White Sands National Monument is a place that needs to be experienced in real life–the sand is actually composed of tiny crystals, and it glitters in the sunlight! We also witnessed the most beautiful sunsets imaginable in the park, as well as at the lake where we camped. It’s a playground for young and old, and a photographer’s dream.

The nearby town of Alamogordo was also a pleasant surprise. We found the people very friendly, and the community quite diverse due to the proximity of the nearby military base. We lucked out–we just happened to be in town at the same time Holloman AFB held an open day/airshow. There were lots of activities for kids, including stomp rocket building, bouncy houses, and drone racing!

We can also recommend checking out Pistachio Land if you’re in the area. There’s a nominal fee for a tour of their orchard with a coupon for a free cookie or discount off of ice cream. In their shop, they have free wine and nut tastings. If you head east on highway 82 up into the Lincoln National Forest, it’s hard to believe you’re in the same state! The dry hot desert quickly fades away into forests of Douglas Fir and Ponderosa pine the higher you climb. Within a short half hour drive, you find yourself in a cute ski resort town, where we spotted both a bear and elk as we drove by!

We did a bit of research about sledding on the dunes at White Sands before we went to the park. There are sleds available to purchase and rent from the gift shop on site, but for a fraction of the cost, we were able to purchase a few disc sleds at Wal-Mart. We didn’t have wax though, which really is necessary to get down the hills, but we actually found several abandoned cubes of it laying around the base of the dunes.

Two people stand silhouetted against a glowing sunset over the calm waters of Lake Holloman.
We camped right at the edge of Lake Holloman.

A barn swallow perches in a pebble nest tucked between wooden beams at a visitor center.
Barn swallows were everywhere at the White Sands NM visitor center.

A child points upward at a barn swallow flying inside the White Sands visitor center.

Vast white sand dunes stretch beneath a clear blue sky at White Sands.
Yes, it really looks like snow.

A girl in pink slides backward while climbing a steep white sand dune at White Sands.
The kids absolutely loved the sledding, but it was quite the workout climbing back up. The sand is so fine that you sink in and slide backwards, as if you’re on a sadistic quicksand stair master. Haha!

A person sits on a sled at the crest of a tall white sand dune.
When looking for the best dunes to sled on, choose the tallest, steepest ones! At the top, you’ll be sure it’s too steep, but sledding on sand is not as fast as on snow, and you really need the steep incline to get going. After giving your sled a good wax coating, hop on, hold up your feet, and lean back.

A dark pickup truck drives across the white dunes of White Sands with mountains rising in the distance.

Two children stand on a white sand dune with arms raised, celebrating at White Sands.

A person in pink shorts jumps barefoot over white sand dunes at White Sands.

White sand dunes stretch toward distant mountains under a warm golden sunset sky.

White sand dunes dotted with desert grasses stretch beneath a pastel pink and blue sky at White Sands.

A boy and a girl gaze out a window at a fiery sunset over the water at White Sands.
One of our sunset views right out our front door.

Four golden heart-topped jam pastries rest on a floral plate atop a colorful woven mat.
We meet up with our old camp friends from Padre/Big Bend again, and Miss B brought us these delicious and beautiful cookies!

A tall pale sculptural form with a green and purple fissure rises against a deep blue sky.
I had no idea that pistachios were a thing in New Mexico. Home of the world’s largest pistachio to be exact!

Clusters of reddish fruit hang from leafy tree branches against a clear blue sky.
Baby pistachios

Four aircraft fly in formation across a clear blue sky at White Sands.

A child waves toward a yellow vintage airplane parked on the White Sands tarmac.
If a cute little girl waves…..

A vintage US Air Force fighter plane with an open cockpit taxis on a flat desert runway.

A vintage military trainer aircraft with a pilot in the cockpit sits on the tarmac at White Sands.

A fighter jet taxis along a desert runway with mountains in the background and a pilot in the cockpit.

A gray fighter jet taxis down a desert runway at the White Sands airfield.

A parachutist glides beneath a green and white canopy against a clear blue sky.

A military tiltrotor aircraft flies low over the dusty desert landscape at White Sands.

A fighter jet releases flares and smoke trails while flying across a clear blue sky at White Sands.

A small brown bird perches on a weathered, cracked tree stump in a dry sandy landscape.
This sweet gal was roosting under the camper and building a nest in our hitch!

A small twig nest is tucked into the corner of a metal frame with loose wires.
The nest….

Two people walk across white sand dunes dotted with desert shrubs under a bright blue sky at White Sands.
The billowing white clouds on top of the dune are clouds of sand.

A winding path cuts through golden grassland at White Sands, with hikers walking beneath a vast blue sky.
It was a pretty windy day! Our hike that day didn’t last long for being sand blasted.

A wooden fence borders a dry grass field with white sand dunes rising under a bright blue sky.

A lone hiker stands atop a vast white sand dune at White Sands beneath a soft blue sky.

A smooth white sand dune rises beneath a bright blue sky streaked with thin clouds.

A smooth white sand dune curves gently beneath a partly cloudy blue sky at White Sands.

A woman and child carry colorful boards across the top of a white sand dune.

A boy runs down a white sand dune at White Sands while others slide behind him.