White Sands National Park, located in southern New Mexico, is a unique and mesmerizing destination. It's renowned for its vast, undulating dunes of white gypsum sand, which cover 275 square miles, making it the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The park's stark, otherworldly landscape is both surreal and beautiful, with the pure white sand creating a striking contrast against the blue sky.

The gypsum sand is soft and cool to the touch, even in the intense desert heat, because it doesn't absorb much heat. This makes the park an excellent place for activities like hiking, sand sledding, and photography, especially during sunrise or sunset when the light creates stunning shadows and colors across the dunes.

White Sands is also rich in history and wildlife. The area has been home to humans for thousands of years, and you can find evidence of ancient peoples, as well as remnants of more recent history, like World War II-era military testing grounds. The park is also a habitat for a variety of wildlife, including unique species adapted to the harsh desert environment, such as the White Sands pupfish and the bleached earless lizard.

In 2019, White Sands was officially designated as a national park, highlighting its significance as a natural wonder and a place of national importance.

Join me as I explore the park before being overcome by a sandstorm that evening while camping. It was an amazing experience!