Valley of Fire & White Sands

Posted by hankster

I took a couple of outings today to see the sights. First stop was the Valley of Fire Recreation Area near Carrizozo, New Mexico. The Valley of Fire is a large lava field that was created 1000 to 1500 years ago. Surprisingly the southern edge of the lava field is only 14 miles from the northern edge of White Sands. The trip north to get there took about an hour. The site is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management and is not a county, state or national park. When you enter the park you stop at the payment station, stuff $3 in an envelope and enter.

There is a small bookstore near the walking path plus a picnic and tent camping area. The walking path that takes you through the lava field was made to be handicap accessible so it is an easy 1 mile walk (or roll if in a wheelchair). There are a few spots on the path where you can get off and actually walk on the lava. It's a nice interesting spot to stop at considering that there is this lava in the middle of the high desert.

See more photos of the Valley of Fire.

Next stop for the day was at the White Sands National Monument in White Sands, New Mexico. This is about 15 miles south of the campground I am staying at. This is the first time I have ever been here and I really enjoyed it. The temperature was only about 50 degrees so at least it wasn't too hot. You drive into the park and the first 4 miles are so is paved. The road then turns to white sand and you can drive another 5 miles or so into the sand dunes. While the white sandy road looks soft, the surface is almost rock hard. You just wouldn't want to get off the edge of the road. It looks like the use a road grader to clear the road daily and even by 3pm sand from the dunes was already encroaching onto the road.

There are a number of trails you can take or you can stop just about anywhere to climb the dunes. You can also rent a sled at the park office if you want to sled on the dunes. I didn't do any sledding but me a Spud did walk a bit on top of some of the dunes. Spud really enjoyed it and run around like a little kid. I think he just liked the feel of the sand compared to the mostly rocky surfaces we have been on lately.

See more photos of White Sands.

It was fun day and visitng two completely different environments.