Alamogordo · RedAwning

White Sands National Park275 square miles of pure gypsum dunes — the largest gypsum dunefield on Earth, in the Tularosa Basin

The world's largest gypsum dunefield — 275 square miles of glistening white sand in New Mexico's Tularosa Basin, between Alamogordo and Las Cruces on US-70. Originally proclaimed White Sands National Monument in 1933 by President Hoover and redesignated as the country's 62nd national park in December 2019. The 8-mile Dunes Drive scenic loop, the Alkali Flat Trail, and 23,000-year-old human footprints (the oldest in the Americas) are the park's signatures. The dunes are pure gypsum — soft, cool to the touch, and sleddable.

Hours today7:00 AM – SunsetThursday hours
TicketsFrom $25Private vehicle (1–7 days)
LocationAlamogordo, New Mexico19955 Highway 70 West
Official sitenps.govPlan your visit

146,344Acres
275 mi²Dunefield
1933Established
2019Park status

White Sands sits in the Tularosa Basin between the San Andres and Sacramento Mountains, 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo on US-70. President Herbert Hoover proclaimed it a national monument on January 18, 1933; ninety years later, on December 20, 2019, Congress redesignated it as White Sands National Park — the 62nd in the system. The dunefield covers 275 square miles, but the park preserves only the southern third (about 145,000 acres). The rest sits inside the active White Sands Missile Range, which is why the park road occasionally closes for two-hour periods during weapons tests.

The sand isn't sand at all — it's gypsum, the same mineral used in drywall, dissolved out of the surrounding mountains over millions of years and concentrated in dry Lake Otero. Ground-up by wind into 4.5-billion-tons of crystals, the dunes shift up to 30 feet a year. Gypsum reflects almost all sunlight, so even on 100°F summer days the surface stays cool enough to walk barefoot. In 2021, scientists confirmed fossil footprints near Lake Otero are 21,000–23,000 years old — the oldest definitive evidence of humans in the Americas.

The 8-mile Dunes Drive (paved for the first 5 miles, hard-packed gypsum the last 3) is the park's only road; allow 45 minutes one-way without stops, several hours with sledding. The Alkali Flat Trail (5 miles round-trip, marked by red posts) is the headline hike — flat but exposed, with no shade and no water; do it before 10 AM in summer or after 4 PM. The visitor center sells sleds, has the only restrooms with running water inside the park, and shows a 17-minute orientation film every 30 minutes. Sunset is the moment everyone comes for; ranger-led Sunset Strolls run nightly in summer and most weekends in winter.

Dunes Drive — 16 miles round-trip
The park's only road begins at the visitor center on US-70, runs 5 miles paved and 3 miles on hard-packed gypsum, and loops back. Eight pullouts have picnic shelters; the road closes one hour before sunset. Allow 45 minutes one-way without stops, half a day with sledding and the Alkali Flat Trail.
Sledding the dunes
The Trading Post inside the visitor center sells plastic snow saucers ($20 new, $5 used) and wax — cardboard doesn't work, and the gift shop is the only place in the park to buy a sled. Best runs are at the Alkali Flat trailhead and the larger dunes near the loop's end. Wax the underside before each run.
Alkali Flat Trail
A 5-mile round-trip loop into the heart of the dunefield, marked by red posts every 50 yards (lose sight of one and you can lose the trail entirely). Flat but completely exposed — no shade, no water, no cell service. Do it before 10 AM or after 4 PM in summer; the dunes hit 150°F in July afternoons.
Fossilized human footprints
In 2021 scientists radiocarbon-dated footprints near Lake Otero to 21,000–23,000 years old — the oldest definitive evidence of humans in North America, roughly 7,000 years older than what was previously accepted. The footprints aren't accessible to the public, but the visitor center museum exhibits and the orientation film both cover the discovery.
Sunset Strolls with a ranger
Free 1-hour ranger-led walks depart from the Roadrunner Picnic Area an hour before sunset, nightly Memorial Day through Labor Day and most weekends in winter. Rangers cover dune formation, the gypsum chemistry, and the basin's missile-range history. No reservations required — show up 15 minutes early.
Backcountry camping (10 sites)
Ten primitive sites sit a 1-mile hike off the loop drive, $3 per person per night, first-come at the visitor center starting at 9 AM. No water, no toilets, no fires, and tents must be staked deep in the soft gypsum. Stargazing here is exceptional — the park sits inside an International Dark Sky Park designation pending review.
Missile Range closures
The park is a U-shaped enclave inside the active White Sands Missile Range, the country's largest open-air weapons testing facility. Tests close US-70 and the park road for 1–3 hours, typically once or twice a week. The closure schedule is posted on the park's Facebook page and the closure webpage the day before; visitors on tight itineraries should check.
Visitor Center — 1936 WPA architecture
Built between 1936 and 1940 by the Works Progress Administration in a Pueblo Revival style, the visitor center and seven adjacent buildings became the White Sands National Park Historic District in 1990. Hand-carved corbels, tin lighting fixtures, and adobe walls. The Trading Post (the gift shop) is housed in the original administration building.

Open hours

Open 363 days a year — closed only Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Closing time tracks sunset and shifts seasonally (around 6 PM in winter, 9 PM at the summer solstice). The park and adjacent US-70 also close occasionally — typically 1–3 hours — during White Sands Missile Range tests; check the park's closure page the day before arrival.

Monday7:00 AM – Sunset
Tuesday7:00 AM – Sunset
Wednesday7:00 AM – Sunset
ThursdayToday7:00 AM – Sunset
Friday7:00 AM – Sunset
Saturday7:00 AM – Sunset
Sunday7:00 AM – Sunset

Note · Entrance station is 0.25 miles past the visitor center on Dunes Drive. The 8-mile Dunes Drive (16 miles round-trip) closes one hour before sunset; budget at least 90 minutes plus sledding time. No water in the dunefield — fill bottles at the visitor center.

Ticket pricing

Per-person admission. Buy in advance to skip the gate line.

Private vehicle (1–7 days)$25Driver and all passengers, 7 consecutive days
Per person (foot, bike)$15Individuals 16+, 7 consecutive days
Motorcycle$20Up to 2 motorcycles, up to 4 passengers
Annual White Sands pass$45Unlimited entry to White Sands for 12 months
America the Beautiful — Annual$80All U.S. national parks and federal recreation lands

Children 15 and under enter free. The Trading Post inside the visitor center sells plastic snow saucers ($20 new, $5 used) and wax — the only place in the dunefield to buy them. Cardboard does not work; commit to a sled. Backcountry camping permits ($3 per person) are first-come at the visitor center.

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