(800) 545-4021
Toy Train Depot
Alameda Park Zoo
Phone:(505) 439-4290
Missile Park-White Sands Missile Range
Oliver Lee State Park
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