White Sands

ILNP Rating

Scenery

Uniqueness

Wildlife

Diversity

ILNP Park Review

In a Word. “Brilliant”

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” -Psalm 139:17-18

Our Visit. I visited White Sands as part of a two-day whirlwind trip through several of New Mexico’s national park units in late September

Our Weather. 50 degrees and sunny.

The dunes are the centerpiece of White Sands National Park with its brilliant sand and shifting dunes

About the Park. White Sands was originally protected as a National Monument in 1933. It was elevated to a National Park in 2020, making it the newest National Park at the time of this writing. Only a portion of the dune field is within park boundaries with the White Sands Missile Range managing the northern portion of the dunes and jointly managing the western half of the park. While the park is large, there’s not really much to do, so White Sands doesn’t really reach the threshold for “National Park” in my opinion which is why I only give it 3 stars. As a National Monument where the focus tends to be singular and expectations are lower, I would give White Sands 4-5 stars because it’s still worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Favorite Spot. Alkali Flat Trail

The sand shows all the footprints for the day, but the winds will soon cover them up

Minimum Time Required. If you just want to peer out onto the dunes, you can easily drive the parks single road (Dunes Drive) onto portions of the dunes in under an hour. However, while the road lets you see the white sand, it doesn’t offer any great views overlooking the dunes. To really experience White Sands, you need to hike out into the dunes. If hiking the dunes, I recommend you get to the park as soon as it’s open in the morning no matter what the season. As you drive into the park, you’ll pass the Visitor Center and gift shop which won’t be open yet, and you’ll pass several trailheads. Skip them and head right for the end of the road (furthest point on the loop anyway) and Alkali Flat Trail. To get there, you’ll need to drive past the end of the pavement and onto the packed and groomed gypsum sand for the last couple miles–don’t worry, the surface is hard, and you don’t need any special type of vehicle to drive it.

Alkali Flat Trail is several miles long and goes to an actual “flat” within the dunes, but you only need to hike about 1/2 mile in to really experience the dunes. While you’re on a “trail,” it’s really just open sand with markers showing you the way. Choose your own path, but keep track of where you are, the nearest trail marker, and the way back. After weaving through a valley of sand, the trail climbs up to the top of the dunes where you can gaze out over the vastness of white with rugged brown mountains as the backdrop. What makes this trail special compared to others in the park is the lack of vegetation–it’s nearly all dunes. If you’ve followed my advice and hiked in the morning, the sand will still be cool, the footprints few, and the shadows cast by the low sun will add tremendous depth to the scene–well worth the sand in your shoes and the effort of climbing in fine sand (two steps forward, one slide back). Once atop the dunes, you can keep walking along the trail, or you can turn back to keep your day short. You can drive the road and make a 1 mile out-and-back on the trail in about 90 minutes.

The last couple miles of Dunes Drive is on hard-packed sand

A Longer Visit. You can see everything and hike every trail in the park in just a few hours. Regardless of how much time you have, I still recommend going first thing in the morning and making Alkali Flat Trail your first stop. If you want to hike the entire 5-mile trail, plan on about 3 hours, but in 1 hour, you can hike about 3/4 of a mile in which takes you to the top of the dunes and offers fantastic views before hiking back the way you came. An alternative if Alkali Flat Trail is crowded or closed is the nearby Backcountry Camping Trail which is open to hikers.

After you’ve got your fill of the pure white dunes, head back down Dunes Drive to hit the other three trails you passed driving in. They’re all pretty short, and I was able to hike all three in about 90 minutes. My favorite of the three was Dune Life Nature Trail which takes you on a loop through a mix of dunes and scrub vegetation where numerous signs tell you about the desert dwellers who live here (you’ll see their tracks everywhere)–this is a good trail for kids since it’s not too long and has pictures along the way. Playa Trail takes you out to a small dry lakebed (a “playa”) that’s very different from the dunes, and just a 5 min walk gives you access to the lake. Interdune Boardwalk is the easiest and most accessible trail. It runs through some dunes to a platform that looks out over more dunes, though of the vegetated variety. It’s also a good place to catch a glimpse of the fighters flying from nearby Holloman Air Force Base.

Markers all along Dune Life Nature Trail point you to signs of animal life and facts about the creatures that live here

After you’ve hiked to your heart’s content, you can head back to the park entrance and take a stroll through the Visitor Center and gift shop. As an alternative to a morning trip, consider coming in the evening a few hours prior to sunset and reversing the order, planning to be on top of the dunes (near the parking area so you can get back easily) for the golden hour and sunset.

Suggestions. This is high desert, so take LOTS of water, especially if heading onto Alkali Flat Trail. Also, temperatures vary widely, so dress in layers. It was 38 degrees when I started my hike on Alkali Flat Trail in late September, but because of the direct sun, I was able to get away in shorts and a light jacket (but I do live in Colorado).

Take a spare pair of old shoes for hiking in the dunes and a towel to dust off with. You will get fine sand EVERYWHERE on your legs and in your shoes and socks, and it won’t come out for days.

Make sure you check in on the park website to ensure there won’t be any closures while you’re there. Missile tests in the adjacent White Sands Missile Range sometimes result in road closures of the best part of the park, but these tests are scheduled well in advance, so you shouldn’t be surprised by a closure.

If you’re looking for good photos, go in the morning or evening when the sun in low, find a spot of pristine sand, and get down low. This will allow you to see the beautiful and intricate designs the wind carves in these dunes much better than with the sun overhead.

Nearby Towns Alamogordo, Las Cruces (NM)

Other Nearby Attractions White Sands Missile Range