Last Free Tour Of Trinity Site Is Saturday

The public will be able to tour the southern New Mexico site where scientists set off the world’s first atomic bomb test during World War II.

Saturday’s tour of the Trinity Site on White Sands Missile Range will be the last open house that’s free.

Missile range spokeswoman Monte Marlin said it is no longer feasible to offer the tours free of charge. The fee would pay for security services, shuttles and restroom facilities, Marlin said.

Around 3,000-4,000 people visit the Trinity Site during the open houses, which have been offered since 1964. The first atomic bomb was tested July 16, 1945.

“All life on Earth has been touched by the event which took place here,” states a brochure on the White Sands Missile Range’s website.

The Trinity Site will be open to the public from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Visitors can enter the range through the Stallion Range Center gate five miles south of U.S. 380, which is 12 miles east of San Antonio.

Otherwise, they can travel with a caravan that leaves from Tularosa High School’s football field parking lot at 8 a.m. Saturday.

The next open house is October 1.

Marlin said range officials are reviewing the price structures and will announce the future fees soon.