The sand dunes often evoke good childhood memories, building castles in the sand, burying your feet in it and enjoying the hot sun reflected in the shiny grains. Fortunately, there is a National Park in New Mexico perfectly suited for your heart child, no matter your age!
A National Park where you can let your inner child’s imagination run freely while you sleigh and surf high in sand dunes, as well as embark on some more challenging adventures such as walking in the remote hinterland, exploring evaporated crystal-filled lakes and camping under a stunning night sky!
You can do all these things and much more by checking out the best things to do in the White Sands National Park!
What to know before going to White Sands National Park
- Location: Southern New Mexico, between the cities of Alamogordo and Las Cruces
- Opening hours: The White Sands National Park is open every day except Christmas. The park opens daily at 7am, but closing times vary depending on the season (21h in summer, 8 pm in autumn and spring and 19h in winter). For exact dates on seasonal change, visit the park website HERE.
- Entry fees: $25 per vehicle (valid for 7 consecutive days)
- Nearby cities or villages: Alamogordo, New Mexico (about 20 minutes by car) and Las Cruces, New Mexico (approximately 50 minutes by car)
- Nearest airport: Las Cruces International Airport (more or less than 50 minutes by car)
- Nearby accommodation: there are larger chain hotels, smaller boutique hotels and holiday rentals available in Alamogordo and Las Cruces
- Camping: There are no camps developed within White Sands National Park, but primitive camps in remote areas are available upon license. There are also alternative sites for camping nearby, such as Holloman Lake or Oliver Lee State Park
- Pet Policy: Pets with collar are welcome in White Sands National Park! Never leave pets alone in vehicles and make sure you follow the Leave No Trace when it comes to animal waste!
- Licenses: No permits are required for walking or daytime use in White Sands National Park. Licenses are required only to camp overnight inside the park
- Best time of year to visit: autumn – spring
*Be careful if you are planning to visit White Sands National Park in summer. Daytime temperatures typically stay around 38 degrees Celsius, but often they can pass it! Moreover, the strength of the sun is magnified when it is reflected in the sand. If you plan to visit in the summer, go early in the morning! Bring plenty of water, sunscreen and head protection.
Best Things to Do in White Sands National Park
The best things to do in White Sands National Park include sandy, hiking and camping!
Sandstone in White Sands National Park
In a park composed almost entirely of sand dunes, it should come as no surprise that the most popular attraction in White Sands National Park is the sleigh on the sand! Perfect for entire families, children, adults and pets, sled in the dunes is easy to do! Just bring your own sled or rent one at the Visitor Center upon arrival.
The best sand dunes for sleigh are at the end of the park’s main road, the picturesque Dunes Drive. There is ample parking, bathrooms and picnic places along it, next to the sand dunes for sleds. When you spot a dune in which you want to ride a sled, just park, take your sleigh and start walking!
The best walks in White Sands National Park
Another unique way to get to know the White Sands National Park is by walking one of its 6 trails. These trails vary in length from a few tenths of meters up to 10 km round trip in the sertão. There is something for everyone, all ages and all the skills on the Park’s trails, including nature walks, boardwalks and challenging trails in the dunes!
You may be wondering: how exactly do you walk a trail in the heat and the sand dunes? The park simplified the location and navigation on its trails, encoding and labeling each different trail with a designated color and symbol. Just look for the colorful and labeled markers to be able to follow all the trails of the park, even in the middle of the dunes. Below are the color codes and symbols of all the park trails!
- Alkali Flat: Red Diamonds
- Natural Dune Life: Blue Swords
- Interdune Boardwalk Track: none (no need to identify this trail, because it is all on the boardwalk)
- Playa Trail: Green Hearts
- Screen of White Sands: Orange Swords
1: Alkali Flat Trail
Quick facts about the Alkali Flat trail
Length: 7km round-trip circuit
Level: Moderate
Elevation: 15.8 meters
Estimated time for completion: 2 hours
Track marker: Red diamonds
Parking: parking is available at the beginning of the trail
Facilities: there is a bathroom available at the beginning of the trail
The Alkali Flat Trail is the longest, most challenging and secluded walk in the entire park. This can be a great attraction for adventurers, but it is also a trail that requires extra preparation, caution and attention.
Although the Alkali Flat Trail is very well marked, it is still a wild seron full of a sea of very similar sand dunes, so there are not many distinguishable landmarks to help guide you, beyond the purple Sacramento Mountains to the bottom. Therefore, if you plan to walk along the Alkali Flat trail, make sure you have all the necessary equipment for day walks, plenty of water and a reliable way of map of trails or route location.
Walking through Alkali Flat is the closest you can get to exploring an alien planet. Surrounded by a deafer silence, looking at a horizon of white dunes and crossing hills of quicksand. This is the perfect hike you can’t find anywhere else in the country, for those looking for a truly unique experience in the White Sands National Park!
