Sunday March, 26, 2023
During our four night stay at Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruses, we made a day trip to the White Sands National Park. It was our last full day in the area, so though the weather looked a bit iffy, we packed Reba in the truck and made the hour drive to the park.
The park is surrounded by the missile range and Holloman Air Force Base. Occasionally the highway to the park is shut down for an hour or two at a time when they do missile testing
Our America the Beautiful senior lifetime pass (thanks to old Timmy), waived the $25 per car fee. We highly recommend that you get this pass if you are traveling at all. It’s only $80 if you are 62 or older and gives you and up to three additional adults in your vehicle free entry to over 2,000 federal recreation sites. It has more than paid for itself in our first year of traveling!
The white sand is actually the worlds largest gypsum dune field, that has taken over 275 square miles of the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico.
The dunes are as high as 60 feet and gift shop sells sledding discs and wax that gives you an easy glide down the dunes. Of course I bought one!
It’s quite a workout to get up to the top of the dunes for sightseeing and sledding, but Reba made it look easy. She had so much fun!
White Sands National Park is the most visited NPS site in New Mexico. About 600,000 people visit each year. White Sands has been featured in numerous movies throughout the years. The backdrop is simply inspiring.
On our way out of the park, we walked the boardwalk. You can see the stormy weather was trying to sneak back in just as we were leaving.
