White Sands National Park
Have you ever wanted to go sledding but couldn’t stand the cold? Look no further than White Sands National Park, the newest park in the USA, established in 2019. The park has the largest gypsum sand dune field in the entire world making it a rare beauty to see.
After a wondrous underground exploration in Carlsbad we head back west through Roswell, New Mexico, known for its alien sightings. While we didn’t have a lot of time to spend, we enjoyed every minute. Though I personally am not a fan of fast food, I couldn’t pass up a chance to eat some breakfast, eggs and sausage in a UFO shaped McDonald’s.
There were alien replicas on the streets, museums and extraterrestrial themed stores. It was definitely a place that left us wanting for more. Roswell, we will be back!
As we continued to our destination, we passed some desert hills, dense snow dusted forest, military testing fields, and the worlds largest pistachio.
The view of the White Sands National Park from a distance was confusing. We couldn’t tell if we were seeing snow, the sky reflected on water, or the actual white sand. The visitors center was crowded. It was the smallest one we had visited so far and we were itching to grab our sled and go. The visitors center sells sleds for $25 each, which is a steal if you don’t know how much a sled costs (SARCASM). For a few dollars cheaper you can rent them used, but the prices do fluctuate. You will also need wax for your sled, which they conveniently sell that at the store as well for the price of around $3. After tax, the grand total hovers around $30.
We were instructed to sled on the backs of the dunes so we made our way to the furthest point in the park. After driving for a small amount of time the road switches to sand that has been packed down over so many years, you can hardly tell the difference.
We started with a very steep, but small hill. After using Liam as a crash test dummy, we figured out the best way to go down and it only took a bruised tailbone. After a few trips up and down, we wandered in search of “the perfect hill.”
We continued on like this for some time, before facing the inevitable. It was time to go home (and as usual, we were running pretty late). We took off our hiking boots, felt the cool sand beneath our feet, and headed out.
The sunset on the way out was phenomenal, as most western sunsets are. It was the perfect end to a holiday weekend.
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