See a full report of the Alkali Flat Trail HERE!
2: Natural Dune Life Trail
Quick facts about the Natural Dune Life trail
Length: 1 mile round-trip circuit
Level: Easy
Elevation: 0 meters “officials”, but there are several dunes in constant movement that need to be climbed
Estimated time for completion: 20 minutes
Track marker: blue swords
Parking: parking is available at the beginning of the trail
Facilities: bathrooms available near the start of the trail
Exploring the trails of White Sands National Park involves not only enjoying the unique landscape, but also understanding the ecosystem, the environment and wildlife that exists here. Several of the shorter trails in the Park do an excellent job educating visitors along the way with informative plaques and tips on the geography and life forms of the park. Dune Life Nature is one of those walks.
It is a family hike with many chances to see the dunes, observe signs of wildlife and learn more about the history of White Sands National Park reading the signs.
3: Interdune Score Boardwalk
Quick facts about the Interdune Boardwalk trail
Length: 0.6 km round trip
Level: Easy
Elevation: 0 meters
Track marker: None
Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes
Parking: there is parking near the beginning of the trail
Facilities: there are bathrooms near the beginning of the trail
The Interdune Boardwalk is another great example of family walking suitable for all ages and abilities, with plenty to see and learn along the way. This whole trail consists of a boardwalk, and there is a shaded canopy section in the middle of the walk.
4: Playa Trail
Quick facts about the Playa trail
Length: 0.6 km round trip
Level: Easy
Elevation: 0 meters
Track marker: green hearts
Parking: there is parking near the beginning of the trail
Facilities: there are bathrooms near the beginning of the trail
Playa gets its name from its unique beach environment, which constantly changes according to the seasons and the weather. You will be able to see varied colors, pools of water and even crystals along the way.
This trail also has a lot of informative culing to learn, as well as other short and family trails from the White Sands National Park.
5: The serte of White Sands
Quick facts about the hinterland trail of White Sands
Length: 2.8 km round-trip circuit
Level: Easy
Elevation: 1,8 metres
Track marker: orange swords
Parking: there is parking near the beginning of the trail
Facilities: there are bathrooms near the beginning of the trail
If you are planning to camp, this is the hiking trail you will use. But even if you don’t go camping, you can still enjoy this middle-level walk through the sand dunes. This trail is a great alternative for those who are not prepared to go through the entire extension of Alkali Flat and would like a shorter option, but still isolated, in the park hinterland.
6: Lake Lucero Trail
Quick facts about the Lake Lucero trail
Length: 2.5 km round trip
Level: Moderate
Elevation: 22.8 metres
Parking: parking is available at the beginning of the trail
Facilities: portable toilets available at the beginning of the trail
This is the only park trail that should be traveled on a guided tour, due to the fragile environment. You can reserve a place on the park website HERE. Although you can’t walk this trail independently, it’s worth the visit, as Lake Lucero is one of the most fascinating areas of White Sands National Park.
Ironically, there is no lake on the Lake Lucero Trail. What exists now is the result of an ancient lake, but it is still fascinating to see the vestiges hidden in this seemingly barren desert expanse. If you look closely, you can see clusters of selenite crystals, exposed and shining in the sun, or unique desert formations of deserts!
Additional guided walks in White Sands National Park
The walk through Lake Lucero is not the only guided option in the park. If you are interested in participating in a walk or program led by a ranger, there are several options available.
There are walks on the full moon, which, as the name implies, are walks led by guards under the full moon! These walks are offered once a month, from March to November. You can check out the full schedule of walks on the full moon HERE. It is necessary to purchase advance tickets to participate in a guided walk on the full moon.
In addition to the walks on the full moon, there is another way to experience the best of the White Sands National Park trails, from a different perspective. Enjoy one of the most beautiful sunsets imaginable on a guided sunset tour. These guided tours by rangers take place daily and do not require reservations. This is considered an easy walk, approximately one mile long.
Camping at White Sands National Park
There are no camps developed within the White Sands National Park, but inland camps are allowed, which is an even more natural and raw way to sleep outdoors in the dunes in the wild nature of the Park!
To access the camping sites, the campers will have to do the White Sands Backcountry circuit. The places to camp are located on this trail.
A permit is required to camp in the park, so be sure to purchase one at the Visitor Center when you arrive.
Other attractions nearby
If you want to complement your adventures in the White Sands National Park, fortunately there are a handful of interesting options nearby!
You can visit the National Parks of New Mexico with a visit to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, located just 3 hours east of the White Sands National Park. Also only 3 hours away, you can check out THREE National Parks in the Southwest, adding a stop in Texas, in the Guadeloupe Mountains National Park!!
