Starting this spring, visitors to the 275-square-mile stretch of rolling dunes will now be able to hike and camp in its backcountry, sled down sandy hills, and stargaze—without the interruptions of missile tests. “Our staff are very excited for White Sands to be recognized as a national park and to reintroduce ourselves to the American public,” said White Sands Superintendent Marie Sauter. If you’re flying in, the nearest major airport is in El Paso Texas: El Paso International Airport (ELP). The longest fossilized human trackway has been discovered at White Sands National Park in New Mexico. “You know, there is no stronger brand in the world than America’s national parks.”. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Thanks for signing up! Transitioning from a national monument to a national park in the final days of 2019, White Sands park was forced to shut down just a few weeks later, and was among the last to reopen. The reason it’s a provision in Congress’s defense bill is because the former monument shares land with the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), a U.S. military weapons testing area and the site of the first atomic bomb detonation. The Park protects and saves a sea of pure-white … Additional funding is dependent on an increase in the park’s visitors, which would help White Sands compete for NPS resources. White Sands National Park was a lowly National Monument when I was there, but it’s definitely as deserving as any place in this great nation to hold the National Park status that it has today. © 2021 www.lcsun-news.com. Find all the transport options for your trip from Midland to White Sands National Park right here. All rights reserved. Located 220 miles south of Albuquerque, White Sands is the largest gypsum dune field in the world and is so expansive that it can be seen from space. The national parks truly are America’s treasures. The designation was included in the National Defense Authorization Act (the 2020 defense spending bill), which was passed through the U.S. Senate on December 17 and signed into law yesterday by President Trump. Where is White Sands National Park in New Mexico? From a smoke free home. And as of December 20, 2019, White Sands is now officially White Sands National Park! White Sands National Park Treking Stick Medallion. Aside from the name change, the federal legislation included provisions for a land exchange between White Sands and the U.S. Army, which operates an adjacent missile range. Not only does this mean that White Sands will expand by 2,030 acres, but visitors will no longer have to plan around the Range’s weapon testing drills. Glistening white slopes extend as far as the eye can see. Each trail is marked by a symbol from a deck of cards so that you can tell. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. If you want to backcountry camp, especially now that White Sands is designated as a national park, you’ll want to get to the Visitors Center as early as you can. Great Sand Dunes National Park and White Sands National Monument each are uniquely beautiful, and offer a visitor a wide array of incredible experiences. Your email address will not be published. Previously, on a random day or two of the week, the monument would close to visitors as a safety protocol. White Sands is a place of beauty and full of amazing views. White Sands National Monument has officially been designated a national park. Hardly. The picnic area at White Sands National Park has unique hooded picnic tables to give visitors shelter from the sun © Johnny Haglund The history of the newly-minted White Sands National Park goes back far beyond these presidential decrees, however. The remainder is on military land that is not open to the public. Those who’ve visited White Sands won’t be surprised by its new status, while others who are less familiar are in for a real treat. It was the midst of the Great Depression when President Herbert Hoover declared this swath of pale dunes a national monument. White Sands National Park is located about 1 hour east of Las Cruces NM, 1.5 hours north of El Paso TX, and just under 4 hours south of Albuquerque NM. Until the end of 2019, it was a monument, and now it has … Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park is in southern New Mexico. Check out our entire suite of free newsletters here. The remainder is on military land that is not open to the public. “We are so appreciative of our partners, local communities, and congressional leaders who made this achievement possible and look forward to continued success working together.”, White Sands National Monument was established on Jan. 18, 1933, by President Herbert Hoover to preserve “the white sands and additional features of scenic, scientific, and educational interest.”, According to the statement, White Sands contains not only the world’s largest gypsum dunefield, including gypsum hearthmounds found nowhere else, but also is home to the globe’s largest collection of Ice Age fossilized footprints.”, READ:New Mexico politicians excited for White Sands 'national park' designation, The park, the statement said, “tells more than 10,000 years of human presence, all while providing memorable recreational opportunities.”