White Sands National Park New Mexico A guide including Alamogordo’s Space Museum

White Sands is the first Park explored in My Rio Grande Rift Travel Series . My channel is dedicated to helping you explore the West. This is my next feature length Travel Guide to New Mexico and the parks in the Rio Grande Rift- it makes a great road trip. The series will cover White Sands National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, 3 Rivers Petroglyph Site, Valley of Fires St. Park, Trinity Site, Coronado State Historic Park, Petroglyph National Monument, Bandolier National Monument, Valles Caldera National Monument, Jemez Historical Park, Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and Capulin Volcanos National Monument. This series is full of beautiful images and well researched information by Travel Photographer and Writer Steve Salis. New Mexico is less crowded than other places in the west, so if you're tired of waiting to get in a park New Mexico is perfect. The area is rich in pre-Columbian culture and we'll visit several places where they lived and left their mark. It took over 14 days to shoot and hundreds of hours to edit by a professional video producer. Please leave comments to let me know what you think.

[@attwasmi]

Wow!! This video is a must! You will be more prepared to Enjoy the visit to White Sands when you are able. It is now on our next travel plans!! Thanks Steve for the wonderful edit!!!

[@TheWestisBig]

Thanks very much for the nice words!! I hope the youtube recommendation bot read it!! Im writing the next episode today.

[@johnnypark3729]

YES!!!! YOU’re BACK!!! And I’m the first LIKE!

[@TheWestisBig]

thanks. there’s more to come! Assuming enough people watch. This one took 3 weeks of 10 hr days to write and edit.

[@player10341]

We appreciate these videos, keep them coming!

[@TheWestisBig]

Hope to.

[@utahdan231]

Incredible video.

[@TheWestisBig]

thanks Utah Dan

[@LPRD]

Thanks for the videos!

[@TheWestisBig]

Thanks for the comment.

[@ahalgormeli401]

Nice area 👍

[@TheWestisBig]

Thanks. Ahal.

[@kayzeaza]

Another great video, Commenting for that algorithm boost!

[@TheWestisBig]

Thanks very much for the comments- the algorithm change in Nov killed my views. i really appreciate the comment help!

[@TheWestisBig]

Thanks for the comments!

[@dianaallen8440]

So glad you are back! I always love your videos. You have the BEST voice and it is a pleasure to listen to your videos and learn about the places you go. White Sands is on my bucket list, and living in southern Arizona, it’s not too far away. Thank you for this video!

[@TheWestisBig]

Thanks. Other segments will be out soon.

[@soniamariadefigueiredofern8971]

Nice! Thank you! Heloisa

[@TheWestisBig]

Ahh. good to hear from you! Hope all is well in Brazil.

[@soniamariadefigueiredofern8971]

@@TheWestisBig Thank you so much! We are trying be safe as it's possible!
We could be better, but let's continue watching a lot of nice videos at home still for a long time, i think so!
We are making pop- corn and pizzas at home sometimes and waitting great opportunities to enjoy the beauty of nature and make good trips, one day, visiting family and friends - who knows.... we really would like have better days!
God bless you, and I hope you can offer for us your nice videos as it can be possible and safe, as always!
It's a pleasure!
Stay safe and have a great evening! Heloisa

[@TheWestisBig]

Hopefully this year will be better. I’m triple vaxed but lots of people getting sick here but not very sick which is good.

[@soniamariadefigueiredofern8971]

@@TheWestisBig I recoommend a lot of fruits - oranges, strawberries, mango, pineapple,, and drinking a lot of water too!
Of course, wear mask, changing that 2 at 2 hours!
Protect yourself in cold or hot days, it's really important!
Stay safe and have good days!
Heloisa

[@TheWestisBig]

just had some pineapple 😀

[@rwroosevelt]

I love your videos, thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into them. I know your rewards are mostly intrinsic but do know that people do notice and appreciate your work. I know most the places you feature but you always have nice tips that are helpful for my own trips. I hope you keep the series going.

[@TheWestisBig]

Thanks it’s nice to hear the work is appreciated. Hopefully the monetary rewards will pickup. The 3 Rivers episode will be out in less than a week. It’s a great place!

[@ambercavin5561]

Love this one! Your glacier video helped us so much on that trip and White sands has always been a bucket trip I’ve wanted to do! I’ve always wanted to shoot the Milky Way there. I noticed you said the rangers said the park closes, can you not be there to shoot Milky Way then?

[@TheWestisBig]

Thanks and im glad the Glacier vid was a help- i hope to go there again this year. Regarding shooting the milkyway at White Sands. It closes before it gets too dark. But on one of my trips prior to covid they offered a Star stroll with a Ranger. I hope they offer it again once Covid normalizes. That’s apparently the plan. btw- the high wind made the sky not very good for astro work. I May and Dec ‘21 i had the same issue. it would a great place for it though.

[@ambercavin5561]

@@TheWestisBig ah the wind for sure would be an issue. I had that issue in Death Valley too 😆 thank you for the response! We are hoping to go back to glacier this year too!

[@MountainFisher]

Only National Park that closes because of missile tests. It can be a sunny winter day around 65 F, but out on that reflective white sand it can be 85 degrees, but the sand will be cool. If it has been raining (Southern NM's monsoon season is June thru August) the sand will be cool in hot weather from the rain.
I'd suggest you take in the free Missile Museum west of WSNP on US70 in White Sands Missile Range base, it has a lot of missiles including a real V2 Missile from WWII. Part of the Missile Museum is indoors.
South of Las Cruces is the Potrillo Volcanic Field with an old Shield Volcano called Aden Crater that erupted effusive basalt lava 16,000 years ago. Then there is the famous Kilbourne Hole about 1 mile by two miles that exploded a maar or steam eruption that has peridotite xenoliths approx. 30,000 years ago. Potrillo covers several hundred square miles with dozens of cinder cones.
North of White Sands is the 50 mile long basalt Carrizozo lava field that erupted less than 5,000 years ago and covers 127 sq mi from one vent over 30 years. It is one of the world's largest single cone lava flows.

[@TheWestisBig]

thanks. I’ve been to the missile museum but it was closed when i shot this due to covid. Didnt know about the big hole I’ll check it out. In a later part of this video i go to 3 rivers and to the Corrozo lava field. but are worth a visit.

[@MountainFisher]

@@TheWestisBig Absolutely, the Carrizozo lava flow was a single cinder cone that erupted for 30 years. On US 380 there is a campsite in the flow..

[@TheWestisBig]

Yes I went there. I made a video about it.

[@MountainFisher]

@@TheWestisBig I will take a look at it.

[@geraldbrady5016]

If you want to see a horse running across the dunes, watch the movie "Bite the Bullet". It contains a lengthy scene with horses crossing White Sands. Probably not suitable for young horse lovers though...

[@TheWestisBig]

hmm nice

[@biradarbalajibalaji9234]

V safeguarding