Desert Trek - Lake Lucero December 6, 2008

The Las Cruces Museum of Natural History and White Sands National Monument are pleased to announce a ranger-guided tour of Lake Lucero, the source of the white sands, on Saturday, December 6, 2008. In order to caravan to the site, participants should be at the museum by 9:15 a.m. for a 9:30 a.m. departure. The museum is located next to J.C. Penney in the Mesilla Valley Mall on Telshor Blvd. in Las Cruces.
The tour will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the Small Missile Range Gate on US Highway 70; 25 miles west of White Sands National Monument headquarters, between mileposts 174 and 175. The tour will return to the gate at 1:00 p.m. Participants will drive their own vehicles 17 miles over paved roads across the White Sands Missile Range to the Lake Lucero trailhead, then hike 3/4 mile to the lake.

Most of the gypsum sand that forms the white sands dune field originates in Lake Lucero, a dry lake bed in the southwestern corner of the National Monument. Large gypsum crystals, called selenite, are formed here. As the crystals are exposed to the weather, they break down into sand-size particles, which are blown by southwesterly winds into the dune field. Visitors to Lake Lucero will see the selenite formations spread across the lake bed and learn about the geological conditions that over millions of years created the dune fields at White Sands National Monument.

Advance reservations are required.

Please contact LCMNH at (575) 522-3120 for reservations. A special use fee is charged for the tour: $3.00 per person ages 16 and older, $1.50 for children and to holders of the Golden Age Pass. National Park/Golden Eagle Passports and the White Sands Annual Pass do not apply for this special tour.

All vehicles should have a spare tire and sufficient gasoline for the 34-mile round trip to the Lake Lucero trailhead. Each person should have sufficient drinking water, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, good walking shoes, suitable clothing for the weather, and a snack if desired. Cameras may not be used while passing through the missile range, but are encouraged for use while at the monument lake area.

For more information contact: Chris Newsom, Naturalist (575) 522-3120; or visit our website at museums.las-cruces.org.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of lcms.