White Sands National Park?

[cfrith5]

I should have looked into it more before hand, but just realized White Sands is just an hour from Las Cruces. We're driving from Austin to San Diego next week and already booked our hotel in Las Cruces. It's 9 hours from Austin to LC. It's 9 hours and 30 mins. to White Sands. I'm driving alone with my 3 kids and trying to decide if I will be too tired to add WS on to our trip. Does anyone know how long it takes to "do" WS? Are my kids going to miss out if I don't buy those sleds? LOL

So, after all that driving, then I'd have to drive another hour back to Las Cruces to our hotel. THoughts?

 

[NMDisneyFan]

White Sands can be done in a couple hours. I'm not sure if the visitor's center still lets you rent sleds anymore. If not, take some cardboard with you on the trip and use that as a sled.

 

[Zerosinthecloset]

If you do make the trip to the dunes, don't forget the sunscreen. The sun reflecting off all that white sand is treacherous.

You can make your own sand board like I did some 45 years ago. I took a piece of plywood about 1.5' by 3' and rounded off the edges then put it in the tub weighted down with my dad's heavy tool box...never heard the end of that. Then about 10 coats of paste wax and you're all set.

 

[Little c Travel]

White Sands NM is really, really cool and I highly recommend going. That said, 2 hours should be more than enough time. You will spend 30 minutes or so in the visitor center, hike around on the dunes for 45 minutes and drive through the park. I would stay in Las Cruces, there is nothing in Alamogordo.

 

[princesskayla]

Yes, stop at White Sands. I grew up in New Mexico and have very fond memories of our trips to White Sands. I wouldn't worry to much about the sleds. We never had them and still had a blast. One year we brought blow up pool loungers. That was fun.