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Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Alkali Flat Trail - White Sands National Monument


We revisited White Sands National Monument on our February 2018 trip to California. I wrote about our previous visit in May 2015 in these seven posts:


White Sands National Monument is located about 16 miles southwest of Alamogordo, New Mexico. The entrance is located immediately north of US 70. After quickly touring the visitor center and gift shop, we headed out into the dunes to rehike the Alkali Flat Trail.

To reach the parking area at the Alkali Flat Trail head, drive about 7½ miles past the entrance station on Dunes Drive. The last three miles will be on packed sand.

The trail is a five mile loop with a short common section at the trail head. We chose to hike it clockwise on this visit. Note the northwestern "corner" of the trail is out of the dunes and located on the dry lake bed of Alkali Flat. Take and use sunscreen. Note that the sand reflects sunlight back up to areas of your skin you might not realize need sunscreen. Always take and drink plenty of water when hiking in the desert. Unprepared people have died on this route. We took about 3 hours to walk the trail in awe and wonder.

Topographic map with GPS trail route

Elevation profile

Clouds over the dunes

Trail head kiosk

Footprints in the sand

Trail marker

Marker in the distance

Into the dunes

Over a dune

More trail markers

Dunes on the dry lake bed

Vegetation on the dunes

Wide open spaces

Dunes below the San Andres Mountains

Closeup of trail marker

Maze of dunes

Old marker nearly buried in the dunes

Follow the footprints

Perspective from atop the dunes

More of the San Andres Mountains

Rain in the distance

A single set of footprints cross the dune

Sierra Blanca Peak (11,981 feet 47 miles)

Skunkbush Sumac pedestal

Another trail marker

Sand and mountain

Rain in the mountains, sunlight on the dunes

More evidence of the shifting dunes

Rank upon rank of dunes

Wind formed scallops along the ridgeline

"Sink holes" in the dunes

Alkali Flat

Farthest northwest point of the trail

An endless line of trail markers leads back into the dunes

Selenite crystals form this gypsum rock

Trail markers across the dunes

Steep side of the dune

Trail markers align

Ripples on the dune

Dunes like waves of fog

Keep following the markers

Shadows on the dunes

A $5 per person entry fee is collected at White Sands National Monument. Any of the America the Beautiful passes allow admission for the pass holder and three other adults.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/whsa.

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