The best time to see the dunes at White Sands is at sunrise and sunset when the light is softer. The mid-day sun is too harsh on the nearly snow-white sand. We noticed a large number of cars entering the park at around 5:00 PM. We enjoyed watching the sun slip behind the San Andreas Mountains to the west.
Had we been at White Sands 2 weeks later, we would not have been chased off by the rangers! I got so enraptured by the waxing crescent moon and Venus nearby (not visible in this photo), I lost track of the time. We had to be out by 8:00 PM (the rangers came by at 7:40, they were very nice about telling us we had to go!). Had we been there for the full moon 2 weeks later, we could have stayed a little longer. The park stays open on the night of the full moon each month for moonlight walks on the dunes.
We drove up to the Sacramento Mountains on Oct. 2. It was a drastic change from the desert and white sand dunes we had seen the day before! As we gained elevation, the plant life changed a great deal. The plants went from yuccas, cholla cactus, and ocotillos to aspens, firs, and pines. This was a view of a canyon in the lower elevation of the mountain.
