desert paradise camping white sands

Can’t wait to make it a family camping trip one day…There are some beautiful places that fly under the radar. Camping […]Hello, and thanks for stopping by. That said, White Sands is a cheerful place as well; families gather to sled down the dunes, and adventurers take to the sands for hiking, horseback riding, and just taking it all in. While you’re not anywhere near the ocean, we still prefer to avoid the chemicals and use mineral-based sunscreens. Fortunately, we didn’t get any rain, but the wind howled through our tent all night. But, it was perfect weather for sledding and playing in the dunes since no sun made it much cooler.Camping in White Sands can be complicated for a few reasons, so here are our tips for making sure you snag a spot and have a great experience.Yes, you read that right. I’m sure the campsites get scarcer towards the end of the month when the weather is more pleasant, but you’ll likely have no problem getting a campsite in the middle of summer or the dead of winter.You can only get your campsite for one day at a time, which means if you want to stay multiple nights, you’ll need to hike out from your campsite, drive the six miles back to the visitor center the next morning, and claim your spot again.I may have groaned a little bit when Aaron wanted to pick campsite 5 – it’s in the middle of the loop, which means we had to hike our gear in and out one mile both ways. It’s well worth it if you’re planning on visiting a few national parks during the year, especially the more popular ones like Yosemite or Zion that have a $30 entrance fee.Since you have to deal with closures due to missile testing or just random bad weather on top of the fact that there are only ten first-come, first-served campsites in White Sands National Park, it’s a good idea to have a backup plan in case you don’t get a campsite. And part of this may be because I haven’t spent a lot of time around snow, but keep in mind that you’ll likely be under the bright, shining sun with temps rising above 100°F in the middle of a summer day. Look here for the latest information. Plus high winds, rain, or lightning can be tough to deal with when you’re completely exposed to the elements.The cell service out here is not good. Summer days average about 95°F (35°C), but can spike as high as 110°F (38°). As there is no way to guarantee that White Sands will be open on a particular day, we decided to create a little cushion in our trip so we could also camp either the day before or after we’d originally planned. It can be extremely hot during the day with no shade (the record is 110°F), and drop more than 40°F at night. If you can’t call, try to text a friend who is in a reliable service spot to call 911 for you.Use your GPS and reserve your phone battery so you don’t get lost while you’re leaping across the sand dunesThe last place to fill up any water containers is the visitor center, so make sure you have enough with you when you enter White Sands. We were the first ones to claim a camping spot when we arrived at 8:30 am (the visitor center used to open at 8 am). Everything cooled off by the evening, but the winds started picking up and a storm looked like it was heading our way. Unless you are road tripping through, the closest airport is in El Paso, Texas, which is about an hour and a half away. We're three adventurous travelers exploring the globe one trip at a time. When that happens, White Sands National Park and oftentimes part of Highway 70 closes down to visitors and campers. So even with bright sun and 80F+ weather, the sand wasn’t too hot on our feet. Occasionally the road into the park can close due to missile testing.

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Gypsum has a few cool properties, like the fact that it doesn’t absorb heat like typical sand. […] recommend trying to camp at least one night in White Sands National Park. The backcountry trail is marked with small poles sticking up every so often. Since most of the tests are conducted in the middle of the night or in the early morning, it means there is no camping allowed on the day of the test. We bought the $2 wax, but I don’t think it made much of a difference. Since the weather can be a bit extreme and there are only a few spots, we’ve put together all our tips to help you make the most of camping in White Sands National Park in New Mexico.White Sands National Park is located in southern New Mexico.