| Category | Hikes |
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Once you enter, stop at the White Sands National Monument Visitor Center on your right. This is a great place to learn about the unusual and magical landscape. Take in one of their interpretive programs such as Sunset Strolls, or Full Moon Bike ride. The center also features a museum, bookstore and gift shop. The wave-like dunes create a blanket of shifting shadows. Patterns streak, ripples fold, portraying hundreds of shades of white. The contrast of brilliant blue skies is a photographers dream. The white sands are actually gypsum crystals created by the evaporation of Lake Lucero and Alkali Flat, a remnant of the ancient Lake Otero. Blowing winds create magnificent dunes which move west to east as much as thirty feet per year. Looking a lot like snow, a popular activity is sledding on the dunes. It is permitted where there is no vegetation and away from parking area and roads. Sleds can be purchased at the visitor center. The monument is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range. The roads are occasionally closed to traffic as test missiles are fired. It is best to contact the park the day before arriving to check on closures, either on nps.gov or by calling (575) 679-2599.
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