Imagine taking your 1-year-old and 3-year-old kids on a 50+ hour road trip over the holidays, covering most of the southwest. Now, Mike and I don’t have kids yet, but when I heard this was my sister-in-law’s plan for Christmas and New Years, I thought it was a little crazy and knew I had to hop along for part of the ride. I’m so glad I did! We ended up at the ultimate road trip stop for kids – White Sands, New Mexico. I’ve been there before with my sister, but I didn’t realize just how perfect this stop is for kids until this trip.
The best part about road trips is the flexibility they offer. When Mike and I travel on the road, we take our time, making as many stops as we want. We’ve stopped on the side of road just to see the sunset over a field of sunflowers. With young kids in the car, that kind of leisurely pace is not really the best way to do road trips. It takes a little more planning and a lot more strategy when stopping. White Sands, NM should definitely be part of your plan when traveling through New Mexico with kids.
What is White Sands, New Mexico?
White Sands is a national park located in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. It’s a common myth that the White Sands were formed due to atomic bomb testing from the nearby military testing facilities. The test is the reason that there is such little wild life and the perfectly white dunes were formed (I actually have been telling this to people for years)! White Sands is actually a dried up river bed, and the white dunes are from leftover minerals (gypsum) that never dissolved in the water. These dunes are so rare because the gypsum normally dissolves in water. The result is soft, snow-looking sand that ended up turning into the ultimate road trip stop with kids!
Planning ahead
My sister-in-law, Trin, arrived at my house late with her two kids after driving from Sacramento to Scottsdale the whole day. We planned ahead for our road trip to Ruidoso by choosing snacks we could throw in the cooler or the back seat.
Tip (that I share in almost every blog): you can really save a lot of money by bringing your own snacks while you travel. Our go-tos that are perfect for adults and kids are: bananas, apple slices, clementines, Goldfish, cheese sticks, and fruit snacks. We also brought milk for the kids, water, and plenty of energy drinks! Along with snacks, two kids’ Amazon Fire tablets were a life savers. These are relatively inexpensive (often on sale for $50 on Prime Day), and Amazon really does replace them if they break! For us adults, downloading several episodes of the Crime Junkie podcast made the drive fly by.
There are two ways you can get to Ruidoso from Scottsdale – up the AZ 87 through Show Low, AZ or down the I 10 through Tucson, AZ. Mike and I normally prefer Show Low because it’s a beautiful, scenic drive. However, the road conditions are very unpredictable in the winter and there are fewer reliable stops along the way.
If you have an old car that doesn’t do well on hills, don’t want to drive through weather, or are traveling with little kids. I recommend taking the I 10 through Tucson. Plus… you get the worst part of the drive over with at the beginning – the dreaded stretch between Phoenix and Tucson. If you’re from Arizona, you know this is probably the most boring stretch of land in the state! It also opens up the possibility of visiting the beautiful White Sands, NM!
We woke up at 5:30 am, made some green smoothies, and hit the road before rush hour. Tip: consider rush hour throughout your drive. If you’ll be on the road in the morning or evening, avoid major cities from 7-9 am and 4-6 pm when possible. We knew we’d be hitting rush hour in Tucson, but this was much better than sitting through Phoenix traffic. We do the same when driving from Scottsdale to Los Angeles – we would much rather sit through traffic in the Coachella Valley than in LA!
Road tripping with newly-potty-trained kids
While Trin loaded up the car, I got the kids ready for the trip ahead. We timed it perfectly so that the kids didn’t wake up too much before getting in the car (another tip I learned from her). My nephew, Jude, is fully potty trained, but because there are long, long stretches with no toilet or safe place to pull over in the desert, the 3-year-old wore a Pull Up during the road trip.
Trin started using this tip after one of the stretches of her road trip where he had to go #2 in the middle of a desert stretch on the interstate. There wasn’t a rest stop or gas station for miles, so she pulled over on the side of the road, propped Jude up on a box in the trunk, put a plastic bag underneath him, and told him it was a car potty. It worked, but it’s not always feasible or safe to stop on the side of the road, especially when you’re traveling alone with 2 kids!
Stopping along the way
Planning your stops ahead of time or at least being aware of where decent stops are is important when road tripping in general and even more important with kids.
