In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com

Eddy Adams Wilderness Page

I'm Eddy, this is my wilderness page with info on hiking and backpacking.

Every time you go backpacking you need to bring these things.

FOOD

Bring food that you like to eat but don't bring any cans or heavy things like that. Rice is a perfect thing to bring for carbohydrates since it weighs very little before it's cooked.

FIRE STARTER

It almost goes without saying that you need to bring the means to make fire. If you're going to be where there are no other people you'd better make sure that you can start a fire. Just use a cheap lighter normally but always bring a magnesium block just in case of trouble.

FLASH LIGHT

Don't forget a good flash light or a head lamp. Many people say that you should always bring minimum 2 lamps but if your lamp is good just bring extra batteries and an extra light bulb.

WATER FILTER

A good water filter is a very useful item but it's not entirely necessary. If you have a pot and a light weight wood stove such as the Trailstove you can disinfect all the water you need by boiling it. It's worth it to bring one though just for the convenience of having cool drinking water at once, when you boil it you have to wait a while until it cools down but in an emergency that's ok.

STRING

Carry some good strong string in your pack. It is very useful for a number of things. You will need it on every single outing guaranteed.

TENT

Big enough tent, (or tents) to house all the people you are bringing. Cheap decent tents from Target or Wal-Mart will do just fine. Don't get tents bigger than they need to be since you have to carry them on your backs.

STOVE

Anybody who has a Trailstove will agree with me when I say it's the best camp stove by far. It's lighter than any other stove and it burns wood instead of compressed gas. You don't have to carry fuel with you. It's safer to, no flammable and poisonous substances to worry about, just pieces of harmless wood.

HOW TO MAKE EMERGENCY SNOWSHOES

1. FIND BRANCHES. Cut down two thickly vegetative branches 2-3 ft long (60-90 cm) from a fir or similar tree.

2. TIE STRING. Tie a string about 2 ft long (60 cm) around the base of the branch at a branching near the cut off end, in the branch.

3. TIE STRING AGAIN. Tie string again around the base but on the opposite side of the branching. This ensures that the string is fixed in any direction.

4. ATTACH TO SHOE. Tie string to the front of your shoe. Make sure it goes through the front shoe lace threading holes. Make sure all ends and sides of the branch are pointing up away from the ground.

5. ANGLE. Your shoe should be able to flip up to an angle of around 30 degrees. This is very important, the snowshoes must pivot around your toes and drag in the back. If the snow shoes don't pivot the front ends will go into the snow and you can't move forwards.

6. WALK. If you have done everything right you will be able to walk on the snow with your emergency snowshoes.

White Sands National Monument

Holloman AFB, NM

At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley called the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico.

Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and have created the world's largest gypsum dune field. The brilliant white dunes are ever changing: growing, cresting, then slumping, but always advancing. Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved a white coloration that camouflages them in the gypsum sand.

White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.

CONTACTS

Email - WHSA_Interpretation@nps.gov

Fax- 505-479-4333

Write to
P.O. Box 1086
Holloman AFB, NM 88330

Phone
Visitor Information - (505) 679-2599
Visitor Information - (505) 479-6124

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
The monument is open daily, except Christmas Day. Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day): Visitor Center 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Dunes Drive 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Winter hours: Visitor Center 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Dunes Drive 7:00 a.m. - sunset.

Special Note: Due to missile testing on the adjacent White Sands Missile Range, it is occasionally necessary, for visitor safety,to close the Dunes Drive for periods of up to two hours. U.S. Highway 70/82 between Alamogordo and Las Cruces is also closed during times of missile testing. Visitors on a tight schedule are encouraged to call the day prior to arrival for information on closures.

Getting There
PLANE - El Paso International Airport

CAR - The visitor center is located on U.S. Highway 70/82, 15 miles (24.15km) southwest of Alamogordo and 52 miles east of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Travelers from Carlsbad Caverns to southern Arizona can follow U.S. 82 through the scenic Sacramento Mountains to White Sands National Monument.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - To Park: No public transportation serves the park. Cars may be rented in Alamogordo, Las Cruces, and El Paso.

