Travel Time
Travel Time
63 - New Mexico’s White Wonders (and Green Nuts!) at Alamogordo and White Sands National Park
We explore White Sands National park and Alamogordo, New Mexico!
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Hello, fellow adventurers, and welcome back to "Travel Time"! I'm your host, Jennifer, and today, we're diving deep into another fascinating stop on our New Mexico journey: Alamogordo!
Now, you might remember from our last episode, we were wrapping up an incredible time in Santa Fe. Well, as the sun began to dip below the horizon, we hit the road and made our way south, arriving in Alamogordo in the early evening.
This was a first for all of us – none of us had ever been to Alamogordo before, so there was that exciting sense of discovering somewhere completely new.
We checked into the Home2 Suites by Hilton Alamogordo, which turned out to be a fantastic base for our explorations. It was really well-located, conveniently near a movie theater – which, as you’ll hear, came in handy – and crucially, it was nice and close to our main objective: White Sands National Park.
That very first evening, before settling in completely, we made a fun and slightly quirky stop that my husband had been looking forward to: PistachioLand! You see, he had his heart set on getting a picture of the world's largest pistachio – yes, you heard that right, a giant pistachio! And of course, he and the boys wanted to try some delicious pistachio ice cream. It was a quick detour that really kicked off our Alamogordo visit with a smile.
The very next morning, after our pistachio-filled evening, we headed to where the real magic happens: White Sands National Park. And let me tell you, stepping into this park is like stepping onto another planet. It’s absolutely breathtaking. We started by exploring the Visitor Center and later the Interdune Boardwalk, which offered some fantastic close-up views of the unique gypsum dunes and the hardy plant life that manages to thrive there. It’s a great way to get a feel for the landscape before diving deeper in.
Of course, you can't go to White Sands without experiencing the thrill of sliding down the dunes! We made sure to rent a sledding disc and buy some wax from the park store so the boys could go sledding on the dunes. This activity is incredibly unique and just such an amazing sight to behold – bright white dunes stretching as far as the eye can see, with people laughing and sliding down them. It’s an absolute blast for all ages, not just the kids!
Now, a crucial tip for anyone planning a trip to White Sands: be sure to check the park's status before you go. The park is sometimes closed unexpectedly for missile testing at the nearby military base. A quick look at their website or a call ahead can save you a lot of disappointment.
After our sledding adventures, we took some time to explore Dunes Drive. This is a 16-mile round trip that takes you deeper into the heart of the gypsum dunefield. Parts of it are paved, and other sections are on packed gypsum. It truly gives you a sense of the sheer scale of this natural wonder.
Just to give you some perspective, White Sands National Park, located in the Chihuahuan Desert, protects about 40 percent – that's 115 square miles – of the 275-square-mile gypsum dunefield, which, get this, is the largest gypsum dunefield in the entire world. It's truly a global gem.
After a morning of awe-inspiring landscapes and dune-sledding fun, we worked up quite an appetite. We made a quick stop at Brown Bag Deli for a delicious lunch of sandwiches. It was exactly what we needed to refuel before our afternoon plans.
And speaking of afternoon plans, as the heat of the New Mexico sun really kicked in, we decided to take in a movie. There was a movie theater conveniently located about two blocks from our hotel, and it was the perfect escape from the heat. A nice, cool, dark theater was just what we needed to relax for a couple of hours.
As the day cooled down a bit in the early evening, my oldest son was keen to get a run in. So, I did a quick check and found a nearby park with some trails. While he went for his run, I took the opportunity to do some birding myself. It was a lovely, peaceful way to end the day, and I was thrilled to spot some great birds that I hadn't seen before. It just goes to show, even in unexpected places, there’s always nature to discover.
Alamogordo truly surprised us with its unique attractions, from giant pistachios to the shimmering white sands, and its convenient amenities. It was an essential stop on our New Mexico adventure, particularly because of White Sands, which is just unforgettable.
And that brings us to the end of this leg of our journey! Our next stop, listeners, is another New Mexico icon: Carlsbad! We'll have more on that, including an underground adventure, in our very next episode.
For now, I'm Jennifer, wishing you all… Happy Travels!