I have heard a lot about the white sands from many of my friends who have visited, from many articles I have read, and many Many travel bloggers. Upon seeing the the beauty I was awestruck and blownaway instantly which Is why I have decided to pen down a seperate post just for this beauty.
Cute Little Sit-out
There wasn’t a single soul !
White Sands National Monument is in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It’s known for its dramatic landscape of rare white gypsum sand dunes. Trails through the dunes include the raised Interdune Boardwalk and the Dune Life Nature Trail, dotted with interpretive exhibits on wildlife and other features.
Love Birds
The sands are filled in as far as the eye can see, The symmetry of the sand wave formation has mesmarized me. I am running out of words to put down my exact thoughts when I first saw – literally.
There is abundant amount of flora and Fauna.
Look out for these little insects !
Dunes Drive is a looped road from the White Sands Visitor Center to the dune field and make sure you drive through this loop before the hike. I have taken N number of videos but my account doesn’t support videos – SO I shall just stick to the pictures. However, You can visit my Instagram page for videos in the Insta stories.
I strongly urge you guys to wear bright colours if you are looking for few brilliant snaps.
The Brighter – The Better
Clearly, Shades of Pink are your colours when visiting the White Sands!Red Shades ? Oh YEAH Certainly.
That is the entire group rolling in the dunes!
He asked for it!
Never ever leave a sand place without getting the sand into your hands ! – That is a sin I say!
I had been to the White Sands this September (September 2019) and it was really hot. So HOT that I had like 3 layers of tan when I left the monument and the sun was so bright that I could not manage looking at camera facing the sun.
That is clearly not the cap I was referring to, when I suggested you to get a cap.
I did Manage to get a decent Picture!Making my way through the Dunes !
My Baby Bear – Zoe
Making her Mark – While she leaves White Sands
Get yourself a Sovereign – Bottle of Sand
Yupiiieeee ! I did fly that high!
Fun Facts:
* The sand here is not made up of Silica, but is made up of Gypsum
* You might find an Oryx if you look out
* This is a monument and not a park (YES, I was taken back when I read it first)
* Get ready to get lost (Make sure to drop a google pin when you park your car)
* You will not find a single soul – Get sufficient water and a cap if you plan a hike (Short or Long)
Tip:
Arrive at the monument for sunset or Sunrise for the best views.
I left the place with an everlasting impression on my mind – I hope you would to.
This is one of the longest (in terms of days) and largest (in terms of people) trips I have been to in The United States. We have covered Four states (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona & Nevada) in a span of 10 days.
We flew into Denver International airport and flew out from Vegas International airport. I have made an itinerary covering each state for about 2-3 days and in this post I will stick only to Colorado.
Let me tell you – two days in Colorado is not enough to relish such a beautiful state. ! However, if you are a first time visitor then this itinerary should do justice to Colorado. I divided my first two days in Colorado between Rocky mountains and Colorado Springs. I have missed a few things which I will put on the list for you to cover.
We stayed at Alphine Ridge Inn which is really close to The EAST entrance (Estes Park) of Rock mountains. Most people spend two-three days just at the Rocky Mountain National Park.
View from my Room!Coffee with a View!
There are four entrances to this national park and it might get confusing if you do not have all the information regarding the park because you might end up going through the wrong entrance and wasting a lot of time.
The two entrances to the east are better than the west entrance is what I have read from various sources. Initially, when I was beginning to plan, I wanted to see the entire park – But, given the time constraints I wanted to stick only to the east entrance from Estes Park.
I have also read about the numerous hike options in Rocky Mountains and have opted To hike the dream lake which is 2 miles round trip with astonishing views(From the Instagram Pictures).
The hike started from Bear lake trial parking. If you have time and the energy for a longer hike, You can get to Emerald lake which extends to another mile or mile and half.
I have read in many blogs/articles about how traffic could affect trips and I haven’t considered it very seriously. Let me tell you – The entire parking was full at 8:00 am in the morning. If you want a parking spot you should be there by 6:00am. Also, if you do not get there before 6:00am just leave your vehicle where the shuttle starts and take the shuttle – There is no point going all the way up only to head down. Rocky Mountains have exceptionally good shuttle service free of cost. Please Do not forget to carry your own water bottles and also a jacket or a rain coat. Colorado can surprise you with unplanned showers during the day.
Due to the lack of parking and the crowded shuttles, we have decided to go back to the hotel and dint get a chance to hike the Rockies. I am definitely going to come again just for the Rockies.
esson Learnt – If you want good lakes with good views GO EARLY.
We got dressed up for the scenic drive through the Trial Ridge Road. It is also called the Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway that traverses Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park Colorado in the east to Grand Lake, Colorado in the west.