We didn’t pack full meals in the car, so we knew we wanted to get food before the long stretch of nothingness after Tucson. Your best chance for getting a quick meal is to stop in Marana before Tucson. We decided to wait a little since the kids were still asleep, but options got limited really quickly. The last place to easily stop for food is off of South Palo Verde Road and the 10. It’s also the last bathroom stop you’ll have for a while.
Luckily, Love’s gas stations are strategically located along I 10. These usually have the cheapest gas, well-kept bathrooms, and anything you need for your trip (chargers, headphones, food, air fresheners, etc.), Many Love’s also have showers and mechanics! Both Trin’s dad and Mike’s dad are truck drivers – they confirm that Love’s and Flying J’s gas stations are the way to go on long haul drives.
Because we had two adults and two kids, we were able to easily switch off going to the bathroom with one kid at a time. And of course, I caved as the aunt and let Jude pick out a toy for the ride. He’s now a strong supporter of Love’s too.
Las Cruces is a tempting stop for lunch since it’s a major city. However, we’ve never had good luck in Las Cruces! It usually takes way longer than we expect, so we always skip this city. Again, this is a great reason why you should always bring your own snacks. White Sands is about an hour from Las Cruces, so if you can hold it until then – do! Las Cruces is also where you’ll transition from the I 10 to the US 70.
Side note: White Sands is totally worth the stop even if you’re actually continuing on the I 10. It will be an hour out of the way for those of you headed to or from El Paso, but if you have the time, it’s worth the stop!
Getting to White Sands
If you put White Sands into Google Maps or your GPS, it will likely take you to the White Sands Missile Range Museum. This is NOT the correct stop for the picturesque area of White Sands National Park. Keep on going for about 30 minutes away from the missile museum. The White Sands entrance is on the north side of the US 70. It’s not an actual exit; you will need to make a left turn if you’re headed east and a right turn if you’re headed west. There are signs ahead of time, but pay attention because it’s easy to zone out on the long drive!
Finally here! White Sands, NM with kids
When you first arrive, there is a visitor center with bathrooms and water. There are toilets inside the White Sands park area, but there is NO water. I recommend going to the bathroom before entering the park because they are scarce once you enter the park. The port-o-potties are normally in excellent condition.
You will drive for quite a while inside the park to get to the best views. There is also little-to-no phone service inside the park – make sure to contact whoever you want before entering!
White Sands is a national park, so there is a fee to enter. Fees vary depending on your vehicle, how you enter the park, and when you go. Expect to pay $20-25 per vehicle. This fee is totally worth it and they do accept credit cards! The park offers special sunset walks if you arrive at the right time (4:30 pm on the day we went).
White Sands is beautiful right when you enter… it’s amazing how quickly the landscape changes. It is very tempting to stop as soon as you see a parking lot to get out and explore. Trust me, you should keep driving. White Sands is a huge park, consisting of 275 square miles. The road turns into a dirt road, which is well-maintained.
Drive at least 15 minutes into the park before you stop (20-30 minutes would be even better). Jude loved seeing the dunes get bigger and whiter and couldn’t wait to play in the “snow”. I’m sure Cora loved the views too :).
There are plenty of opportunities to pull over on the wide, dirt roads. Go until you find a more secluded dune area, pull over, and let the kids run wild!
Tip: to avoid getting your car covered in sand, either put the kids in hard water shoes or let them go barefoot (depending on the temperature of the sand). The sand is super soft and fine, so it won’t hurt their little feet.
Keep in mind that we stopped at White Sands on hour 7 of this part of the drive, so the kids were more than ready to get out! We told Jude to race us to the top of the dune as fast as he could; my niece, Cora, happily followed. Running in fine sand would wear anyone out, but Jude is the ultimate test. It felt so nice to stretch our legs and get in some physical activity after sitting in the car all day. Trin, Jude, and Cora had been in the car 19 of the past 30 hours, so this was just what they needed.
Side note: many people bring sleds for their kids. We didn’t have the space, but it’s a great idea if you had the space in your car, especially if you’re headed up to the mountains anyway!
We went towards the end of the day but before sunset, which was great for taking pictures. The shadows were dramatic, and the sand and sky were still super bright.
The four of us played in the dunes for about an hour before the kids were thoroughly tired out. After a diaper change, snacks, water, and a change of clothes, we loaded back up in the car for the remainder of our ride.
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