What Is All This White Sand Doing Here?

Who would have thought that you'd find a national park tucked between an air force base and a missile range?  But that's exactly where this wonderland of 275 square miles of white gypsum sand dunes exist in south-central New Mexico.  Established as a national monument in 1933 by President Herbert Hoover, Congress recently re-designated it as a national park.  Finally, something our representatives could agree upon!  It's the 46th U.S. National Park we've visited in the past 8 years, and like many others, it had our jaws dragging on the ground.

Why are there dunes in the middle of this desert?  You might be used to seeing sand dunes at the edge of water like in Oregon and Michigan. But, these dunes were created by an ancient sea, glacial runoff, and an ephemeral lake, which appears in times of plenty and then evaporates as quickly as it came.  These are the visible remains of the ever evolving dance between water, rock, and wind.  Formed by the evaporating waters of the Tularosa Basin, these white dunes stand out for miles.  

We hiked up steep hills and valleys until ours were the only footprints around.  We sledded down the steep walls, giggling and screaming all the way.  We climbed back up, and repeated the cycle again and again until our calves cried "uncle" and we collapsed laughing like we were 10 year olds again.  We made snow angels in the sand and leaped of the high dunes to collapse in the soft slope -- basically we had a ball and we didn't have to come in for hot cocoa.

Then came sunset...where words simply fail to describe.  These images don't even do it justice.  You'll just have to experience it for yourself.  But here are a few attempts....   

Even if you don't think you are going to be out after dark, make sure you remember where you parked the car (and bring a headlamp or flashlight because your phone battery will be dead from all the pictures and videos)!

Be sure to put the sled down and give some time to the nature trail, which describes and documents the special environment, early people, and abundant flora and fauna who call this place home. 

What is gypsum? Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate. It is mined around the globe and used as fertilizer to help maintain soil moisture, in construction and sculpture, as well as in  pharmaceutical and food products.  And if you live in a modern, traditional home, you are probably surrounded by it everyday...as it's in your drywall.

We found it nearly empty midweek in early December, with plenty of parking and miles upon miles of dunes to ourselves.  Keeping COVID protocol was super easy in this vast park.  The visitor's center only let one group in at a time, and then only allowed people into the logia, so the breeze could blow through.  The gift shop sold sleds and would buy them back at a discounted price.  It was so worth having the sleds for kids of all ages!

With everyday news of the pandemic and economy in the toilet, it was incredible to forget all that for moment and return to a state of play-based elation for a while.  So much laughter and outright wonder, we hated to leave, but we'll be back!