Information, White Sands National Park

Visitor Essentials

Imagine a place so surreal that it looks like a lunar dreamscape but feels like a sunbaked beach-with no ocean in sight.

Visitor Essentials

White Sands is open year-round, but timing your visit can make all the difference. Gates open daily at 7:00 AM, with closing times shifting seasonally to match sunset.

Visitor Essentials

White Sands requires an entrance fee, with a standard vehicle pass costing $25 and granting access for seven consecutive days.

Visitor Essentials

The park does not have lodging within the park, but nearby towns offer a variety of accommodations, from budget motels to upscale stays and unique vacation rentals.

Visitor Essentials

The park has no on-site dining or shopping, but nearby Alamogordo and Las Cruces offer plenty of options for meals, supplies, and souvenirs.

Visitor Essentials

The park offers a serene escape into nature, but visitors should be prepared for limited connectivity. Cellular service within the park is notably unreliable, with the National Park Service advising against relying on mobile phones due to spotty coverage.

Visitor Essentials

Before heading into White Sands, ensuring your vehicle is fueled up is essential.

Visitor Essentials

The park experiences a diverse range of weather conditions throughout the year. Understanding these seasonal variations is essential for visitors to plan a safe and enjoyable trip.

Visitor Essentials

White Sands may look like a peaceful desert wonderland, but its beauty comes with challenges.

Visitor Essentials

Bringing your furry friend to White Sands can be a fun and memorable experience, but it's important to follow park guidelines to keep both pets and wildlife safe.

Visitor Essentials

White Sands is committed to ensuring that all visitors, regardless of ability, can fully experience its breathtaking landscapes.

Visitor Essentials

Need info? Call the Visitor Center at (575) 479-6124, or follow @WhiteSandsNPS on Facebook,

Plan Your Visit

White Sands is a breathtaking destination year-round, but the best time to visit depends on what kind of experience you're looking for.

Plan Your Visit

White Sands is a mesmerizing destination, but its popularity means that careful planning is key to finding moments of solitude among the dunes.

Plan Your Visit

The park, located in southern New Mexico, is a breathtaking destination known for its vast, shimmering dunes.

Plan Your Visit

White Sands offers a variety of experiences depending on how much time you have.

Plan Your Visit

White Sands hosts a variety of events throughout the year, celebrating its unique landscape and cultural history.

Things to Do

Driving Dunes Drive at White Sands National Park offers an unparalleled journey into the heart of the world's largest gypsum dunefield.

Things to Do

White Sands offers a unique hiking experience across its vast gypsum dunes, with five trails showcasing different aspects of this surreal landscape.

Things to Do

Sledding at White Sands is a one-of-a-kind experience, replacing icy slopes with soft, rolling dunes of white gypsum sand.

Things to Do

Cycling at White Sands is a one-of-a-kind experience, offering riders the chance to pedal through a vast gypsum dunefield on the park's hard-packed sand road.

Things to Do

White Sands offers an ever-changing landscape that makes it a dream destination for photographers.

Things to Do

White Sands offers a variety of ranger-led programs that bring the park's unique landscape to life through guided hikes, educational talks, and hands-on activities.

Things to Do

Picnicking at White Sands is a truly unique experience, where visitors can enjoy a meal surrounded by endless waves of white gypsum dunes.

Things to Do

Backcountry camping at White Sands offers a rare and immersive experience in a landscape unlike any other.

Things to Do

White Sands is a breathtaking destination, but the surrounding area offers even more to explore.

History & Culture

White Sands has been home to diverse cultures for more than 10,000 years, with evidence of early human presence found in fossilized footprints, prehistoric tools, and ancient fire pits.

History & Culture

The dazzling gypsum dunes of White Sands have a rich history, not only as a stunning natural wonder but also as a place of human habitation, exploration, and conservation efforts.

History & Culture

White Sands is more than just a stunning landscape-it is a place rich with historical and cultural significance.

History & Culture

The names and travel routes of White Sands tell a story of exploration, survival, and cultural exchange.

History & Culture

White Sands is more than just a breathtaking landscape-it is a place deeply woven into the lives and histories of the people who have called the Tularosa Basin home for generations.

Nature & Wildlife

White Sands is more than a sea of gleaming gypsum dunes-it's a thriving ecosystem teeming with resilient wildlife.

Nature & Wildlife

White Sands is home to the world's largest gypsum dunefield, a dazzling landscape shaped by unique geological forces over millions of years.

Nature & Wildlife

At first glance, White Sands may seem like a barren desert, but a closer look reveals a surprising variety of hardy plants that have adapted to this shifting, gypsum-rich landscape.

Nature & Wildlife

White Sands is not just a landscape of dazzling dunes-it's also a time capsule preserving ancient life.

Nature & Wildlife

White Sands is a breathtaking and dynamic environment, shaped by powerful natural forces that continue to transform the landscape.

Nature & Wildlife

White Sands is a remarkable natural wonder, home to unique ecosystems shaped by its striking gypsum dunes, ancient lakebeds, and surrounding desert landscapes.