White Sands National Park
Rolling white gypsum dunes stretch for miles in the heart of the Tularosa Basin, creating a surreal desert landscape.
🌲 Park Overview
White Sands National Park protects the world's largest gypsum dunefield, covering two hundred seventy-five square miles of the Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico. The brilliant white dunes, composed of pure gypsum crystals, create a stunning contrast against the blue desert sky and surrounding mountains. This unique landscape offers exceptional hiking, sledding, photography, and stargazing opportunities in one of the most otherworldly environments in the United States.
🌟 Fun Facts
White Sands became the newest national park in the contiguous U.S. in twenty-nineteen (re-designated from national monument).
The gypsum dunes are pure white because gypsum reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it like regular sand.
The dunefield is constantly moving and changing shape due to wind patterns.
The park is home to unique species that have adapted to the white environment, including white lizards and insects.
📅 Best Time to Visit
Fall to Spring (October – April): Twenty-five to seventy-five °F. Cooler sledding, full-moon ranger walks, Orion & Milky Way vistas. Cold nights (below twenty °F Jan).
Late Spring (May – June): 50–90 °F. Alkali primrose blooms, fewer storms. Afternoon winds create dust; secure lenses.
Summer (July – September): 65–100 °F. Monsoon thunderheads, rainbow photography. Lightning closes dunes loop; extreme heat midday.
🎯 Things to Do
Families:
- Sled the Dunes—buy waxed saucers at gift shop
- Junior Ranger booklet; earn shiny white badge
- Stroll Interdune Boardwalk (0.4-mile ADA) for ecology signs
Adventure-Seekers:
- Backcountry Camping in dunes (10 sites, permit day-of)
- Backcountry Trail (5-mile loop) for solitude & night photography
- Sunset Stroll ranger program—learn dune geology & meet pocket mice
Photographers:
- Sunrise at Playa Trail for pink-peach dunes
- Monsoon reflections in ephemeral pools (July)
- Full-moon hikes casting cyan shadows (monthly)
🥾 Top Trails & Loops
Playa Trail: 0.5-mile RT - Seasonal water lens, shorebird tracks.
Alkali Flat Trail: 5-mile loop / moderate - Tallest pristine dunes, back-country markers.
Dune Life Nature Trail: 1-mile loop - Kit-fox burrows, yucca crowns, interpretive signs.
Interdune Boardwalk: 0.4-mile ADA - Accessible gypsum ecology & panoramic view deck.
👨👩👧 Kid-Friendly Extras
"Dig & Discover" free sand-toy checkout at visitor center (summer).
White Sands Sled-Sticker reward after completing Junior Ranger.