. Subscribe to our What You Missed newsletter for the top headlines from the outdoor world, in your inbox six days a week. Semantics aside, there's no denying that the White Sands deserves national recognition. White Sands National Park is an amazing place to visit and the largest gypsum dune field in the world. “It’s always easier to get my colleagues, whether it’s in the appropriations process or or any other competitive process, to focus on something that people know the value of,” Heinrich said. Throughout the pandemic, we'll keep publishing news to help you navigate the state of travel today (like whether travel insurance covers the coronavirus), as well as stories about places for you to put on your bucket list once it's safe to start going more far-flung. In 2017, White Sands logged more than 600,000 visits and spurred more than $31 million in spending for the local economy. Our final verdict depends, of course, on your own personal interests! It’s 275 square miles of gypsum sand dunes in the Tularosa Basin at the Northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert. When you think of National Parks in the United States, some of your first thoughts may be Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, or Yosemite. Now 87 years later, White Sands has just been declared the United States’ 62nd national park. In Dec. 2019, the world's largest gypsum dune field got an upgrade: White Sands National Park, once a national monument, became the U.S.'s newest national park. After half a decade of legislative holdups, New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument has officially been designated a national park. Book now and pay later with Expedia. A ski resort in the dead of winter? Listen to … NATIONAL PARK SERVICE BROCHURE MAP - UNIGRID. ALBUQUERQUE — President Donald Trump’s signature on defense legislation enacted by Congress means White Sands National Monument in southern New Mexico is now White Sands National Park. Name * Email * Website. The new legislation gives the military 2,826 acres of land within the monument’s former boundaries to allow for this access. The fossilized footprints of White Sands are probably the most important resources in the Americas to the understanding of the interaction of humans and extinct animals from the Ice Age. Travelara Partners: Travelara Blog: ‘Schitt’s Creek’ pop-up in Chicago. It is also the largest gypsum dune on the entire planet. White Sands lies in the Tularosa Basin in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert in southern New Mexico. Beyond the surreal beauty of its endless dunes, the park is full of wildlife and has a long cultural history, including evidence of hunter gatherers going back 10,000 years. These fossilized footprints, among other natural and cultural features found in the dunefield, further propelled the movement to re-designate White Sands National Monument into White Sands National Park. Gov. White Sands became the 62nd designated national park Friday with Trump’s signing of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which included a … For way too long I took them for granted. White Sands National Park has a variety of hiking trails for all levels of difficulty. It's made up of 275 square miles of gypsum sand dunes – in fact, it's the largest gypsum dune field in the world. A typical view in White Sands National Monument. It’s so amazing in fact that it has just been named an official National Park in the USA. It became our NEWEST NATIONAL PARK on 12/20/19! About White Sands National Park Over 250 million years ago, the area that is now White Sands used to be a body of water called the Permian Sea. White Sands is now our 62nd National Park chimaniblog National Park January 2, 2020 2 Minutes On December 20, 2019, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 was signed and the White Sands National Monument’s name was “supercharged” and became our … Hoover declared to, “preserve the white sands and additional features of scenic, scientific, and educational interest.” White Sands was re-designated to a National Park by President Donald Trump on December 20, 2019 adding to the significance of the park and its resources. Efforts to establish a national park in the area date back more than a century as some locals wanted to protect the dunes from commercial interests that were attempting to mine the gypsum. White Sands National Park is an American national park located in the state of New Mexico. New Mexico politicians excited for White Sands 'national park' designation, New Mexico politicians convey excitement on White Sands 'national park' designation, Cowboys for Trump takes White Sands gypsum sand to Washington, D.C. for tree lighting, White Sands National Monument: Q&A with Superintendent Marie Sauter, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. White Sands National Park (U.S. National Park Service) Like No Place Else on Earth Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. This NPS brochure map is NEW. Details of this discovery will be informing history for generations, archaeologists say. Thank you. Using a landscape fitting of its namesake, White Sands National Park in New Mexico really does present amazing “sandscapes.” This is one of the world’s best natural wonders. WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT. The National Park Service (NPS) is working service-wide with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a pretty prestigious recognition of White Sands, one of New Mexico's most remarkable natural wonders,” said Heinrich, who introduced the bill to Congress with U.S. Representative Xochitl Torres Small in March 2019. White Sands National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the state of New Mexico on the north side of Route 70 about 16 mi southwest of Alamogordo in western Otero County and northeastern Doña Ana County. In actuality, the difference between a “park” and a “monument” is mostly nominal, but you’ll have to read the blog of someone smarter than I am to really get to the bottom of that. White Sands sees hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, more