White Sands National Park - New Mexico

In the vast rural expanses of southern New Mexico lie the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin and White Sands National Park.  The park preserves much of the world’s largest gypsum dune fields.  These sweeping sand dunes, seen in the context of the region’s deep blue skies and surrounding mountains, are the park’s primary attraction.  Historically, park lands have been used for many purposes including subsistence by Native Americans, mining, ranching, and military research and testing.  The park is surrounded by military facilities, including White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base; the area includes the Trinity Site where the first atomic bomb was tested in 1945.  Hiking opportunities are limited by the inherently challenging steep topography of the dunes and the soft sand underneath.  There are several maintained trails, but they total less than ten miles.  Visitors are allowed to walk among the sand dunes, but wayfinding can be difficult, especially in windy conditions when blowing sand limits visibility.