Hiking in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico (April 2010)

On our third visit to White Sands National Monument, we decided to take a hike. The park service offers several trails. On this day, we took the Playa Trail and the Big Dune Nature Trail.

The Playa Trail is 330 yards round trip. We parked at a pull off and took the short level hike that lead to the playa in the above photo. A playa is a low-lying area that temporarily fills with rainwater. When the water evaporates, it turns back into a dry lakebed. We decided to lengthen our hike and walk on and around the playa.

This picture is of Crytobiotic Crusts. This bumpy and crunchy surface is found in the interdune area around the playa. These stabilize the ever-shifting sand so that a soil layer can be built up and plant life can exist. The crusts are microscopic organisms that include bacteria, algae, fungi and more. We walked around this area so as not to destroy the delicate environment in the middle of the desert.  

When a bug,or rodent gets stuck in the soft playa ground, the gypsum starts to fossilize the creature. This is a bug that was in the process of becoming fossilized. We also saw a small dead Pocket Mouse that was filled with gypsum crystals.

 When the water evaporates, gypsum crystals remain on the playa ground. These crystals are known as selenite.

After walking through the playa, we decided to take the Big Dune Nature Trail.

This hike is a one mile round trip hike right through the middle of the dunes. The most strenuous part was climbing the first dune to enter the trail. The trail is marked with brown posts that tell you about things to observe while hiking.

Hannah wanted to slide down the dune but we didn't want to go get her at the bottom. Jacob helped his sister by pulling her up before she tumbled down the dune.

The boys taking a break on an old Cottonwood Tree.

Melissa, what are you thinking?

Sierra posing for a photo. We need to remind her that we are hiking not walking the runway. She amazes us at how she gets dressed up to endure our adventures.

We all made it to the top of the first dune.

Only a few plant species have learned to adapt and survive the shifting sand. The Soaptree Yucca is one of these plants. The Soaptree Yucca actually lengthens it stems to stay above the sand and escape burial.

If you are visiting White Sands National Monument, take the Big Dune Nature Trail and learn about the plants and wildlife that exist in the area and don't forget to walk out on the Playa to see the wildlife that has become fossilized just be sure to bring plenty of water.