3 Adventurous Things to Do in Alamogordo, New Mexico

Alamogordo, New Mexico, may not sound like a destination. What drew us to the obscurely named city (meaning “fat cottonwood”) of just over 31,000 was its reputation for white sands: White Sands National Park and White Sands Missile Range. 

The city’s military history dates back to WWII and includes the gathering of more than 1,600 German scientists, technicians, and engineers after the war to advance rocketry, medicine, synthetic fuels, and other research. Today, missile testing still closes U.S. Highway 70. Although we didn’t see a missile launch from White Sands, we did see a Starlink rocket ascend while camped in the desert west of Phoenix.

After spending a week living off-grid in Alamogordo, we found ourselves amazed at the abundant things the vicinity offers: the Southwest’s oldest zoo, myriad chain restaurants and hotels, unique experiences, and expansive mountain views. Our schedule didn’t allow for us to explore the White Sands Missile Range Museum, but we did find three adventurous things to do in Alamogordo:


1. Sand Sledding

By far my favorite thing we did in the area was sledding down sand dunes at White Sands National Park. The white sand, visible from space, is made from gypsum, which is the key ingredient in sheetrock and plaster. 

You can purchase a round sled and a block of wax at the visitor center gift shop and head out on the 8-mile Dunes Drive, stopping wherever you like to ascend a dune and sled down it — without getting cold. If a sled trail hasn’t been made, the first run can be a bit slow. We found the best success by waxing the bottom of the sled after every run or two to make the descent a thrill. 

The National Park Service app says there are three sledding areas of varying levels: beginner, intermediate, and experienced. We climbed an intermediate dune for our first run, amazed at the firmness of the sand under our feet, perhaps a result of the rain the day before. Although the hill looked awfully steep, one run down made it clear we needed that pitch to get enough speed for a smooth slide. 

After a few times of trudging up the dune and sledding down, we loaded back into Gulliver and drove to the steeper, experienced-level dunes, finding them exhilarating. We left with smiles plastered to our faces and somehow managed to avoid getting sand inside our shoes.

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2. Exhibit Exploring

Alamogordo offers numerous museums to honor its railway and military history. The New Mexico Museum of Space History is well worth the $8 admission. It chronicles the progression of space and missile science in New Mexico, plus a whole lot more. A tour through the five-level facility starts on the fifth floor, leading visitors down through varying exhibits. 

One level is devoted to space science in New Mexico, including a commemoration to John P. Stapp, “the fastest man on Earth.” He sustained 46.2 Gs when testing the effects of gravity during deceleration while stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo.

Another museum floor is dedicated to living and working in space. One is focused on rockets and missiles. We found the level about science fiction fascinating. Its placards discussed how many of the ideas in science fiction have become reality. 

The last level is an interactive one. But hands-on exhibits and photo ops are available throughout, including a flight simulator to land a space shuttle and a mock “Beam me up, Scotty” transporter, as seen on “Star Trek.”

After about four hours, we found ourselves in the museum’s gift shop. If the weather had been cooperative, we would have stayed longer to explore the outdoor exhibits. 


3. Nut Noshing

No visit to Alamogordo would be complete without a trip to PistachioLand, home of the world’s largest pistachio. Besides photo ops, the unique attraction features pistachio and wine tasting, nutty gifts, fudge and ice cream made on the premises, and farm tours for only $3 per person (at the time of this writing).

The 30-foot towering pistachio at the entrance to the locale was erected in 2007 to honor the late Tom McGinn, who owned and ran the ranch and first introduced pistachio farming to southern New Mexico. 

On the tour through a portion of the farm’s 125 acres, we learned how pistachio trees had to be grafted into native trunks from the Middle East in order to survive against southwestern America’s harsh environmental conditions. Most U.S.-grown pistachios (97%) come from California. The other 3% come from Arizona and New Mexico.

PistachioLand offers a variety of flavored nuts, all salted and roasted on the ranch, from lemon lime to cinnamon to garlic to green chile. There’s something for everyone. We left with a bag of red chile-flavored pistachios and a cone of pistachio ice cream, thankful for the experience that reminded us of the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.

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