Visiting White Sands National Park and sledding down endless dunes is probably among my top childhood travel memories. So it was a no-brainer to stop for another visit when I decided on a trip to New Mexico. The weather for this trip didn’t quite cooperate, but it was a nice stop nonetheless.

White Sands National Park is a day visit as it doesn’t host a campground. A few commercial parks provide nearby accommodations, but I opted for the state park about thirty minutes away. Oliver Lee Memorial State Park is on the other side of Alamogordo from the national park. It is carved into the hillside overlooking the desert. Sites are spacious with great views. Only a handful have water and electric, but those only run $14 per night. Dry camping sites are also available. I really wish I had an extra day to explore this area because it was absolutely gorgeous, but maybe I’ll revisit on another trip!

Unfortunately, the weather for my White Sands day was not great. Clouds hung low over the surrounding mountains, threatening rain in the valley while presumably coating the higher elevations with snow.

Before leaving the campground, I stopped at the camp host site to borrow a sled. Sledding is by far the most popular activity in the national park and sleds can be purchased in the gift shop for about $25 a piece. But the campground had a great lending system courtesy of previous campers. I will recommend serious sledders stop by the gift shop to purchase wax for their sleds. Otherwise, it is pretty disappointing as sand isn’t quite as slippery as snow. Unwaxed sledders mostly find their sleds to be comfy seats at the top of the hills.

The White Sands visitor center is actually before the park entrance, and I stopped to get my stamp and do a little exploring. After the desolation of Guadalupe Mountains, I was surprised at the crowds. Lots of folks crammed the small museum, excited to learn about the nature and history of the area. But all things are relative, and I was able to find plenty of solitude in this park.

Ninety percent of the activity in White Sands seems to be driving the single loop road, getting out for a couple quick walks, and sledding. We were able to do all of this in the matter of a morning. A 5 mile Alkali Flat trail traverses the dunes and requires a bit of effort to complete. I didn’t feel prepared to do the entire thing as walking in the dunes can be fairly tiring, so we explored the Nature Trail and wandered among a few dunes instead.

One of my favorite parts of the park is it’s dog-friendliness. Blue was able to explore alongside me. As a snow dog, she was initially very excited to run through the white dunes. But her joy turned to disappointment when she realized the sand tastes bad. Blue does not hide her feelings.

After a few short hikes and a brief attempt at sledding (very tricky with a dog), the rain threat started to materialize as a problem. As beautiful as the park was, I decided I needed a nap more than cold, wet nature time and returned to the trailer.

My stay at White Sands was short, but beautiful. What an amazing place! With more time I would have loved to explore this unique ecosystem and the surrounding area a bit more. I didn’t even touch the Alamogordo town – an area unique enough to merit a trailhead warning! This was a hiking first for me!

Definitely gonna have to come back here!