Watching the Sunset at White Sands National Monument

Watching the Sunset at White Sands National Monument

The World’s largest gypsum DUnefield

There’s no other way to put it. Driving through the SW of the United States is insane. One minute you’re driving through the desert, then all of a sudden you’re at a huge lake with giant rocks in the middle, then you find a cluster of slot canyons, next you’re in the middle of a pine tree forest and then BAM-you’re walking through 275 square miles of white gypsum sand dunes. Like. How? It’s impossible to explain this part of the country, all I can say is I LOVE IT!Sunset at White Sands National MonumentWhite Sands wasn’t originally on our agenda but our friend suggested we go for sunset at white sands. We learned it was just a few hours out of the way so we had to do it. I would have been so mad to know we were this close and didn’t go. We fell in love with this place. The sand is soooo soft and comfy.Sunset at White Sands National MonumentWhen we pulled in the ranger said we were lucky because we were the last car they were letting in. Apparently they close the entrance to Dune Drive about an hour before sunset (that was in November) so keep this in mind when you go.
Sunset at White Sands National MonumentAs if this place needs to be any prettier, it’s located in between the Sacramento and San Andres Mountain ranges. Below you can see the San Andres off in the distance.Sunset at White Sands National MonumentAnd in the other direction you’re looking out to the Sacramento mountain range.Sunset at White Sands National Monument

Sunset at white sands

The sunset at White Sands is awesome because of all the color changes reflecting on the gypsum sand. At first it changed from white to orange and reds.Sunset at White Sands National MonumentAnd then to pinkish purple…Sunset at White Sands National MonumentSo obsessed with these pictures I had to share…
Sunset at White Sands National MonumentSunset at White Sands National MonumentSunset at White Sands National MonumentNot only was the sunset at white sands gorgeous, we were extra lucky to visit when there was a full moon approaching! Also lol at how huge I look in my shadow.Sunset at White Sands National MonumentWe came here strictly for sunset and to take a million pictures but there are a ton of things to do here! If you have the time I definitely recommend staying two days.Sunset at White Sands National Monument

Activities at White Sands National Monument

native plant garden tour

We sprinted past these to make the sunset but outside the visitor center there is a self-guided native plant garden tour. If you’re interested the best times to visit and see these unique plants in bloom is mid-March to late November. Sunset at White Sands National Monument

Sledding at White Sands

This is a terrible picture of it, but off in the distance you can see little kids sledding down on an orange sled! How awesome is that!? There was a huge family get together going on, next time I’m here there’s no way I’m forgetting my sled. If you want to sled during sunset at white sands learn more about it HERE.Sunset at White Sands National Monument

HIKING at White sands

We just spent a couple of hours running around like crazys but if you’re looking for more structured strides, there are some awesome hiking trails. They have a few different ones, ranging from easy to hard. Keep in mind all of these hikes walk through the dunes so although some may be easier than others, you’ll still get a workout!  To learn more about the different hikes click HERE.Sunset at White Sands National MonumentSunset at White Sands National Monument

BAckcountry camping at White sands

This is something we would have loved to do if we knew it existed. By the time we found out, it was too late! Although it’s fun to not have a plan this is where one would have been awesome. You can camp at white sands! The camping fees are SUPER cheap. $3 per person and you only have to hike about 2 miles in to camp, but you can go further away if you want! Learn more about camping HERE. Totally coming back here to camp someday.

Here’s one last picture of this stunning sunset at white sands!Sunset at White Sands National MonumentI’m currently working on more blog posts on the SW in the United States-including Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah! Until then check out my last post about hiking the Lathrop Trail in Canyonlands National Park HERE and Navajo Trail in Bryce Canyon National Park HERE.