Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

Park Closure Dunes Drive Safety Corridor

Dunes Drive is open. A safety corridor is in effect between mile marker 3 and 5.5 along Dunes Drive. Visitors may drive but not stop or exit their vehicle in this area.

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Information Backcountry Camping Closed

Backcountry camping at the park is closed. There is no established opening date at this time.

Information Interdune Boardwalk Closed

Due to the active safety corridor, the Interdune Boardwalk is closed. Please visit the park visitor center to learn about other options during your visit.

Information Park Closures

From time to time the missile range that surrounds the park performs military testing that may require the closure of the park or Highway 70. Please plan your visit around upcoming military tests.

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Information RV and Tractor Trailer Parking at the Visitor Center

There is limited space for parking for recreational vehicles and trailers in the parking lot directly in front (south) of the visitor center. RVs are asked to not park in the lot behind the visitor center. There is no parking space for tractor trailers.

Overview

Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Auto and ATV
  • Scenic Driving
  • Biking
  • Road Biking
  • Camping
  • Backcountry Camping
  • Food
  • Picnicking
  • Guided Tours
  • Hiking
  • Junior Ranger Program

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Standard Park Hours: The park gates always open at 7:00 am with closing hours changing with sunset. The park closes 30 minutes after local sunset. Local sunset is 8 minutes earlier than Alamogordo's predicted sunset. Sunset times can be found at https://sunrise-sunset.org/us/alamogordo-nm

Fees and passes

  • Entrance - Private Vehicle — $25.00
  • Entrance - Per Person — $15.00
  • Entrance - Motorcycle — $20.00
  • Commercial Entrance - Van — $50.00
  • Commercial Entrance - Mini-bus — $60.00
  • Commercial Entrance - Motor Coach — $150.00
  • Annual Entrance - Park — $45.00

The America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees at federal recreation lands across all four agencies.

Getting there

White Sands National Park is located off of US Highway 70 between the cities of Las Cruces and Alamogordo. The park is about 15 miles west of Alamogordo and 52 miles east of Las Cruces.

Visitor centers

Campgrounds

  • Backcountry Camping (10 sites)

Weather

Temperatures at White Sands vary greatly throughout the year. Summer time temperatures can be very hot. Winters are mild with cool evenings. Spring time is the windy season. Fall is very enjoyable with mild daytime and night time temperatures.

Phone: 5754796124

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

Aerial of white sand dunes.
Aerial of Dunefield · NPS Photo
Close up view of ripples on a dune.
Ripples · NPS Photo
Cottonwood trees with orange leaves.
Fall Colors · NPS Photo
Grey shadows on dunes.
Shaded Dunes · NPS Photo

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