I recently took M for her kindergarten vaccinations. That also meant an annual well child check (don’t worry, she’s growing just fine).  The doctor asked her about her summer which led M mentioning sledding.

He was confused.

I chuckled a little because she sounds like a typical confused crazy five year old with wild stories.  I asked him if he had ever heard of White Sands National Park. Nope. In New Mexico? Still nope.

This was turning into a conversation I wasn’t expecting and I figured they’re all busy. At the same time, he’s a very confused doctor wondering about sledding when Indiana has been nothing but 90 plus degrees for the last two months.

So I explained that we did sled the dunes in White Sands.

We didn’t visit this summer but I don’t know what other sledding M was talking about. We visited during Spring Break 2023 after Carlsbad Caverns and before Roswell.

White Sands National Park isn’t really sand, it’s gypsum. That’s the same stuff that dry wall is made from. The towering dunes are excellent for sledding down and it’s a popular activity there. We knew this was on our itinerary so we at least bought sleds in advance. Do we go sledding in Indiana on snow days? Nope. Do we travel across the country to sled on fake sand? Yep.

Sleds are also available at the visitors center for a small fee, just in case you don’t pack your own.

We didn’t try it but back country camping is available as well.

There are shorter day hikes worth trying that reveal some of the local life.

The White Sands Missile Range is next door and, yeah, it can be problematic. They typically notify the park two weeks in advance of any testing so check ahead before visiting. The park will close for a few hours during tests.