Picnic area, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

Shelters protect picnickers from the sun at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico. A total of 45 shelters are available for visitors in the alkali flats part of the park. White Sands is located at the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert, North America’s largest desert. Daytime temperatures can climb as high as 122 degrees F, and the glare from the white sands can burn badly with just a few minutes of exposure.

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