Wander Here: Sledding + Sunsets at White Sands National Park

Feb 21

Wander Here: White Sands National Park, New Mexico

It was a windy day in February when we turned onto the national park road and headed into the white dunes, vast and seemingly endless. The sand swirled around the road as we drove, deeper and deeper in…hoping to get a little off the beaten path and find a spot to ride sleds down the giant dunes (humans are funny). We had come prepared - sleds, wax, the go pro and of course, Pippa. She’s not allowed in most national parks, so when one accepts tiny fur people, we know we have to bring her along.

Sledding on the Sand Dunes

As soon as we were confident the boardwalk trail was far behind us, we pulled off the road, parked the van, and headed out to find adventure.

If you’ve ever visited giant sand dunes, you know what I mean when I say you WILL work hard for every single bit of fun you have. It’s worth it (I think lol), but it is SO hard. You feel the burn as you climb and climb and climb some more, and just when you feel like you’re going to collapse you finally reach the top. Feeling the grit between your teeth (and behind your ears and in your eyes), you plop down on the board, careful to find the steepest spot. Pushing off and learning forward, you hope and pray you put enough wax on the board as you begin your speeding descent down, usually with some sort of crash at the end.

This particular day we had pretty good luck as we all took turns sailing down at high speeds and rolling head over heels at the bottom. We had so much fun and laughed until our sides hurt (one of the many pains involved) all the way until the sun began to inch its way down to meet the sandy horizon. Wanting to avoid getting lost in the sandy wilderness after dark, we grabbed our boards and headed into the direction of the van. The trek took a bit, and by the time we got back to the van, we were all so ready to collapse.

So tired and windblown, we threw everything haphazardly into the back of the van and piled in. As we cruised back out onto the park road we came in on, I could see intermittent glimpses of the sun savoring its final minutes before fully succumbing to the end of the day. I felt a pang as the dunes rose up in front of me, blocking my view of the show.

I contemplated for about 6 seconds before turning to Jon… “you gotta stop - I can’t miss this!” I said.

He hit the brakes, and I jumped out, planning to sprint as fast as I could to the top of the dune to see over. But of course, no one person EVER goes on an adventure without everyone in the family having the most insane amount of FOMO. I glanced behind me as I ran, not at all surprised to see 4 little people traipsing up the hill behind me as Jon found a spot to pull off the road and jumped out.

One by one we made it to the top of that hill, and the next 3 minutes were spent in full-on awe and amazement. The sun showed off like the star that it is, and we closed the day out with dancing and staring and swinging the kids around and making sand angels until stars started to peek through.

Even when it’s inconvenient. Even when it doesn't make sense. Even when you don’t think you have it in you. Even when you’re exhausted and your bones ache. Even when the water’s freezing cold or the cliff is a little high. My experience has shown me over and over again that when I feel a tiny nudge or glimmer of vision to do something, it’s always worth it to just drop everything + GO.

We only get one chance to live each day, so any opportunity to feel the day more deeply is a huge gift that’s always worth taking. One of my current mantras that means more than meets the ear: just stay for the sunset.

Bring or rent sleds….and don’t forget the wax! White Sands National Park (+ Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado + Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah) are at the top of our kids’ list of favorite parks. I think the biggest reason is because they have so much fun there! But it kind of kills the fun if you don’t have anything to sled on or if you don’t have wax so your sled is slow (this is quickly turning into a tongue twister haha). You can bring your own (our airbnb had some for us) or rent them at the park. We’ve done both ways, and one thing I will say is if you’re trying to save some money, you really don’t need a sled for every person in your group. A sled for every two people usually works well for us!

Bring plenty of water! Especially in the summer.
Get off the beaten path. But not too far off. Driving into White Sands NP, it’s easy to stop off at the boardwalk trail or at the front end of the park road. But driving further into the park is worth it because there are fewer people and the views only get better. But use caution and make sure you’re careful not to lose track of the path you hike in. Once all you can see is sand in ever direction, it can be really easy to get lost.

Stop in at the visitor center. There is a really great park film that explains a lot about how the dunes were formed over time - so fascinating and definitely worth the watch. There are also some cool exhibits and of course - don’t forget your NP passport stamp!

Stay for sunset. Sunsets (as well as sunrises!) over the dunes are truly special…there’s nothing quite like the fiery colors reflecting off the sand + enveloping the expanse all around you. Pictures definitely don’t do it justice.