Wander logo

Sledding the Epic White Sand Dunes of New Mexico

National Park Treasure You Need to Visit!

By Patrick DuanePublished 2 years ago 3 min read
Like

How would I describe my visit to White Sands National Park in New Mexico? Well, in one word, spellbinding. That is what it felt like when we first laid eyes on these vast white sand dunes.

In fact, we visited White Sands on 2 separate occasions. The first visit was in the afternoon for the sunset show, and the second, more active visit was the next morning. Both completely different experiences, and I enjoyed both immensely.

Let me start with a recount of our visit on the first evening, where we mainly went to watch the sunset. As you drive deeper into the park, the natural beauty moves to an entirely different level.

The park literally transforms into an all white setting of dunes. Nothing else to see apart from the distant mountains. Hard to comprehend at times that this is sand! It truly feels like an illusion, I fully expect to hear the crunching sound of compressed snow as I walk through it.

On the contrary, I feel a soft texture with no sound whatsoever as I make my way through the dunes. Surreal at times, I must say.

The sunset visit was a cool experience. The wispy clouds and far off mountains added a lot of character and when the sky transformed into a dark red, the beauty cranked up another notch.

We found a quiet dune, with no one around, to set up and take in the views. It was a serene setting, and it could not of been a more perfect scenario to enjoy the sunset.

We left soon after, watching the sunset beyond the mountains, as it was getting dark, and you don't want to get caught out in the dunes in the dark. You can get lost real fast.

Day 2 was a completely different experience, we arrived early to the park, and stopped off at the visitor centre to pick up a board for sledding on the dunes.

It was a bright and sunny day and the park was a completely different experience to the day before. With the bright sun, it was super blinding and should definitely bring sunglasses with you!

We drove deeper into the park and pulled up at a different spot to explore. It didn't take long to find the first dune to sled down, and it was fun. After this initial introduction into dune sledding. We drove into the deepest depths of the park, and set off on our trek.

No doubt, this is the best area of the park to explore. The dunes are a lot bigger and for me, it's the most picturesque area of the park. There is also an option to do one of the many trails in the park in this area. We didn't have enough time, so we gave it a pass.

We concentrated more on the sledding and enjoying the amazing scenery. With every sled ride, the experience got better, my two best sleds were my last two. We found the biggest dune in the area, and it was well worth the effort.

It's more effort than you think to climb up the dunes! A good point to remember, especially if you are not a super energetic kid.

White Sands National Park, New Mexico, seems like a hidden gem. Not many people know about the park from what I've experienced. I thoroughly recommend you visit them. Go as early as possible in the day, as you can easily spend hours exploring the vast park.

Don't forget your sunglasses, it gets super blinding when the sun is shining, buying a board at the visitor is around 20 bucks, bring your own if you have one and want to save a few bucks.

There is enough entertainment in the park to keep both kids and adults entertained. Dunes, sledding, hikes, trails and epic scenery. A must-visit if in the area!

travel photography
Like

About the Creator

Patrick Duane

I mainly write of health, fitness, travel and personal development, but I've been known to throw the odd curveball too! My goal is to provide you with entertaining stories that will be of some use to you.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.