Things to Do in Las Cruces in March

March is arguably the ideal window for White Sands. The summer furnace hasn't ignited yet, so you can walk the Alkali Flat Trail without the searing heat that radiates off the gypsum dunes. The cool morning sand has a firm, almost damp texture, and the afternoon light casts long, dramatic shadows across the rolling white waves. Crowds are still manageable before the spring break peak hits in late March.

This is the month the trails here make sense. The air is clear and sharp, carrying the smell of sun-warmed pine from the higher elevations down to the desert floor. The Dripping Springs trail, a moderate 6.4 km (4-mile) round trip, ends at the ruins of a 19th-century sanatorium where the breeze through the canyon sounds like whispered history. You'll need layers - it can be cool at the 1,800 m (5,900 ft) trailhead but warm on the exposed switchbacks.

The historic plaza in Mesilla, just south of Las Cruces, is good for a March afternoon. The cottonwood trees are still bare, letting the low-angled sun warm the adobe walls of buildings like the old Butterfield Stagecoach office. You can trace the border dispute history, then duck into La Posta de Mesilla - a restaurant in a former stagecoach stop since the 1930s - for a bowl of green chile stew that has a slow-building, vegetal heat. The pace is slow, the patios are open, and the margaritas taste like they should.

The vineyards are just starting to show their first green buds in March, making it a quiet, contemplative time to visit. The tasting rooms, like those along the trail east of the city, are uncrowded. You can talk to the pourer about the notes of desert sage and tart cherry in their Sílfrido red without shouting. The air in the barrel rooms is cool and smells of oak and fermentation - a sharp contrast to the dry heat outside.

In March, the Rio Grande is often little more than a braided trickle through a wide, sandy bed. This low water level reveals the river's ancient skeleton - cottonwood root systems, rusted historical debris, and bird tracks preserved in the mud. It's a strangely beautiful, stark landscape. The sound is of wind, not water. Guided walks or bike rides along the levees and into the bosque (the riverside forest) explain the delicate ecology of this often-misunderstood river.