NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Months after the summer blockbuster “Oppenheimer” raked in millions. The U.S. Army is preparing for a wave of new interest in the Trinty test site this weekend. They’re also warning those interested in the tour this year they might be too crowded for everyone to get in.
“We’re absolutely going to see more than five thousand, it’s just a matter of, I think, only five thousand and something, you know, a little upwards of five thousand is going to be the number of people that can actually get in and get out. I think we are going to see that cut off at 2 p.m., or probably a little before 2 p.m.,” said Drew Hamilton, public affairs specialist at White Sands Missile Range public affairs office.
The Saturday tour marks the first time the army has opened the Trinity site since the “Oppenheimer” movie was released in July. Typically, they host around 3,000-4,000 people at each event. With a surge of new interest expected, White Sands is warning that some people might be left out of the tour. “We’ve only seen that once before in recent history around the 75th anniversary and that was a very busy day for us,” said Hamilton.
Preparing for the new crowd they’ve added new signs and limited wi-fi. Also, two more buses and more cars will be allowed to drive into the base. “The only difference that we have now-a-days is that we recently made the change. Now it is strictly a ‘to’ and not a ‘to and back’, so you can get in the caravan, you can drive up to Trinity site with the caravan,” said Hamilton.
And for those who can wait to visit, Hamilton said, “We are expecting things to drop off in April and we are encouraging anyone, particularly locals who are trying to decide if they want to go in October or April go ahead and come in April the crowds should be much smaller then.”
For those planning to make the trip, White Sands recommends downloading a site brochure before leaving.