Weather & Climate
FOR CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS AND FORECASTS, CLICK ON "MORE INFORMATION" ABOVE. The Tularosa Basin, a high desert area, averaging 4,000 feet (1200+ meters) in elevation, is subject to harsh, and sometimes rapidly changing climatic conditions. Summers are hot, averaging 95?F. (35?C.) highs in July and August, with occasional readings over 100?F. (38?C.). Winters are relatively mild, but night time temperatures often go below freezing (0?C.) and cold spells can send the mercury below zero (0?F., -17?C.). The lowest recorded temperature is -25?F. (-32?C.). Snowfall is infrequent, but heavy snows have occurred on occasion. Precipitation averages about 8 inches (20cm.) per year, with most falling during summer thunderstorms, often accompanied by lightning and hail.

Wind is the dominant climatic factor here, especially from February through May. The prevailing southwesterly winds blow unimpeded across the desert and at times reach gale force. Wind storms can last for days in the spring. This is the time of the greatest dune movement, when living conditions for dune animal and plant communities become extremely harsh.

Accessibility
All facilities in the visitor center and picnic areas are wheelchair accessible. The sand dunes themselves are accessible to wheelchairs to a limited degree. The Interdune Boardwalk is a 1/3 mile (round-trip)wheelchair-accessible trail through an interdune area and to the top of a dune.

Getting Around
An eight-mile scenic drive leads from the Visitor Center into the heart of the dunes. Wayside exhibits at pullouts along the drive provide information about the natural history of the park.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
INDIVIDUAL
$3.00 for 7 Days
Entrance fees are collected at the entrance station on the Dunes Drive.

WHY FEES?

Click on "more information" for a description of the park's fee program.

Activity Fee
LAKE LUCERO TOURS
$3.00 per person for One Time
$1.50 per person for 16 and under and Golden Age passport holders. National Park and Golden Eagle Passports are not valid for this activity.

MOONLIGHT BICYCLE TOURS
$5.00 per person for One Time
Advance registration is required. Call (505)679-2599 ext.111 $2.50 per person for 16 and under and Golden Age Passport holders. National Park and Golden Eagle Passports are not valid for this activity.

CAMPING

Backpackers Campsites
Open All Year
There is no car camping at White Sands National Monument. However, the park does have primitive backcountry campsites for backpackers wishing to enjoy a night on the white sands. The backcountry campsites, located about one mile from the scenic drive, are reached from a trailhead on the drive 6 miles from the visitor center. The campsites are primitive with no water or toilet facilities. No ground fires are permitted at the campsite or anywhere else in the park. Backpackers must register for campsites in person (no advance registration) at the Visitor Center by one hour before sunset. The backcountry campsites are occasionally closed due to missile testing on the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. FOR A LIST OF AREA CAMPGROUNDS, CLICK ON "MORE INFORMATION."

FACILITIES

Visitor Centers
WHITE SANDS VISITOR CENTER
Open All Year
Closures - Closed Christmas Day.
Special Programs - Check "InDepth" section of this web page.
Available Facilities - Refreshments and snacks can be purchased at the visitor center giftshop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Summer 8:00 a.m. to 7 p.m.) Books, maps, posters, videotapes and audio tapes are sold in the visitor center by: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, P.O. Box 1086, Holloman AFB, NM 88330-1086

Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service

FOOD		Bring food that you like to eat but don't bring any cans or heavy things like that. Rice is a perfect thing to bring for carbohydrates since it weighs very little before it's cooked.
FIRE STARTER		It almost goes without saying that you need to bring the means to make fire. If you're going to be where there are no other people you'd better make sure that you can start a fire. Just use a cheap lighter normally but always bring a magnesium block just in case of trouble.
FLASH LIGHT		Don't forget a good flash light or a head lamp. Many people say that you should always bring minimum 2 lamps but if your lamp is good just bring extra batteries and an extra light bulb.
WATER FILTER		A good water filter is a very useful item but it's not entirely necessary. If you have a pot and a light weight wood stove such as the Trailstove you can disinfect all the water you need by boiling it. It's worth it to bring one though just for the convenience of having cool drinking water at once, when you boil it you have to wait a while until it cools down but in an emergency that's ok.
STRING		Carry some good strong string in your pack. It is very useful for a number of things. You will need it on every single outing guaranteed.
TENT		Big enough tent, (or tents) to house all the people you are bringing. Cheap decent tents from Target or Wal-Mart will do just fine. Don't get tents bigger than they need to be since you have to carry them on your backs.
STOVE		Anybody who has a Trailstove will agree with me when I say it's the best camp stove by far. It's lighter than any other stove and it burns wood instead of compressed gas. You don't have to carry fuel with you. It's safer to, no flammable and poisonous substances to worry about, just pieces of harmless wood.