How to Do White Sands in a Single Perfect Day

There is nothing else in the world quite like White Sands. Two hundred and seventy-five square miles of pure gypsum roll across the Tularosa Basin in waves so bright they read as snow, and a single well-planned day is enough to feel like you've left the planet.

Arrive for the light

Come early or come late. Midday sun bleaches the dunes flat and bakes the sand, but the first and last hours pull long blue shadows across every ridge and set the crests glowing. Sunset here is a genuine event.

Walk far enough into the dunes and the horizon disappears in every direction.

Sled the dunes

Rent a waxed plastic saucer from the visitor center, hike to a steep face, and slide. It is gloriously silly and worth every minute of the climb back up. The Alkali Flat Trail rewards stronger hikers with total, humbling silence.

Respect the desert

There is no water and little shade, and the white ground reflects sun straight up at you. Carry more water than seems reasonable, mark your car's location, and turn back well before you're tired.

Field notes

• The park occasionally closes for missile-range tests — check the schedule before driving.
• Sunscreen the underside of your chin; the reflected glare is fierce.
• Stay for the sunset, then linger for the stars.

You'll leave with sand in your shoes and, if you time it right, the memory of a basin turning rose-gold as the sun slips behind the San Andres.