White Sands National Monument

White Sands National Monument
Holloman AFB, NM
(505) 675-2599
website

• Hours: Open daily, except December 25
• Reservations: Not required
• Cost: Entry fee
• Location: Southern New Mexico, driving directions below
• How Long: Allow half an hour for the visitor center, and 45 minutes for the 16-mile Dunes Drive trip
• Best Time to Visit: Any time

White Sands National Monument

Covering 275 square miles of white gypsum sand in the northern Chihuahuan Desert in a mountain-ringed valley called Tularosa Basin, White Sands National Monument contains the world's largest gypsum dune field.

Besides the Visitor Center exhibits, you can take the eight-mile, scenic Dunes Drive, where roadside exhibits explain the park's natural history, and walking trails lead into the dunes. Pick up a self-guided booklet at the Big Dune Trail, to learn about plants and animals that live here.

Ranger-led activities are available Memorial Day¹ through Labor Day².

Getting to White Sands National Monument

White Sands National Monument is 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo, NM, and 52 miles east of Las Cruces. To get there, follow US 70/82.

The highway sometimes closes here during missile testing at White Sands Missile Range, for up to two hours. If you are on a tight schedule, call ahead the day before you plan to arrive and ask about closures.

If You Liked the White Sands National Monument, You May Also Like:

• Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO: These sand dunes occupy a high desert location, and are caused when sand-laden winds slow down as they rise above the nearby mountains.
• Death Valley National Park, CA: Sights in this extreme desert environment include extensive sand dunes.
• Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, UT: The color of these dunes really is coral pink, and they're most beautiful near sunrise and sunset.

¹ Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May.
² Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September.