The town of Alamogordo is a perfect location for visiting Alamogordo White Sands National Park. We enjoyed several nights at the Alamogordo White Sands KOA campground, which allowed us plenty of time to see this natural wonder.
Alamogordo White Sands National Park covers 275 square miles of the Chihuahuan Desert. The largest gypsum field in the world, it is the remains of the Permian Sea, which dried up millions of years ago. In 1933, President Herbert Hoover proclaimed this to be a national monument. The dune fields just outside the monument were used as weapons testing sites.
In fact, White Sands Missile Range still regularly conducts missile tests here, so before you go, check the National Park Service website to determine if the highway and park are open. Testing is done for a couple of hours about two days a week, and the times are posted online.
In 1945, during World War II, Trinity Site, 100 miles north of Alamogordo, was used to test the first atomic bomb. The park entrance is on U.S. Route 70, 54 miles east of Las Cruces, and 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo. At the visitor center, you will learn the history of the amazing white gypsum sands in a very good free movie and receive information about programs and activities from the park rangers.
It is important to wear hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen all year-round as well as to take plenty of water with you as there are no concessions. Dunes Drive goes to the heart of the park, and signs and roadside exhibits indicate interesting places and information along the way. Cars are not allowed off the road or through the dunes, but there are paved parking places and self-guided walking tours. The national park provides accessible paths, and there is a good boardwalk. Picnic areas in designated sites have tables, shade, restrooms, and trash cans, but no water.