Grand Trial Ridge Road
Let me assure you that the views are breath taking and if you are a photo addict give yourself some extra time to the drive because you will want to take many pictures along the way. !
Traveling through Rocky Mountain National Park can be both breathtaking and frustrating. Beautiful views and wildlife abound, but holiday and weekend traffic can make enjoying the scenery tough even for the calmest of drivers.
ZOE
1)Rainbow Curve: From here you are able to get unique views of Horseshoe Park, Alluvial Fan and the Beaver Ponds. 2)Lava Cliffs: A stunning contrast to some of the lingering snow on Trial Ridge Road, the Lava Cliffs are the result of some faulting and regional up-warping and volcanic activity leaving young volcanic rock in contact with Precambrian rocks 3)Toll Memorial Trail: Located at Rock Cut near the top of Trail Ridge Road the trail traverses across the open tundra. The trail gets its names from Ranger Toll the former superintendent of Rocky Mountain National Park from 1921 to 1929. 4)Rock Cut:come across Rock Cut – a landmark section of the road that cuts through the mountainside You’ll find so many photo-worthy views, you’ll quickly fill your phone/Camera with pictures and videos!
My husband/Best friend/Obsession
This is just half of the group
We headed to hit our next destination- The famous Red rocks Amiptheater which can accommodate 1000 people at a time and is considered one of the most unique and largest amphitheaters in the world.
The natural amphitheater which was once listed as one of the seven wonders of the geological world took more than 200 million years to form. Red Rocks Amphitheatre is more than just the coolest concert venue in Colorado. It’s one of the most unusual in existence. In fact, it is the only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world.
Dine with a view: The Ship Rock Grill is the on-site restaurant, built around two huge boulders both inside and out. For breathtaking views, dine on the outdoor deck. You can even book dinner here before your show, or just visit for the photo opps.
Sadly, there was a concert on the day I planned to the red rocks Amphitheater. I vaguely checked the dates of the concerts but forgot updating my itinerary.
Disappointed, we headed to Red Rocks Open Space. We reached there at around 8:00pm and walked around for about 20 minutes. With the failing light I dint manage to get any good pictures.
However, we managed to click a couple of group pictures at the entrance with headlights on!
Thus we ended the first day of our trip.
The second day I had Garden of the Gods, Manitou Cliff Dwellings and Royal Gorge Train Ride on my to do list. We started at around 8:00 am to the Garden of the Gods. I haven’t planned any adventures on this trip, but this place is popular for hiking, technical rock climbing, road and mountain biking and horseback riding.
The park’s famous red rocks formed millions of years ago due to upheavals in the earth’s surface and erosion. The rocks are conglomerates of red, pink, and white sandstones and limestone. You can travel back in time to learn more about the history of these rock formations by watching an entertaining 15-minute film during your visit to the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center.
There are different varieties of rock formations and you can get the complete guide here. It took us about 2 hours to wander and take pictures at the garden of the Gods.
We headed to Manitou cliff Dwellings which are 4miles away from the Garden of the Gods. It took us 10 minutes to reach the dwellings.
The Manitou Cliff Dwellings are a group of relocated Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and museums located just west of Colorado. The process of relocating these cliff dwellings began in 1904 and was completed in 1907 when the preserve was open to the public. William Crosby, the original founder/owner of the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Ruins Company, wanted to preserve and protect these dwellings from looters and relic pot-hunters. His company spent many months mapping out a blueprint of the dwellings in Mc Elmo Canyon.”
So, I have read opposite views about these Manitou dwellings being a replica. These cliff dwellings are not original to the site – they were originally built in the Southwestern corner of Colorado – close to Mesa Verde National Park’s cliff dwellings. They were collected, packaged and moved by railroad from 1904 to 1907 to the Colorado Springs area and rebuilt using concrete and mortar – which is why you can tour, walk on and climb these ruins with no chance of damaging them.
The move was to protect the ruins from looters and relic collectors before the federal government passed The Antiquities Act of 1906. Check the museum for detailed history.
Finally, do not skip the cute gift shop. The chain that I am wearing in the pictures is from that store and all of them are reasonably priced.
After both of these places you can do the Royal George train ride in noon and Cave mountains in the evening. I did not get tickets for the noon ride – So had to skip and proceed to Taos, New Mexico. I cannot stress how much I miss not going on the train. On this trip I also learnt not to rush things and you should try not rushing too.
You could do Aspen mountains and The city of Fruita if you have an extra day in Colorado. Hope you loved reading as much I enjoyed putting up as much information as possible for you guys.
