This New Mexico National Park was named in the top 8 RV destinations list

Feb. 5—RVT.com, an RV travel blog, has named White Sands National Park to its list of 8 Sensational Spring Break Destinations.

Located in southern New Mexico in the Tularosa Basin, this gypsum dune field is the largest in the world, covering 275 square miles of desert. The park has been the backdrop to many movies over the years. While snow is rare in the area, many children bring their sleds to White Sands and slide down the dunes for an experience similar to snow sledding. The park also has walking tours, exhibits in the visitor center and a junior ranger program. On the dunes, there are restrooms, but no running water, so pack accordingly. Pets are welcome in the park.

The White Sands environs are also home to a missile range and the Trinity Site, where the atomic bomb was tested, which is only open twice a year.

LOCATION: The park is located off U.S. 70 between at mile markers 199 and 200. The closest cities are Alamogordo, which is roughly 15 minutes away, and Las Cruces, which is about an hour away.

HOURS: Gates open at 7 a.m., closing hours change with the seasons, closed on Christmas

COST: $25 — private vehicle (Entry fees are valid for reentry for seven consecutive days from date of purchase)

$15 — per person, individuals who enter the park walking or cycling (Entry fees are valid for reentry for seven consecutive days from date of purchase)

$20 — motorcycle (Entry fees are valid for reentry for seven consecutive days from date of purchase)

$45 — Annual entrance pass. This pass admits the pass holder plus three more people in a private vehicle for the period of one year from the month of purchase.

FREE DAYS: Monday Jan. 16, Martin Luther King Jr's birthday; Saturday, April 22, First Day of National Park Week; Friday, Aug. 4, The Great American Outdoors Act; Saturday, Sept. 23, National Public Lands Day; Saturday, Nov. 11 — Veterans Day