White Sands National Park is an unbelievable oasis of white sand dunes in the New Mexico high desert. This park is also very dog friendly, allowing dogs on leashes on all trails and dunes – woof! Our stay at the Alamogordo/White Sands KOA Journey provided a great location to see area attractions. With the Sacramento Mountains as a backdrop, Alamogordo has the rugged beauty of a high desert town.
Key Takeaways:
- White Sands National Park is a very dog-friendly park in near Alamogordo in southern New Mexico. The unexpected beauty of the white sand is truly remarkable
- The New Mexico Museum of Space History and the International Space Hall of Fame are located in Alamogordo
- Alamogordo is home to Holloman Air Force Base and the White Sands Missile Range is also nearby
- Pistachio ranges abound in Alamogordo; McGuinn’s PistachioLand boasts the world’s largest pistaciho
- The nearby Cloudcroft Village, at 9,000 feet above sea level, is nice drive up the mountain
- The Alamogordo/White Sands KOA Journey is a nice stay to see area attractions
Campground Review:
The Alamogordo/White Sands KOA Journey is located in Alamogordo and provides a great location to the White Sands National Park and local attractions. The pull-through sites are large with full hook-ups, picnic tables and privacy walls offering a barrier from the winds. The park is pet friendly with a nice dog park.
What to do:
- Viisit White Sands National Park; pack a picnic, bring the dogs, hike or surf the dunes
- Tour the New Mexico Museum of Space History; watch an IMAX movie
- Check out the dog-friendly McGinn’s PistachioLand; sample piastchios, taste local wine, tour the pistachio ranch, view the world’s largest pistachio and try the pistachio ice cream
- Visit the Village of Cloudcroft; enjoy the winding road to this mountain town, be prepared for cooler temperatures and sample some local beer – we enjoyed the Cloudcroft Brewing Company (patio is dog-friendly when weather permits)
- Gamble at Casino Apache or Inn of the Mountain Gods in nearby Mescalero
- Sample local wine and enjoy wine-paired entrees on the patio at the dog-friendly at D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro in Alamogordo
White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park-Jean
Dunes Life Nature Hike
McGuinn’s Pistachio Ranch
Museum of Space History
Sacramento Mountains
World’s Largest Pistachio
DH Lescombes Winery
Chili at White Sands National Park
Chili & Cedar’s Review:
The Alamogordo/White Sands KOA Journey is a nice park. We enjoyed our walks around the park and the dog park. We’ve learned there is very little grass in New Mexico, so we didn’t look for it. We enjoyed our stay – woof!
Campground Rating: 4.7 PAWS out of 5 PAWS
Finally, a national park that is very dog friendly! We enjoyed our drive around the park and our hikes into the sand dunes. We also had a very nice winery visit at the D.H. Lescombes Winery & Bistro in Alamogordo – woof-woof!