Me and “the boys” recently explored White Sands National park for the first time. This will not be our last visit to this amazing landscape, and we can’t wait to bring the rest of the family with us. Well, we almost can’t wait, but summertime temperatures have arrived so we will be waiting for those to pass before adventuring to the dunes again.

If you like hiking with dogs this is a must visit park. “The boys” are my experienced hiker Gill, the 10 year old rescue kelpie, and his apprentice Hank, our 2 year old street-dog special. We highly recommend getting to the park early!

A yellowish-red and white dog wearing a bright blue harness is laying down next to a black and tan dog wearing a teal harness on white sand (gypsum) with scrub brush behind them.

WSNP is accessed by Dunes Drive which enters the park and then loops around. Majority of the park extends from where the loop begins, but it requires several miles of driving on mostly packed sand or gypsum. The park has a long and eclectic history, and has been used as the landscape for several films including Star Wars. Geology nerds, military history buffs, and those with an interest in anthropology will find much about the Tularosa Basin fascinating.

Part of a black top road with white sand and scrub brush below a bright blue sky.

My first day at the park I elected to stop before we hit the “pavement ends here, you are now driving on sand” portion of the park. I hadn’t really looked at my map carefully yet, and thought I had driven pretty far into the park (I hadn’t.).

I wanted to get the pups out for a quick walk around, and also scope out the vehicles that were returning from beyond the “driving on sand” sign. My little Ford Focus is not exactly the off road vehicle of my dreams, but I still wanted to try reaching the back of the park.

We got some great photos just wandering on the dunes near the Interdune boardwalk. There was a nice breeze, but not enough wind to whip the sand up. Our footprints and pawprints remain on the sand when it isn’t windy and are easy to follow to retrace your steps, but it’s always a good idea to keep a landmark in sight for orientation. The San Andres Mountains to the west are a good landmark, and make for some breathtaking vistas.

Black and tan dog looking towards the camera while squinting with white sand and scrub brush behind him.

I try to always carry a backpack with emergency supplies whenever we leave the car, which includes on our first “just stretching our legs” walk in the park. I carry extra water, a first aid kit with supplies for humans and dogs, a laser thermometer, a shareable snack, dog boots, a longline, and typically a towel. Don’t panic, and don’t forget a towel, right? This trip I left the towels in the car, and took a lightweight jacket that could become a shade source in a pinch. We also got to the park early enough that it was almost cool enough for the jacket, but not really.

We went to visit white sands right as it was starting to get a little too toasty, with temperatures hitting upper 80s. A really awesome feature about the gypsum the sand is made of it, and it’s characteristic white color make the sand incredibly cool to the touch even in direct sunlight. I almost always hike with a laser thermometer that allows me to check the ground temp, and thus determine when it’s time to bust out the dog boots. This is a major concern when we normally walk on sand in the heat, as boots only help so much since sand in your shoes is miserable if you have feet or paws. In White Sands you can walk barefoot on the sand most of the year, and there is always cool sand just a few inches down.

I headed back to the car to finish deciding how risky it would be to drive on the sand, when another similar model car drove out of the park and parked at the boardwalk. A couple got out of the car who looked like they knew how to hike, so I asked the couple how the road was, and how far they went. They immediately assured me I could make it the entire loop in my little car, and I needed to go see the “real dunes”. They also insisted that I head to the Alkali trail, and hike at least a mile out because the dogs and I would love it. So that’s what we did.

Feel free to scold me for taking advice from strangers, but this isn’t the first time I’ve asked a stranger in a national park for a pointer, and gotten steered to some of the best the park has to offer. Really, they were fellow hikers, and they were totally right. We hiked a bit up the trail to get a feel for it, but at that point it was starting to get hot and we’d more than met the mileage limit I mentally set. We headed back to the car, and then to rest at our accommodations in Alamogordo. As we left the park we passed a long line of cars who were waiting to enter the park. After 9 am there is also a fee to access the park for a specific period of time.

The next day we arrived early and drove straight to the Akali trail head. We focused on walking further down the trail, and getting some really good pictures of the boys enjoying the sand dunes. Alkali trail markers are spread along the trail you can always see the next one from the marker you’re at. At the trailhead parking lot we got some of the best photo ops of the trip, and just a short walk down the trail we had the space to do some fun training and take some truly special pictures.

We hiked a pre-set distance as the sun beat down hotter, and I started looking for a good point to turn back. I very quickly fell into the trap of “just to the next marker”, and neither dog discouraged me so we hiked far. We hiked until it was too hot again, and finally turned back to the car. We cruised out of the dunes and said goodbye to the park. For now.

Hiking White Sands (2022)