Visiting White Sands and Alamogordo, New Mexico

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When traveling, people typically know where they are going and at least have an inkling of what they will see. On our journey to White Sands, New Mexico, our family was caught entirely off guard by the scenery and terrain on two different occasions. The drastic change in terrain taught us that there are surprises even in the best-made plans. We also learned that surprises when traveling are often pleasant, and these two were actually the main highlights of this trip.

Carlsbad to Alamogordo, New Mexico

If anyone is wondering, New Mexico in the middle of summer is hot… I mean extremely hot. Before we headed towards Alamogordo, we were visiting Carlsbad, New Mexico. In Carlsbad, I was astounded by the typical temperatures each day. I took pictures of the outside temperatures while we were traveling. In Carlsbad, the temperature would range from 105-112 degrees.

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As we left Carlsbad, we entered the Alamogordo KOA Campground into Waze and set off with the camper in tow. We would pass through two towns, Mayhill and Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The journey to Alamogordo was only about two and a half hours, so we were thrilled.

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When we began our journey, there was nothing exceptional. We had grown accustomed to the terrain and surroundings. However, once we hit Mayhill, we encountered rolling hills. I commented to Sean that the terrain made me feel like we were at home.

Cloudcroft, New Mexico

As we continued on our route, I noticed that the temperature was dropping pretty drastically. We were happy that anything would drop from the 112 degrees of Carlsbad that day. Within about 30 minutes, the terrain stopped resembling home, and it began looking like we were in the middle of Vermont. Actually, if you dropped me off in the town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, I would have told you that I was in the middle of the Green Mountains of Vermont. The temperature had dropped from 112 to 73 degrees.

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I began Googling the town of Cloudcroft, and we were at an elevation of 8,600 feet above sea level. To put this in perspective for my Georgia friends, the highest point in Georgia is Brasstown Bald, which sits at an elevation of 4,783 feet. The road that we were traveling started to wind, and we felt like we were riding on top of the world. We learned that regardless of how hot it is at the bottom of the mountains, anything can grow in the right conditions the higher you go, even Ponderosa Pines.

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As we began descending the mountain range and entering the town of Alamogordo, the temperature was a steady 100 degrees, and we were all happy that it was at least that cool.

Alamogordo, New Mexico

Just as we settled in at our campground in Alamogordo, a massive storm began to brew. A flash flood developed in our area. The roads do not drain well in Alamogordo, and it was scary for a while. After being in the camper during a lightning storm in Java, New York, a few years ago, we elected to leave the camper in Alamogordo and drive out of the storm’s path. Modern radar technology is impressive. When we returned to the camper, only a breaker had tripped, and we were very thankful.

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Our favorite attraction in the city was visiting a pistachio farm. We toured McGinn’s Pistachio Tree Ranch, and it was fascinating to learn how pistachios grow. In true road trip novelty, there was also the largest pistachio in the world, and we had to snap a picture.

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White Sands Missile Base

Alamogordo, New Mexico, is also the home of White Sands Missile Base. I won’t lie; it was kind of scary. Luckily, they did no missile testing while we were in town, but when they do, a main thoroughfare in the city is shut down for at least an hour until the testing is completed.

White Sands Missile Base is the largest military installation on American soil with 3,200 miles of acreage. In July 1945, the first atomic bomb was detonated at the missile base. The code name for the test was Trinity, and the location in the missile base is now called the Trinity Site. With the successful detonation at White Sands, the world’s second and third atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki less than a month after the Trinity detonation.

Visiting White Sands National Park

As history lovers, we were excited to learn about the missile base, but our main attraction was entirely science-related. Most desert sand is composed of quartz, which gives the beige coloration. However, White Sands is made from gypsum, and along with the lack of water in the area, it creates white dunes.

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We were so excited to travel to the White Sands National Park. The terrain was like nothing we had ever experienced. On the road to White Sands, we traveled through the typical beige sand we had grown accustomed to. However, the park is called White Sands.

The Magnificent Dunes

We had heard that you could sled down the dunes, so we carried our saucer sleds from our home in Atlanta that we always hope to use at least once a year.

As we entered the park, the terrain changed from the beige sand to that of white with vegetation, and it looked like we were on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. However, there was no water in sight, only sand.

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As we drove deeper into the park, the dunes rose higher than any we have ever seen, and vegetation ceased. As much as we associate sand with beaches, this was the most unique and desolate sea of sand that we had ever encountered.

The dunes are magnificent and a reminder of God’s handiwork. We enjoyed sledding down different dunes for the rest of the afternoon.

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If you have an opportunity to travel to White Sands, I would highly recommend it. Words can’t accurately describe the magnificence of the area. To learn about the mountains and why you find white dunes amid a beige desert, watch the short video below!

We could not believe that within two rather short drives surrounding Alamogordo, New Mexico, the terrain changed so drastically. Alamogordo and the surrounding area is a special place in America. We hope that you visit very soon!

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Visiting White Sands?

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Interested in other great travels out west? Check out Route 66 and San Diego, California!