Sunset - White Sands National Park

Having driven up from Big Bend National Park during the day, we had just enough time to enter White Sands National Park to watch part of the sunset. White Sands was the second of four parks we visited in September 2021 in Texas and New Mexico.

Sunbeams behind the dunes

Getting darker

Jupiter and the Moon

Even darker

Moonlight on the dunes

Jupiter and the last orange glow of sunset

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.

Sunset at Fossil Discovery Exhibit - Big Bend National Park

Sunsets at Big Bend National Park fell into two categories during our September 2021 visit. They were either fantastic hues of purple, red, orange, and yellow or they were completely obscured by massive mountain thunderstorms that popped up in the late afternoon. Fortunately, we had more of the former than the latter. Below are some images from the outdoor overlook at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit.

An entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Big Bend 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 Big Bend National Park Annual Park Pass for $55.

The Big Bend National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm.

Sunset at Prairie Dog Metropolis - Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Leaving Glacier National Park during our May 2021 trip to the Dakotas and Montana, we drove east to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Our first stop was at the Prairie Dog Metropolis in the South Unit near Medora. We watched the prairie dogs and the sunset.

A Theodore Roosevelt National Park entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days. 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 Theodore Roosevelt National Park Annual Park Pass for $55.

The Theodore Roosevelt National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm.

Sunset at Porter Beach - Indiana Dunes National Park

To close out our first day at Indiana Dunes National Park, we watched the sunset over Gary, Indiana from Porter Beach in October 2019. Free off-road paved parking is available for 30 vehicles including four accessible spots just east of Wabash Avenue, Porter, Indiana. A summer-only restroom facility is located at the north end of the parking lot.

Free parking lot

Seasonal restrooms

Chicago (32 miles)

Gary, Indiana

Kiteboarding

Entry to Indiana Dunes National Park is free. However, an expanded amenity fee of $6 daily per vehicle ($30 for busses and RVs) is collected at West Beach from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through the Monday of Labor Day weekend from 8:00 am to as late as 7:00 pm Central Time. This fee is used to provide the bathhouse and lifeguard service.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htm.

Sunset on the Dunes - 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:

• Alkali Flat Trail
• Interdune Boardwalk
• Mid-Day on Dunes Drive
• Morning along Dunes Drive
• Stormy Sunset
• Sunset Stroll
• Visitor Center

White Sands National Monument is located about 16 miles southwest of Alamogordo, New Mexico. The entrance is located immediately north of US 70. From the entrance, we drove 7½ miles on Dunes Drive to the parking area for the Alkali Flat Trail and then hiked across a couple of dunes to get a higher viewpoint for sunset.

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.