Our friend’s Dan and Meg suggested that we visit White Sands National Park on our road trip through New Mexico. We arrived shortly before sunset and paid our 25.00 entrance fee. The fee was valid for seven days, but we only had an hour. That said, we both felt that it was worth the stop. Even though our visit was brief, the park was magnificent and giving money to the national parks is a good cause.

At first, the park didn’t seem like much. We had to drive about ten minutes into the park to see the huge gypsum dunes and to truly appreciate the beauty of White Sands National Park.

It was a quiet afternoon, but we did see a few families picnicking and using plastic sleds to slide down the dunes. I wish we had brought a sled! We walked around and took pictures as the sun was setting, which provided spectacular shots of the sun streaking through the clouds.

White Sands National Park is a worthy detour if you’re driving through New Mexico. The sand is super fine, powder like grains and it glitters in the light. It makes everything glow. I would love to experience the park in the summer on a blue sky day. Unfortunately, it really isn’t close to many other sites that we are likely to visit in the future, but I’m happy that we were able to experience it.

After leaving the park we caught this fiery sunset, such a contrast to the pale sand.