White Sands National Monument continues to be one of the parks our kids talk about almost on a daily basis. Located in South Central New Mexico it sits half way between the mountains, the high plains, and the desert. Combine all these terrains together and you get a unique blend of geology and fun! Specifically, the Park sits between the San Andres Mountains to the west and the Sacramento Mountains to the east. It is from these two mountains that the unique feature, "white sands," is formed. The mountains contain lots of different types of rock deposits including limestone and gypsum. Since gypsum is highly soluble, it dissolves easily from rains and rushes down the mountains. White Sands National Monument is located in a basin with no natural water outlets (rivers), so the dissolved gypsum just stays in the park. Thats why there are deposits of white sand in the park and virtually none to be found in large amounts elsewhere. Of course, thats the geology of the park. There are lots of other aspects, too, from unique plants and animals to moving sand dunes.
Certainly this park offered lots of different types of expeditions for our little Junior Rangers but there was one thing they had heard about and had to check out. During their preparations for the trip, the kids had learned that it was possible to go "sledding" in the park. Being from Northern Minnesota we are well versed in snow sledding, however, this was different. We were used to putting on snow pants, parkas, boots, facemasks, and gloves to hit the hills in the winter. At White Sands, we were able to sled in our summer attire! The ranger station kindly had several sleds available to us to try out their slopes. The kids hit the dunes running and sailed down the smooth, untouched sand. Although the temperatures were relatively warm for us in February, the sand was cool and refreshing. We literally spent hours going up and down the dunes!
White Sands National Monument continues to be one of the parks our kids talk about almost on a daily basis. Located in South Central New Mexico it sits half way between the mountains, the high plains, and the desert. Combine all these terrains together and you get a unique blend of geology and fun! Specifically, the Park sits between the San Andres Mountains to the west and the Sacramento Mountains to the east. It is from these two mountains that the unique feature, "white sands," is formed. The mountains contain lots of different types of rock deposits including limestone and gypsum. Since gypsum is highly soluble, it dissolves easily from rains and rushes down the mountains. White Sands National Monument is located in a basin with no natural water outlets (rivers), so the dissolved gypsum just stays in the park. Thats why there are deposits of white sand in the park and virtually none to be found in large amounts elsewhere. Of course, thats the geology of the park. There are lots of other aspects, too, from unique plants and animals to moving sand dunes. 
Certainly this park offered lots of different types of expeditions for our little Junior Rangers but there was one thing they had heard about and had to check out. During their preparations for the trip, the kids had learned that it was possible to go "sledding" in the park. Being from Northern Minnesota we are well versed in snow sledding, however, this was different. We were used to putting on snow pants, parkas, boots, facemasks, and gloves to hit the hills in the winter. At White Sands, we were able to sled in our summer attire! The ranger station kindly had several sleds available to us to try out their slopes. The kids hit the dunes running and sailed down the smooth, untouched sand. Although the temperatures were relatively warm for us in February, the sand was cool and refreshing. We literally spent hours going up and down the dunes!
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