White Sands National Park: Everything You Need to Know
White Sands National Park, formerly White Sands National Monument and the newest national park in the US. White Sands, became a national park on December 20, 2019.
Located in New Mexico on U.S. Route 70, White Sands National Park is an easy drive from El Paso, Las Cruces, and Alamogordo. It's a doable day trip from Albuquerque, Roswell, Santa Fe, and Tucson.
Having seen pictures, it had been on my bucket list for quite some time. During a visit to El Paso and Big Bend, I drove out to White Sands to go sledding and catch the sunset.
With over 600,000 visitors every year, White Sands National Park is one of the most visited national parks in New Mexico.
The draw...endless white sand dunes.
Stretching over 275 square miles the stark white sands allures visitors from all over the world and Hollywood. White Sands National Park has appeared in many movies such as White Sands, Transformers, Transformers 2, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Year One, and The Book of Eli.
The white sand dunes created from gypsum crystals is the largest gypsum dunefield in the world. Snow and rain from the San Andres Mountains breaks down the gypsum washing it into the Tularosa Basin. Without an outlet, nature pounds the gypsum crystals into sand which the wind carries away into the dunes.
The gypsum at White Sands National Park is finely grained and soft, like talc. Making it cushy soft and perfect for sledding.
Pro-tip: Gypsum doesn't absorb heat like sand. It is cool to the touch even on hot days. Hiking boots aren't necessary. A pair of tennis shoes, hiking sandals or you can go barefoot.
How to Get to White Sands
Alamogordo and Las Cruces are the closest cities to White Sands National Park but neither have a commercial airport. The closest airport is El Paso. From El Paso Airport, the drive is about 1 hour and 35 minutes. Coming from the Roswell Airport it will take 2 hours and 24 minutes.
Albuquerque International Airport is 3 hours and 25 minutes from White Sands. Santa Fe is only farther, about 3 hours and 47 minutes. While Tucson is a 4 hour and 40 minute drive from Tucson's airport.
Public transportation isn't available so if you fly into any of those cities you'll need to rent a car.
Pro-tip: Put in the visitor center's address in Google Maps or your GPS.
When to Visit White Sands
The best time to visit is April through October. During the summer it gets very hot so consider going in spring and fall to avoid the heat. In the winter the temperature drops below freezing.
Pro-tip: March and July are the busiest months. To avoid crowds, plan accordingly.
Park Entrance Fees
Park entrance fees are payable via cash, check, or credit card at the Dunes Drive entrance station. Fees are valid for seven consecutive days from the date of purchase.
- $25 per vehicle (no limit on the number of people in the car)
- $15 per person for solo travelers
- $20 per motorcycle
- $45 annual pass
Pro-tip: Save money and visit during free entrance days.
Visitors with leashed pets are welcome. There is a six foot leash limit.
Pro-tip: Dunes Drive is closed when the nearby White Sands Missile Range does missile testing.
Get Free Admission for Four People
Interagency Annual Pass, Interagency Senior Pass, Interagency Access Pass, Interagency Volunteer Pass, and White Sands Annual Pass holders and three other adults arriving in a private vehicle get free admission.
White Sands Camping Fees
Backcountry camping fees are in addition to the park entrance fee. Camping fees are an extra $3 per person (16 years and older) and $1.50 per person (under age 15). Federal Access and Senior Pass holders get a 50% discount.
Things to Do at White Sands National Park
Planning your visit and not sure what to do at White Sands National Park? Here are the things you can do at White Sands.
1. Explore the Dunes
With 275 miles of park you'll have plenty of opportunities to explore the dunes. Dunes are easy to climb, suitable for all ages, and best climbed with a partner. The soft sand is gentle and cool to touch.
There are four types of dunes at White Sands: dome, barchan, transverse, and parabolic.
Dome dunes are small low mounds with little vegetation. These dunes move 24 to 38 feet per year. Barchan dunes are crescent-shaped with most of their sand in the middle. These dunes move 6 to 13 feet a year.
Long ridges of sand form transverse dunes. These tall, thick mounds are close to each other and move slowly, only 4 to 12 feet a year. While parabolic dunes, shaped like a wave move very slow, 2 to 4 feet a year.
2. Go on a Hike
There are five hiking trails at White Sands.
The Interdune Boardwalk, the easiest of the trails, is wheelchair accessible. The 0.4-mile hike on a wooden boardwalk takes you on a gentle loop through the dunes. The loop takes about 20 minutes.
The Playa Trail, green trail marked, is a ½ mile roundtrip hike that takes about 30 minutes.
For those seeking a more moderate hike, the blue trail marked Dune Life Nature Trail is a 1 mile that that includes two dune climbs. This trail takes an hour to complete.