than any other park service location in New Mexico. It was established as a national monument in 1933, and since its inception has attracted more visitors than any other National Parks Service site in New Mexico, according to a statement from the office of U.S. Subscribe to our newsletters to stay up-to-date on the latest outdoor news. Required fields are marked * Comment. Located 220 miles south of Albuquerque, White Sands … Senator Martin Heinrich. With only ten permits available, you’ll want to grab a permit early in the day and set up your tent early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the heat of the day. When the sea dried up and disappeared, the gypsum seabed eventually broke down into smaller particles. The most common hiking trails are Dune Life Nature Trail, Backcountry Camping Trail, Alkali Flat Trail, and Playa Trail. The redesignation came as New Mexico joined other Western states in tapping into the lucrative outdoor recreation industry. It's in both English and Spanish. Became Our 62nd National Park on 12/20/19! Black-diamond trails drift and shift with the wind. Help fund our award-winning journalism with a contribution today. There might be a few, very light bends from the NPS. U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat who was among those who pushed for the re-designation, has said he expected the change would boost the local economy and spur more recognition for the unique spot. The new designation will also have positive impacts on the surrounding community: a 2018 study found that turning monuments to national parks could increase visitation by 21 percent (about 100,000 more visitors) in the first five years and result in a $7.5 million increase in the local economy, mainly due to increased visibility. New Mexico. In exchange, the National Parks Service has been granted 5,766 acres of formerly Army-owned land on the eastern side of the park. The park encompasses 145,762 acres (227.8 sq mi; 589.9 km ) in the Tularosa Basin, and comprises the southern 41% of a 275 sq mi (710 km ) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. SHIPPING: White-sands-in-Brazilian-national-park. Now 87 years later, White Sands has been declared the United States’ 62 nd national park. Save on popular hotels near White Sands National Park in New Mexico: Browse Expedia's selection of {location.lodging.hotelCount} hotels and places to stay closest to White Sands National Park. It’s also near the Mescalero Reservation, the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge, and the town of Truth or Consequences. According to the legislation, all funding for the current monument will be directly transferred to the national park. White Sands became the 62nd designated national park Friday with Trump’s signing of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, which included a provision on the re-designation, park officials said Saturday in a statement. Editor’s Note: Formerly White Sands National Monument, White Sands was designated a U.S. national park on December 20, 2019. The sprawling park is the world's largest gypsum dune field (gypsum is … Continue Reading. To inspire active participation in the world outside through award-winning coverage of the sports, people, places, adventure, discoveries, health and fitness, gear and apparel, trends and events that make up an active lifestyle. Previous Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil, travel. White Sands National Monument ( National Park Service) pronunciation - How to properly say White Sands National Monument ( National Park Service). This gypsum dunefield is the largest of its kind on Earth, with a depth of about 30 feet (9.1 m), dunes as tall as 60 feet (18 m), and about 4.5 billion short tons (4.1 billion metric tons) of gypsum sand. like whether travel insurance covers the coronavirus, our entire suite of free newsletters here. Cars inch forward on a hard-packed white surface. However, the National Park Service oversees more than 500 areas throughout the United States including monuments, historic sites, and forests like White Sands. Since the 1970s, the U.S. Army has been trying to secure land within the national monument’s boundaries in order to more easily access its missile testing site. The park, located in southwestern New Mexico, protects the southern portion of a 275-square-mile dune field in the Tularosa Basin—a field so massive and striking that it's visible from space. So this time when we were near White Sands National Monument camping there was no way I was going to miss out on taking the … Michelle Lujan Grisham earlier this year signed a measure that prompted the creation of a dedicated division in state government to focus on expanding outdoor recreation and related economic development. It was the midst of the Great Depression when President Herbert Hoover declared this swath of pale dunes a national monument. Now 87 years later, White Sands has been declared the United States’ 62 nd national park. Rome2rio makes travelling from Midland to White Sands National Park easy. The White Sands National Park is a natural wonder, a desert in New Mexico, USA. After half a decade of legislative holdups, New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument has officially been designated a national park. Based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, access to White Sands National Park is as follows: Rome2rio is a door-to-door travel information and booking engine, helping you get to and from any location in the world. It is filled with a wide ocean of beautiful white sands stretching across over 200 miles of desert. Looking for something else? Find more newsletters on our.