Like a mirage, dazzling white sand dunes shimmer in the tucked-away Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico. They shift and settle over the Chihuahuan Desert, covering 275 square miles - the largest gypsum dunefield in the world. So much more than monochrome dunes, White Sands National Park can be hard to describe. Photographer Mitch Warnick says, “Disorienting and beautiful come to mind - the air can be hot, but the contrasting cold sand balances it out. The sand becomes a cool blue as the sky’s warm colors fade during the sunset. The nearest visible landmark could be a few hundred feet away or a few thousand. This is a place that must be experienced to be understood.” Photo by Mitch Warnick (www.sharetheexperience.org).

New Park Alert! Welcome, White Sands National Park in New Mexico, as the 62nd park in the National Park System. You bring so much beauty to our already amazing family of public lands.

White Sands became a national monument back in January of 1933 but will continue to serve up eye-catching scenery, inspiration and educational value as a national park. Photo by Ching Fu (www.sharetheexperience.org).