Sun, Sand and a Full Moon!

Two weekends ago, we packed up the dogs and headed down south to Alamogordo to explore White Sands National Monument, the largest natural gypsum dune field in the world! What’s there to do in a 275 square mile gypsum dune field? Lots and lots! Sand sledding, picnicking, and stargazing just to name a few!

That said, we actually didn’t do any sledding this time around (mostly because the dogs don’t quite know how to operate a plastic snow saucer!), but we did enjoy a leisurely stroll through the dunes under the glow of a bright, full moon! The sunset stroll is actually held every evening throughout the year (depending on staff availability), but we just happened to be there the weekend of the “supermoon,” the largest and closest full moon in 20 years. Very exciting!

Anyhoo! Back to the stroll. The stroll itself is an easy (less than one mile) nature walk guided by a ranger and timed to end just before sunset. During the stroll, the ranger will talk to you about the monument’s plants, animals, and geology and then turn you loose to wander the dune field, take photos, and watch the sun slip away behind the gorgeous white dunes. Unfortunately, all visitors must exit the park one hour after sunset, but WOW! What a great way to end your day!

As you might guess, I highly recommend the one-hour sunset stroll and, of course, I strongly urge you to spend at least a whole day barefoot on the glistening white sand enjoying the wave-like dunes, but, if you’re just passing through and short on time, you can see much of the park from your car. The park’s 16-mile, round trip scenic drive will take you into the heart of the dunes and then loop you back to the visitor’s center in less than an hour. However, if you decide to spend the day and aren’t much into picnicking and sand sledding, there are also four other trails to explore within the park, including an interdune boardwalk which is accessible for people using wheelchairs and strollers, and several other nearby attractions to occupy your time. You can also spend a night camping beneath the stars on the dunes at one of the park's backcountry camp sites (tent only), but you must first obtain a permit from the visitor center and pay a small fee.

In closing, I must also say that White Sands National Monument is one of the most dog-friendly places we’ve ever visited (a close third to the Grand Canyon and the Great Sand Dunes in Alamosa, Colorado) because dogs are allowed anywhere in the park, except in buildings. We did, however, stay in a KOA cabin in Las Cruces (our hotel of choice when travelling with the four-legged children), about 60 miles southwest of Alamogordo. That said, the dogs absolutely loved the dunes and, although tethered by their leashes, they totally ran and rolled around like maniacs when we broke away from the crowd! At some point, Daisy even taught herself how to make angels in the sand! Yep! She would lay on one side and kick/sweep her front and back legs back and forth across the sand and then flip to her other side and do the same thing! Amazing!

Here are a few photos from our trip.

Sunset (above) and Moonrise (below).