The Backcountry Camping Trail, marked with orange trail markers, is a 2-mile hike over steep dunes. Mostly used by campers to reach the backcountry campsites, this trail is open to hikers who want to venture in the heart of the dunes. It takes 1 ½ hours to finish this hike.
The Alkali Flat Trail is the most rigorous hike. Marked with red trail markers, this 5-mile roundtrip journey is difficult, unshaded, and is a constant up and down trek among steep dunes. The strenuous trek takes three hours to complete.
3. Take a Ranger-Led Hike
If traveling solo or interested in learning about White Sands National Park flora and fauna, go on a ranger-led hike.
The park offers these one-hour Sunset Strolls hikes an hour before sunset. Reservations aren't required for these ranger-guided hikes. Interested participants should meet at the Interdune Boardwalk.
Every month on the night before the full moon from April through October, White Sands National Park offers Full Moon Hikes. This hike, limited to 40 people, costs an $8 per person program fee (16 years and older) or $4 for children aged 15 and younger, plus park entrance fees. Buy tickets through Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.
If you're interested in learning more about White Sands, the park offers Lake Lucero Tours once a month from January through April, November, and December. Limited to 50 people, this three-hour tour costs $8 per person program fee (16 years and older) or $4 for children aged 15 and younger, plus park entrance fees. Buy tickets at Recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777.
4. Enjoy the Sunset
If you aren't able to take part in the ranger-led Sunset Stroll, you can enjoy the sunset on your own. Sunset at White Sands is an unforgettable experience.
The sky turns various shades of pink and blue creating a stunning contrast against the stark white sanded dunes. Because the park is so big, there are plenty of vantage spots to see the sunset without having to worry about someone in your photos.
5. Stargazing
Dark skies and endless stretches of white sand provide a unique setting for stargazing. Depending on the evening, there's a chance of some light pollution from nearby Alamogordo and Las Cruces. The best time for stargazing is during a full moon.
6. Go Sand Sledding
Sledding at White Sands National Park is fun for all ages. Unlike the sand dunes in Dubai, the dunes at White Sands are powdery soft and much easier to hoof back up after a trip down.
Despite its snowlike appearance, the soft texture is unlike snow and requires a bit more effort when sledding.
Visitors can bring their own sled, rent or buy plastic snow saucers from the park's gift shop:
- New Sled - $18. Buy back for $5
- Used Sled - $10. Buy back for $3
- Wax - $2. Buy back for $0.50
Pro-tip: Sleds sell out quickly so call the gift shop to make sure they have sleds.
Wax is crucial otherwise the sled won't move on the snow.
If visiting during the winter, the local Walmarts sell snow saucers for less than what the park charges.
Because I visited in October, none of the Walmarts had any sleds in stock. I lucked out and the gift shop had saucers in stock. But only new ones. 🙁
Sledding at White Sands National Park was a lot of fun and I can't wait to visit again!
White Sands Sledding Tips
When sledding, pick a dune with a gentle slope. And while you may want to lay fresh tracks, you'll get a better ride choosing an already carved path.
Choose a steep transverse or parabolic dune at the end of Dunes Drive. Although the sand is soft, the dune base is hard and you can get injured when reaching the bottom.
Avoid sledding down dunes that end in the parking lot. At the bottom, you could skid into a parked or oncoming car.
Be sure to apply lots of wax on your sled. Rub the wax top to bottom in the same directional pattern. Don't rub it on in a circle because it will cause the sled to spin.
Sit or lay on the sled. You'll go faster if you lean back and raise your legs. It's a little tricky getting started so you might need someone to give you a push.
7. Have a Picnic
White Sands National Park encourages and provides three main areas off Dunes Drive for visitors to have a picnic: Primrose, Roadrunner, and Yucca. Each picnic area has 62 covered tables with a grill. Tables are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. ADA accessible tables are available.
Pro-tip: If you have a large group of up to 20, grab one of two picnic pavilions in the Roadrunner Picnic Area.
The park allows personal grill use on Dunes Drive provided you take your charcoal out of the park. If using a park grill, douse with water and leave the charcoal in the grill. Recycling bins, trash cans and dumpsters are available.
8. Go Camping
Ten overnight backcountry camping sites are available at White Sands. Spots are first-come, first-served, and fill fast! RV camping is not allowed.
Pro-tip: Get to the park when the visitor center opens at 9 am to better your chance of getting a camping site. Fees to camp are $3 per person (16 years and older) and $1.50 per person (under age 15) in addition to park entrance fees. Federal Access and Senior Pass holders get a 50% discount.
The park only allows you to book one night at a time. If you want to camp for multiple nights, you have to reserve a spot every morning.
Campsites are 0.4 miles to 1.1 miles from the parking lot and marked with orange signs. Keep that mind when choosing your spot because you have to hike all your gear. Poles mark the trail but the constantly shifting sand often covers the poles and markers.
Pro-tip: As the furthest out, Campsite 5 offers the most privacy.
