On Walkabout: Pictures from White Sands National Monument

I have visited White Sands National Monument more times then I can remember and have always enjoyed visiting what I believe is one of the gems of America’s National Park system. The last time I visited White Sands the sky was overcast which provided what I thought  was some interesting photographs since the sky is usually a brilliant blue over the park.  Below is a few of the photos I took from our visit that day.  The easiest way to tour White Sands is by driving into the dune field using the park service’s road that travels deep into White Sands:

In the first picture the 12,000 foot Sierra Blanca can be seen towering over the desert dunes to the north of the park:

To the east of the park the Sacramento Mountains rise to over 10,000 feet and provide some of the best views of White Sands:

Despite being an arid desert wasteland there are still many areas where plant life is able to extract enough moisture to grow within the dune field:

The best way to view the desert plant life is by walking along the Interdune Boardwalk which is perfect for the handicapped and mobility impaired to explore the dunes:

The various yucca plants are one of the most iconic plants growing in the dunes:

There is also wildflowers that can be seen growing in the dunes as well:

At the far end of the park service’s road there is a number of picnic sites that my wife and I usually stop to eat lunch at:

After eating lunch it is always fun to hike around the dunes and enjoy the mountain views:

I hope everyone enjoyed these pictures of beautiful White Sands National Monument:

You can view more pictures and learn more about the park at my prior posting below:

• On Walkabout At: White Sands National Monument