Playa Trail - White Sands National Park

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a playa is "a dry, vegetation-free, flat area at the lowest part of an undrained desert basin. It is a location where ephemeral lakes form during wet periods, and is underlain by stratified clay, silt, and sand, and commonly, soluble salts." White Sands National Park has several playas, the largest of which is the ephemeral 10-square-mile Lake Lucero. 

The Playa Trail leads to a much smaller playa located 2.3 miles down Dunes Drive from the Entrance Station or 2.6 miles from the Visitor Center. Parallel parking on the north side of Dunes Drive is available with space for about six regular-sized vehicles. The trail wanders through the desert for ¼ mile forming a ½ mile round trip hike. The trail is relatively flat, but it is not ADA compliant due to its soft sandy surface. The park service rates this trail as easy and I agree. We hiked it during our September 2021 visit to the park.

Trailhead information kiosk

Trail surface at the trailhead

Trail marker

View northwest across the dunes to the water tower on the missile range nearly 10 miles away

The playa

A closer view

Another part of the playa

The southern end of the playa

Another view of the dune field

View across the widest part of the playa (about 500 feet)

The Sacramento Mountains

A dry streambed leads to the playa

hoary tansy aster (Machaeranthera canescens)

The tan color shows the playa hasn't completely dried out since the last rain

The Chihuahuan Desert with thunderstorms forming over the Sacramento Mountains

An entry fee of $25 per vehicle, $20 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at White Sands National Park. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a White Sands National Park Annual Park Pass for $45.

The White Sands National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm.