White Sands National Park is home to the largest gypsum dunefield in the world, though the park itself can be done in one day.
1
1
1
15 mi
On our Spring Break road trip in 2024, White Sands National Park was one of our stops. When we looked up the park information, we decided we could likely do it in one day. It actually ended up only taking us about half a day to feel like we got to do what we wanted in the park, even though it spans about 275 square miles of land.
I have been to White Sands a few times in the past since I have friends who live on the military installation next to the park (White Sands Missile Range). But those trips were all before it was designated as a National Park in 2019. Also, during those trips, we didn’t actually go out to the White Sands National Monument area. All I remembered was the hot desert climate and cool evenings even in the summer months.
Even though White Sands is one of the newest parks in the National Park System, we were still amazed at the beauty of the area. After leaving, Justin said it was one of his favorite National Parks that we’ve been to as a family.
Getting There
White Sands National Park is located in Southern New Mexico, near the Texas border, in the United States. The park is in the heart of the Tularosa Basin at the Northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Note that the park is nestled between White Sands Missile Range and Holloman Air Force Base. For this reason, when there is missile testing going on, expect road closures to not only the park but the main road leading into it as well.
It is about an hour and a half’s drive from El Paso, Texas, which is the closest airport. The park is about an hour from Las Cruces, New Mexico, and about 20 minutes from Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Best Time to Go
Due to the extreme temperatures in the desert, the best time to go is early to late spring, and in the fall. We went in March and the weather was great. There was a bit of a chill in the morning but it warmed up quickly as the sun came out.
No matter when you go, make sure to bring plenty of water as there is no water available in the park once you pass the entrance station.
Day One
Visitor Center
Our morning started at the Visitor Center and Park Gift Shop. The entrance sign is in the parking lot, so we quickly snagged a photo of it. There was another couple taking a photo, so we took theirs for them and they took ours. It’s much easier than trying to set up a camera somewhere!
Once the Visitor Center opened, we were one of the first groups inside. We started with the bookstore and talked to the park ranger about the park, what we should do, and the best areas for sledding since we knew the boys wanted to do that. They suggested sledding near the Alkali Flats trailhead.
Ryan asked for a Junior Ranger booklet and the ranger gave him that and “deputized” me so we didn’t have to go back in there to get his badge later when it would be more busy. The ranger also directed me to the Passport Book stamp so we could mark that in the book.
While there, we also asked the park ranger about any ranger programs but they didn’t have any going on that day.
Justin, Ryan, Stephanie, and Tyler at the White Sands National Park entrance sign
Park Store
After we finished with the Park Rangers, we walked through a small outdoor courtyard across from the gift store. Here we rented the sleds the boys would use to go sledding on the dunes. We looked at a few of the items for sale but decided to wait until we were done for the day to make our purchases.
Driving Dunes Drive
When you leave the Visitor Center, the next stop is the entrance booth which is the start of the 8-mile scenic drive down Dunes Drive. The first 5 miles of the road are paved and the last 3 miles are hard-packed gypsum sand. Alkali Flats is at the end of the road, so we took in the sights as we went all the way back in the park as far as vehicles can go.
Sledding on Alkali Flats
Sledding was the highlight of our time at White Sands National Park. We were one of the first vehicles to the parking area around the Alkali Flat Trail. After putting on our sunscreen and hats, we headed up to the first sand dunes for the day. This was one of the best things for the boys at this point in our road trip.
We only rented two sleds, figuring that the boys would do most of the sledding. Once they both had a few turns, Justin and I took a turn on the sleds. It wasn’t as easy as sledding on snow, but it also wasn’t cold, either, and I hate the cold.
The boys spent about an hour sledding on the gypsum dunes before they started to get tired. Sledding down was fun, but walking back up the sand dunes was no easy task! While they were sledding, Justin and I took time to sit together at the top of a dune and take in the scenery. We could see acres of gypsum fields, the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, and the San Andreas Mountain Range.
Looking out at Alkali Flats
Tyler sledding on the dunes
Justin sledding on the dunes
Stephanie at White Sands Naitonal Park
Desert plants at White Sands
Interdune Boardwalk Trail
On the way back towards the entrance of the park, we stopped at a few more hiking trails. The first was the Interdune Boardwalk Trail. This is the easiest trail in the park and the only one that’s handicap accessible. The boardwalk takes you between two white sand dunes with information signs along the way about the science of the area and how the gypsum dunes are formed. You can also read information about the animals that call White Sands home and what their tracks look like in the sand.
The Interdune Boardwalk is also the only place with shade in the entire park. About halfway down the 0.2-mile boardwalk is a canopy with benches underneath. It’s a great place to take advantage of the seat and the shade if you need it.
Inderdune area
Ryan and Tyler at the information signs on Interdune Boardwalk
Looking at the dunes
Interdune Boardwalk
Dune Life Nature Trail
We only made it to part of this trail as the boys were already exhausted from the sledding. Justin and I could have kept going, but we didn’t go up and down the sand dunes for an hour like they did.
When we got over the dune to start the trail, we walked for about 5 minutes before the boys begged us to turn around. I will say that this was a hard trail to follow. Since the sand is always shifting and spreading around in the wind, there isn’t a clear trail on the ground to follow like most places.
For this trail, you are looking for markers on posts sticking out of the dunes. I think if it was a regular trail, the boys may have been more interested in continuing on. As it was, we were having a hard time finding the right path. I can see how easy it would be to get lost in the never-ending sand dunes.
Dune Life Nature Trail
Playa Trail
The last easy trail we did was the short Playa Trail. It is the last trail you’ll see on the way out of the park, on the left side of the road if you are driving towards the park entrance/exit.
Playa Trail is an easy half-mile out-and-back trail that leads to a playa. When we were there, since it wasn’t the rainy season, the playa was a dry lakebed. But, according to the signs along the path, it can sometimes fill with water and create an entire ecosystem in that small area.
The playa
Stephanie and Justin at the playa
Tyler and Ryan at the playa
Playa Trail
Gift Shop
The last thing we did at White Sands was return to the gift shop. Parking was full, so Justin looped the parking lot while the boys and I went in. When we returned the sleds, we were given a $5 store credit per sled. I let the boys both pick out a stuffed animal to use their $5 towards and I bought the Christmas Ornament I wanted for my tree.
Day One Map
White Sands Visitor Center
There is only one visitor center in White Sands National Park. The buildings here hold the information center, bookstore, gift shop, trading post, museum exhibits, and restrooms.
Parking is available in parking areas on both sides of the building. If the south side, the one closest to Highway 70, is full, try the parking lot behind the building. This leads directly into the trading post gift shop, but there is a courtyard you can go through to get to the other buildings.
Note that the restrooms here are only open when the visitors center is open. Otherwise, you’ll have to go past the entrance booth to use the vault toilets found at the trailheads and picnic areas along Dunes Drive.
When you look at the Visitor Center and the historic buildings around it, you are looking at a great example of Spanish pueblo-adobe architecture, also known as “Pueblo-Revival”. The buildings here took two years to build from 1936 to 1938 and used readily available local materials only.