Info Alerts Maps Calendar Fees Like No Place Else on Earth Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park is an American national park located in the state of New Mexico and completely surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range.The park covers 145,762 acres (227.8 sq mi; 589.9 km 2) in the Tularosa Basin, including the southern 41% of a 275 sq mi (710 km 2) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. This gypsum dunefield is the largest of its kind on Earth.
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The largest gypsum dune field in the world is located at White Sands National Monument in south-central New Mexico. This region of glistening white dunes is in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert within an "internally drained valley" called the Tularosa Basin. The monument ranges in elevation from 3890' to 4116' above sea level. 30 million years ago Eventually, the tectonic plates began to pull apart in opposite directions, causing the development of numerous fault zones. Large portions of mountain ranges were sometimes split apart, causing sections of the Earth's crust to drop thousands of feet, forming basins along these faults. White Sands National Monument was designated a National Park and renamed White Sands National Park in December 2019. This park is in the Tularosa Basin in Southern New Mexico and consists of a white sands dune field that covers 275 square miles, making it the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Even before White Sands was declared a national monument, the area was a popular picnicking location. It was no surprise when there were over 4,000 people in attendance at the opening day ceremony on April 29, 1934. Visitation continued to increase, with an estimated 34,000 people visiting in the first year.
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The sands of White Sands National Monument are formed from gypsum, a soft mineral often left behind when water bodies evaporate. Although gypsum is a fairly common mineral, it is rarely found as sand because it easily dissolves in water, and rivers generally carry dissolved gypsum to the sea. White Sands was designated a National Monument in 1933 and was redesignated as a National Park in 2019. The white sand dunes cover over 275 square miles of the Chihuahuan desert, and the National Park protects over half of the dunes. White Sands National Monument is located just 13 miles outside of the small town of Alamogordo and 50 miles from the city of Las Cruces. Both spots offer plenty of hotels, including the enchanting. Welcome to White Sands! The information below will help you find all the information you will need to help plan a safe and fun visit to White Sands National Park. Information in different languages is available to help you plan. NPS Photo Operating Hours & Seasons
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White Sands National Park 5 4,207 reviews #2 of 1,883 things to do in New Mexico National ParksGeologic Formations Closed now 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM Write a review About Visitors to this endless waterless sea can enjoy driving, hiking, visiting a museum and sledding down the huge dunes. Duration: 2-3 hours Suggest edits to improve what we show. The dunes go as high as 60 feet or 18 meters. The gypsum sand in the park is over 4 billion tons. Get to know about the White Sands National Monument with these top 10 amazing truths about the park. 1. It began as a National Monument in 1933. White Sands National Monument Photo by Greg Schechter- Wikimedia.
White Sands National Park near Alamogordo contains a huge area of white gypsum dunes covering 275 square miles, one of the most unusual, magical and photogenic places in the Southwest. The preserve was established in 1933 as a national monument, and upgraded to a national park in December 2019, accompanied by land transfers to and from the. White Sands National Monument is amazing! White Sands National Monument is located in Central New Mexico. It is a one of a kind adventure, but it most closely reminded us of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah. The difference is the color of the sand. There are acres and acres of pure white sand, just the color of sugar and twice as soft.
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White Sands National Monument preserves more than half of this oasis, its shallow water supply, and the plants and animals living here. Como un espejismo, las deslumbrantes dunas de arenas blancas brillan, enclavadas en la cuenca de Tularosa al sur de Nuevo México. Nestled in the Tularosa Basin of southern New Mexico, White Sands National Monument is a breathtaking landscape of rolling white gypsum dunes that seem to stretch endlessly into the horizon. Covering over 275 square miles, the dunes of White Sands are a geologic wonder that has intrigued scientists and visitors alike for centuries.