White Sands Camping Tips
The park service provides GPS coordinates of each campsite. Cell service is spotty at best. So consider dropping a pin on Google maps to find your way back.
Bring layers and a warm sleeping bag because it can get very cold at night and hot during the day.
Watch out for scorpions, snakes, and spiders.
Pack plenty of food and water. At least one gallon of water per person per day. The visitor center sells snacks and drinks during operating hours. Park gates get locked nightly at 5 pm so you aren't able to exit and enter.
Campfires aren't allowed but you can use a camp stove.
Backcountry camping is exactly as it sounds. Spartan and primitive. You're paying for a spot on the sand. Toilets are available at the trailhead parking lot, a mile away.
9. Ride Horses
White Sands allows you to ride horses in the national park. You have to bring your own horses and a trailer. Free permits are available at the fee station.
Horses aren't allowed on the Backcountry Camping sites, trails, Interdune Boardwalk, Group Use Area, Co-Use area, and in the picnic areas.
Pro-tip: Overnight camping isn't allowed if you bring horses into the park.
Tips for Visiting White Sands
Ensure a safe and successful trip with these tips for visiting White Sands National Park.
1. Bring Water
It's easy to get dehydrated. Plan on at least a gallon of water per person per day. Having extra water is better than running out of water. If needed, you can buy water at the visitor center.
2. Pack Food
If you're planning a short visit bring high energy packable snacks like energy bars. Picnicking or camping overnight plan your meals so you have enough food.
3. Rest
Remember to rest or take a break during your visit if hiking or spending the day at the park.
4. Wear Sunscreen and Sunglasses
Bring, apply, and reapply sunscreen while visiting White Sands National Park. The white sands reflect the sun's rays and can cause sunburns. Due to glare, sunglasses are a necessity.
5. Don't Hike Alone
Be safe and don't hike alone. With unmarked trails and regularly shifting sands, it's easy to get lost and lose track of your footsteps.
6. Arrive Early or Close to Sunset
The best time to visit the park is early in the morning or close to sunset. Going early or late in the day avoids the heat, crowds, and gives you great picture taking opportunities. During my visit in October, I arrived in the late afternoon. The temperature was pleasant, there weren't many people at White Sands, and I was able to get sunset photos.
7. Check for Closures
White Sands National Park closes when the missile range does missile testing. During my trip to El Paso, there were only two days that the park was open.
Conclusion
If you only visit one national park, it should be White Sands National Park. Stunningly beautiful, protected, and unlike anything you may have ever seen, it's worth the trip.
Few places in the world offer picturesque opportunities like White Sands. Pillowy dunes of white sand stretching for miles.
Enjoy hiking and sand sledding on a surreal extraterrestrial landscape. Stay for gorgeous sunset photos, possibly camp overnight.
As the 62nd US national park, entrances fees are inexpensive. Go for free when you time your visit to coincide with free park days.
My short visit was wonderful and I am looking forward to going back again soon.
What's your favorite national park?
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You had me at $3 for a campsite! (It is around $40 on average for a campsite in Virginia.) I would definitely want to spend a few days at the park, surfing down dunes, hiking, star gazing and just about everything else you mentioned. Scott normally hates the sand because it is hot and hurts his feet, but Im glad to hear the sand at the White Sand park is cool to the touch!
I’ve been trying to get a photo shoot done here and catch the sunset here for the longest time! I’m so excited that you made such a detailed post about it because it’s bookmarked for when we can finally get out there to do a shoot! So perfect 🙂
The White Sands National Park sounds like a hidden gem, albeit new. I was reminded of the salty marshlands i.e. Kutchh in Gujarat, India upon reading your post. I absolutely loved the idea of gypsum not absorbing heat, and hence being cool even on a hot summer day! The diversity of options from star gazing to camping is already making me yearn to go there! What an adventure, thanks for all the tips and tricks on the costing part. Will pin this post for later!
No wonder this park is so popular! It sounds awesome! There's so much to do I could spend a few nights there. I definitely want to go sand sledding. I volcano boarded once I bet this would be similar, although less painful!
I rarely hear about places to visit in New Mexico and read with interest about white sands national park. Amazing that it is not hot to the touch like sand is. What would interest me most would be the star gazing. I yearn to be finally at a dark enough place without light pollution to do this!
I've know about the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico for a long time, but didn't have a chance to visit it. I'm glad I found your post which provides so much useful information about the park. It must be wonderful to be able to ride horses on those white sand dunes, but too bad you can't rent them there. Good to know about the closure time for missile testing, so that you can plan your visit.
The $25 fee for a carload isn't bad at all. Honestly, I've NEVER been to a place that has sand like this in the US or otherwise. It's so beautiful how the landscape just goes on and on. I also adore the idea of being there at sunset. Romantic and lovely!
