Here I am at the entrance of White Sands National Park after detouring around wildfires in New Mexico. I stop at the visitor center, which has an informative film, and then head off to the sand dunes.

The road through the dunes is an 8 mile drive. It takes about 45 minutes, or longer, depending on how long you stay at each informative road sign or decide to hike or sled. It is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit so I am limiting the amount of time looking at those signs or hiking. While the gypsum dunes are cooler than other dunes, and some people are trying to sled on them, I am not enjoying the heat of this day. 

Doesn’t it look like snow? I could not help but think of snow as I walked on the dunes, probably just to be with a cool mind! It didn’t work; I was hot and needing to hydrate! Of course, there are reminders to hydrate, wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, and to keep landmarks in sight as you hike. At first glance though, it still looks like snow to me … am I hallucinating!?!

One sign caught my attention:

It would be a great place for dark sky viewing of the stars above. To camp here, a backcountry permit is needed. Plus important to follow the directions on the park sign. Follow the signposts to camp. Then camp within a certain number of feet from the sign. And if you do not see a sign, do not follow footprints, instead return to the last signpost. Wouldn’t that be a great place to view the dark sky? Yes!

Final note: Be sure to check if White Sands National Park is open before you venture out. White Sands Missile Range surrounds the park. A road to the park may be closed during missile range tests which are about two times a week for one to two hours. The park would be closed then, but you can visit another time. I’ll try it again when it is not so hot and maybe I’ll even rent a sled to give that a try!