Utah

Tucked away in a back corner of my New Mexico guidebook, past the obvious sites of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, was a small, but intriguing “blurb” on a place called White Sands National Monument.

After some intense negotiation with my husband over whether a 4 hour drive from Albuquerque to a remote part, of an already remote state, to see 275 miles of white gypsum sand dunes (the largest site in the world) was really worth it; we set our sights on White Sands. We would see little sign of civilization until the bright lights of Alamogordo, the town closest to White Sands, rose like a mecca at the end of our drive. From there, White Sands is an easy 15-minute drive with one fairly major exception – the possibility of official US military missile testing which occasionally closes the highway to prevent ‘collateral damage’. That fact left me scratching my head a bit, but we forged ahead regardless.

White Sands Dune Monument did not disappoint. We paid the $3 entry fee and drove just a little ways into the park before we simply HAD to get out of our car to climb these stunning and glistening sand dunes. We ran up and down the dunes, the tallest of which towers over 700 feet, and just when we thought we couldn’t feel more like kids again we saw a few sparsely scattered adults riding down the dunes on flying saucers. Could this place get any cooler? We ran to the gift shop, rented saucers, grabbed a piece of wax and got to work scaling and sledding the largest dunes we could find.

White Sands is an experience that overwhelms the senses. From the gorgeous gleaming white sands, a sunset whose colors changed every couple minutes from the most beautiful yellows and blues to pinks and reds, to the lack of sound, smell or taste which was exactly what Mother Nature must have intended for this place. As we ran through this dazzling site we soaked in the feel of the cool, soft sand under our feet and the feel of gentle ridges and ripples created by that day’s wind pattern.

When you arrive you will be hard-pressed not to simply wander around in awe, but if you are looking for something extra check out the full moon nights and the activities that accompany them. The monument is open year-round, but be sure to check for closings caused by those pesky missiles!

This unexpected slice of New Mexico was simply magical (especially at sunset) and if it weren’t for the photos I took, and the sand I left with in my shoes, I’m not sure I’d believe it was real.