White Sands
Wave after wave of brilliant white gypsum dunes in the Tularosa Basin
- Hours
- Daily from 7 a.m. to after sunset
- Entry
- $25 per car
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- About 146,000 acres
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White Sands protects a large part of the world's largest gypsum dunefield, about 275 square miles of white sand in southern New Mexico's Tularosa Basin. Gypsum dissolves in water, so it rarely forms sand dunes; here it washes down from the surrounding mountains into a basin with no outlet, then dries and is blown into dunes. The dunes move slowly downwind every year and can bury plants that are not adapted to them. White Sands became a national monument in 1933 and a national park in 2019.
Because gypsum reflects sunlight, the sand stays cool enough to walk on barefoot even on hot days. Visitors drive Dunes Drive, walk short trails, and sled down the slopes on plastic saucers. Fossilized human footprints found in the park in 2021 are among the oldest known in North America, estimated at about 21,000 to 23,000 years old. The park is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range, which is why the road sometimes closes during tests.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- October, November, March and April bring mild temperatures, while summer is very hot and winter mornings can be below freezing.
- How long to stay
- Half a day to one full day is enough for most visitors.
- Getting there
- El Paso (ELP) is about 1.5 hours away and Albuquerque (ABQ) about 3.5 hours by car.
- Wildlife
- Look for tracks of kit foxes, coyotes and darkling beetles, plus bleached earless lizards and roadrunners during the day.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
- Hotels in Alamogordo (opens in a new tab)New Mexico
- Hotels in Las Cruces (opens in a new tab)New Mexico
- Hotels in Cloudcroft (opens in a new tab)New Mexico
- No lodging inside the park. The towns above are the closest bases.
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for White Sands
- Snow saucer sledWaxed plastic saucers work best on the gypsum dunes.
- Sled waxA fresh coat of wax makes the saucer much faster on the sand.
- Polarized sunglassesThe white sand reflects intense glare in every direction.
- Wide-brim sun hatThere is no shade anywhere in the dunefield.
- Insulated water jugYou need lots of water and there is none past the visitor center.
A first day, start to finish
- Visitor center and gift shop
- Interdune Boardwalk
- Dune Life Nature Trail
- Sledding in the heart of the dunes
- Sunset from a Dunes Drive picnic area
Don't miss
- Dunes DriveAn 8-mile road (16 miles round trip) from the visitor center into the heart of the dunefield, with the last stretch on packed gypsum and many pullouts and picnic areas.
- Interdune BoardwalkA 0.4-mile accessible boardwalk across the fragile area between dunes, with signs about the plants and animals that live there.
- Dune Life Nature TrailA 1-mile loop over dunes and flats with stops about the kit foxes, lizards and insects that survive here.
- Alkali Flat TrailA 5-mile loop marked with posts that climbs up and down steep dunes to the edge of the dry lakebed, with no shade or water.
- Sledding the dunesWaxed plastic saucers are sold and rented at the gift shop, and the soft gypsum slopes make sledding a favorite activity for all ages.
Know before you go
Do
- Carry at least a gallon of water per person, even for short hikes.
- Check the park closure page the day before you go for missile test closures.
- Follow the trail marker posts, since footprints blow away and the dunes all look alike.
Don't
- Start a long hike in the heat of the day; the park recommends skipping hikes when it is over 85 degrees.
- Take any sand, plants or animals out of the park.
- Stay out past closing; the gates lock and you cannot drive out until morning.
The park and Dunes Drive open at 7 a.m. daily and close 30 minutes after local sunset, which in October means roughly 6 to 7 p.m. (in summer, May 22 to September 7, closing is 1 hour after sunset). The visitor center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The park closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and Dunes Drive and US 70 close for up to 3 hours at a time during missile tests on the neighboring White Sands Missile Range.
Arrive about two hours before sunset, sled and walk the dunes, then stay for the glowing light on the San Andres Mountains.Trekker's tip