I can see why White Sands National Park would be on your bucket list. Just that view of miles and miles of sand ripples would draw me in. And I never knew there were different kinds of sand dunes! Good to know there are hikes for different levels of difficulty. But I would definitely want to try sand sledding. It would be awesome to catch the sunset and star gazing. On our bucket list now!
I must admit I’ve never heard about this national park before but I was sold as soon as I read “endless white sand dunes” 😀 This place sounds amazing and your sunset pictures are just gorgeous. I’d definitely spend some days at White Sand Park when I’ll finally visit New Mexico, thanks for sharing this special place.
I grew up in Alamogordo in the 50's & 60's and this place was so much fun. We had home made sand boards from plywood. As I remember, it only cost $1.00 to get in. A few kids in high school would skip assemblies and go surfing. [not me though.ha ha] Churches would have sunrise services for worship sometimes. Great picnic areas too. You can google a story about a woman wearing all white who haunts the dunes, like a ghost or spirit. I've never seen her , but some folks say they have. "The Legend of Pavla Blanca" is the story. Very interesting.
Hi Michael,
OMG, sandboarding on plywood is rough. I bet an exciting experience. 🙂 Very cool that churches used to have service at White Sands. Thanks for the info, I'll have to check out the story, it sounds fascinating.
We absolutely cannot wait to go here after reading! Beautiful photos!
You will LOVE it! It's such a cool place. Enjoy your trip!
I would love to go sledding. I have such a sedentary job that this exotic outdoors is sure to revive my spirit.
And also, this has so many hikes to explore. I would aurely like to spend a weekend here.
What a sensational place to visit. I watched your video and was amazed at how it just seemed to go on and on - miles of white sand (gypsum!) I would love to do the stargazing and the sand sledging - I have sand-boarded in Oman, and it was so much fun. It's nice that new national parks are still being listed.
This post brought back memories from our trip there around 7 years ago. We joined the Sunset Stroll and yes, the sunset on the dunes was spectacular. We stayed at the place where we could see our car after the stroll, because like you mentioned, our tracks can easily covered by the sand. We sled countless times until it got dark and our son asked to go back the next morning. We sled again for a couple of hours before we left for the next destination. And yes! I would say this is a must visit National Park.
Wow those white sand dunes look absolutely stunning and watching a sunset over it must be such an amazing moment. I had never heard of White Sands National Park before and knowing it recently was declared as a national park explains it, I will definitely add this to my list of places to visit.
We love the idea of $3 for a campsite! We live in Europe and we often go camping but it's never been that low. With the peak of winter, we're really missing going to national parks kind of like this and can't wait for the spring and summer already. We'd also love to be able to go to White Sands one day. Do you have any tips with doing it with a campervan?
Wow! This is incredibly beautiful! The endless white sands are just so gorgeous! I have a friend living in Santa Fe and I need to message him if he's been here. Oh wow! Its gypsum and it doesn't absorb heat? Cool! That's so awesome that you could go hiking with sneakers on a hot day! I can't imagine how sunset would be here with all the colors of the sky reflecting on the white sands! Stargazing is something I love...
I would love to visit this place in the fall! That sand looks incredible.
I live in Albuquerque and have yet to visit this place. Several of my kids have been there, so I need to take a trip to the dunes.
This is beautiful! My toddler just became obsessed with beaches and sand! We will have to vaca soon!
It is just amazing what nature can do! Such a beautiful place to visit. I'd love to get a chance to watch the sunset there and look up at the stars at night!
I’ve never visited White Sands National Park before. I would love to visit though.
I visited White Sands as a kid, and I'd love to go back one day! We didn't go sledding when I was there, so that seems like something I need to try.
Wow, gorgeous pictures. The park sounds like a great place to visit and appreciate all of your tips.
IT's nice that there's a tiny shed there, it seems really nice to have a picnic with your family at a place like that.
The white sand dunes look stunning. I'd definitely want to visit this place someday.
The view is go beautiful. In addition, there are a lot of activities to enjoy. Checking this out soonest
Such a very detailed post, and it feels like I am in that place while reading your post. So beautiful!
Wow, that looks so beautiful. I have got to go there someday. I'd go there just to see the sand. It looks amazing.
Oh wow, that is a pretty impressive site, isn't it. I'd love to go camping there with the kids. They'd have the most amazing time. It's really well priced too!
We have New Mexico on our list for summer 2022 so I am adding this to the list for consideration!
Wow! This looks like a great place to visit 😍 I'd love to go there someday soon🙂
wow! White Sands is such a magical place. I would like to have a picnic in this wonderful place!
This is the first time that I've heard of this park. I'd love to go. That place looks amazing!
Stunning. Before reading your post, I had never heard of the White Sands National Park. Incredibly beautiful and so much to do. Besides walking around, I'd love to try sledding. Good to know about the snakes and scorpions.