Are you looking for a national park to visit in New Mexico for ancient history? Well, footprints and fossils are familiar sights across the glistening dunes at White Sands National Park. Human and animal tracks mark hiking trails, the explorations of curious tourists, and treks across the arid environment to food and water sources.

If you’re planning a visit to this incredible national park, there’s no better time to visit than during National Park Week. Learn all about this celebration of America’s great outdoors — including fee-free days throughout the year!

But hidden underneath those wave-like gypsum dunes are prehistoric tracks that give us a hint as to what life may have looked like thousands of years ago.
Z L/Google
A few years ago, a study published in the Quaternary Science Reviews journal documented that this prehistoric trek was discovered at White Sands in 2018.
White Sands National Park/Facebook
Measuring nearly one mile in length and more than 10,000 years old, it is the longest known track of fossilized human footprints in the world.
According to the study, researchers believe the source to be a woman or a male adolescent trekking across a muddy landscape with a small child.
White Sands National Park/Facebook
The prints show the feet slipping occasionally, appearing heavier from additional weight in other areas, and tiny human prints showing up occasionally alongside the adult prints.

Aside from the length, the caretaker trekked with the child, it also documents nearby footprints of ancient creatures like giant sloths and mammoths. We can only imagine the circumstances that led to the pair traveling and slipping across the ancient landscape.

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At the time, White Sands National Park was the complete opposite of what it looks like today.
National Park Service/Wikimedia Commons
At the time, it was a lush environment at the end of the Ice Age, home to a location now referred to as Lake Otero. This was a central watering area for not only our ancestors but also for now-extinct animals, like giant sloths, mammoths, and dire wolves. This is all evidenced by the hundreds of footprints found across the park, showing that humans often lived right alongside those ancient animals.
Unfortunately, since the prints have been exposed to the elements, they won't last long.
White Sands National Park/Facebook
This arid environment is constantly shifting so the rapid soil erosion means the freshly exposed prints will soon be lost to time. However, this surprising find makes the experiences of our ancestors feel a little more relatable.
White Sands National Park is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Alamogordo via Route 70.
Google Maps
Although you may not be able to get close to these ancient tracks, a visit here still offers some of the most fun things to do outside in New Mexico like hiking, biking, and bird watching, just to name a few.

Have you been to White Sands National Park? If so, we’d love to see your photos and hear about your experience there. You can find details about the park, these human footprints, and other interesting fossils on the official park website, as well as on its Facebook page.

These footprints aren’t the only fascinating recent finds in New Mexico. The fossilized remains of a carnivorous dinosaur were found in the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, a quicker and stronger version of its velociraptor ancestor. Read more about this unique find in New Mexico’s Badlands.

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National park to visit in New Mexico

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Carlsbad Caverns is located at the southern end of New Mexico, just above the northwest border of Texas. Infamous Roswell, NM is about an hour and 40 minutes north. A National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Carlsbad Caverns is named after the over 100 caves dotted all over the property. It’s also one of the few cavern destinations in the country where you can embark upon a self-guided tour.

I’m looking for a unique attraction near Albuquerque.

Albuquerque is a great city and there are lots to see and do. One of the most fun things to do outside in New Mexico is actually here, and that is a ride along the Sandia Peak Tramway. The longest tramway in the country, it spans 2.7 miles and the views are spectacular! If you’re sensitive to high altitudes, be aware that you’ll be at approximately 10,378 feet of elevation at the top. And because it’s so high up, it could be up to 30 degrees cooler than at the bottom. Nevertheless, a visit here is totally worth it and one not to be missed if you’re in the Land of Enchantment!

Are there any large lakes in New Mexico?

Yes, New Mexico has some wonderful large lakes. The largest lake in the state is the Elephant Butte Lake and Dam, located about an hour and 15 minutes north of Las Cruces. Folks come from all over the state to enjoy fun day trips here, as well as overnight camping. There’s even a beach, which one might not expect to find in a relatively dry landlocked state! Boating, bird watching, and hiking are other popular activities.

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White Sands National Park, New Mexico, USA