We happen to think that a White Sands National Park tour is always worth it, and not just because we offer one ourselves. White Sands is one of those unique natural places that just can’t be replicated anywhere else, and visiting those places is always worthwhile. Visiting the park allows you to experience an environment that doesn’t exist anywhere else on the planet: gypsum sand dunes.
What we call “sand” is really just a bunch of very small rocks, and there are a few different minerals that can be worn down and turned into sand. There are some beaches that have sand made out of coral or seashells, but the vast majority of the sand on our planet is mostly made of silica.
However, the dunes at White Sands National Park are made of gypsum, giving them a unique bright white color, almost like snow. Because gypsum is highly soluble, it almost never stays in one place long enough to form dunes. The unique geological and climate conditions at White Sands make it the largest gypsum dune field on the planet—something you can’t really see anywhere else.
As an added bonus, White Sands National Park is also a great place to spot Ice Age fossils. This basin wasn’t always a gypsum sand desert; before the end of the Pleistocene epoch, about 12,000 years ago, the Tularosa Basin contained one of the largest lakes in the southwest. Ice Age animals came from miles around to drink from the lake, leaving behind footprints in the mud that have since been preserved.
Paleontologists have found footprints from a wide range of species at White Sands, including mammoths, saber-toothed cats, ground sloths, and enormous dire wolves. In fact, White Sands National Park has the world’s largest collection of Ice Age footprints, including some prints left by human beings more than 21,000 years ago.
To make the most of your trip to New Mexico, check out our White Sands National Park Self-Guided Driving Tour, or you can sign up for Action+ and gain access to over 100 tours for a single yearly price.
