Day Trip #2 The White Sands Loop
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WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT
Daytrippers
“A day at the beach…no really!” Approximately 5 hours round trip
TIP: Buy new plastic or metal snow saucers and some paraffin wax.
TIP: Pack a picnic lunch
White Sands is one of those things that you have to see to believe… believe me! It is very easy to find, just hop onto Hwy 70 West from Sudderth Drive in Ruidoso and head down through Tularosa and Alamogordo. White Sands is about a 70-minute drive and you can save time by bypassing Alamogordo. (Take the El Paso exit to the right just before Alamogordo then get back onto Hwy 70 on the other side of the city)
When you get to White Sands National Monument take the time to check out the interpretive center. There is a short informational film that is quite interesting and sets the stage for your day at the beach.
TIP: The gift shop sells an awesome strawberry smoothy, and you can get other snacks and memorabilia there also.
Now that you have seen the film and studied the displays you are an expert on the formation of the sands and the fauna and flora that inhabit the area and thus…ready to enter a place that is unlike any you have seen before. As you cruise along the road into the heart of the “Sands” you will begin to get the sense that this is no place to lose a golf ball. The farther you drive the less vegetation and “other things familiar” you will see. The road will appear to be covered in ice and the never-ending road clearing resembles the winter snow clearing done in Ruidoso after a December storm. What you are seeing, of course, is the very fine white gypsum sand relentlessly attempting to swallow everything in its path.
TIP: Kick off your shoes and walk barefoot through the sand, the feeling is downright decadent!
There are numerous picnic areas and washrooms for your convenience, but most importantly are the hundreds of cool sledding spots. The trick here is to find the steepest dune face you can then wax the bottom of your sled and away you go…just like snow! The kids (and those annoying adults in perfect physical condition) can climb up and down those dunes for hours, the rest of us can do it for a while, then someone has to work the camera to insure this moment is captured for posterity. My favorite White Sands scenic photos include the mountain (Sierra Blanca) in the background, it truly is fantastic.
Because the White Sands area is shared by the “highly classified” White Sands Missile range and the next door neighbor to the east is Holloman Air Force base (home of the Stealth Bomber Squadron) you will often get a glimpse of incredible aircraft flying right over head. When you spot a Stealth you will usually see a smaller fighter flying just off their wing, this is done so that the tower can tell where these radar-invisible planes are. If you are really lucky you will arrive during a missile test. This is a mixed blessing as the park shuts down to ensure your safety but you get to tell your friends you were there for something really cool…I mean, other than sledding on sand.
For tour and general information call 1-575-679-2599
