Hi
guest
!
Login
|
Sign up
Search:
All
Photos
Journals
Travel Guides
Hotels & Atttractions
Discover Destinations and Share Your Experiences
Travel Guide:
White Sands National Park Travel Guide
Find Cheap Hotels:
North America
>
United States
>
New Mexico
>
White Sands National Park
Guide Sections
Introduction
Journals for
White Sands National Park
Southwestern Road Trip
Properties
Currency
United States Dollar (USD)
Language
English
Top Contributors
SToN3MoNK
Introduction to White Sands National Park
At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley called the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico.
Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and have created the world's largest gypsum dune field. The brilliant white dunes are ever changing: growing, cresting, then slumping, but always advancing. Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved a white coloration that camouflages them in the gypsum sand.
White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.
Map and Photos for
White Sands National Park
Tip: Use arrow keys to flip through the slideshow.
Ratings
for
White Sands National Park
Overall Recommendation:
94%
Scenery:
94%
Popularity:
56%
4
votes
Reviews
for
White Sands National Park
No review submitted. Be the first to write a review of
White Sands National Park, New Mexico
!
