Walking in a winter wonderland…?
You’ve seen it in photos. Endless rolling hills of sparkling white sand underneath New Mexico’s picturesque skies. If you’re anything like me, the idea of exploring somewhere that looks so hauntingly beautiful is enough of a draw to plan a trip to White Sands National Park.
White Sands is one of the United States’ newest national parks, officially inducted in December 2019. Before that, it was a well-known national monument dating all the way back to 1933. It’s also one of the smaller U.S. National Parks, spanning only 228 square miles. Tiny, I know.
I hate guides and itineraries that drag on and on, so here we go: your ultimate guide to visiting White Sands National Park!
The Basics: Who, When, Where, and How
Who would enjoy White Sands National Park? | White Sands is a super family-friendly park; one of the best I’ve seen for small children. The dunes basically make the entire park a fun playground for kids to play in, and there are trails that are short enough for little ones or totally unseasoned hikers to walk. Many of the trails also have interesting signage about the park and its plants and animals, making it a fun learning experience as well. If you’re looking for long, strenuous trails that pose a major challenge, you’ll want to look somewhere else.
When should I go? | White Sands is open year-round, except for holidays and the occasional closure due to missile testing. Yes, the park is located basically adjacent to a live U.S. missile testing site, so the park may close without warning when these are in session (obviously). In the summer, air temperatures in New Mexico can get incredibly hot, even though the white sand will reflect back most of the heat, and the exertion from climbing the dunes can make heatstroke and heat exhaustion a definite possibility. In the winter, it can get fairly cold and windy, so you’ll want to bring your jacket to hike in! We went in December and it was chilly before and after sunset, but extremely comfortable when the sun was out. As for how long you should plan your trip to be, I firmly believe that 2 days is the perfect amount of time — you could definitely squeeze every single trail into one day (we almost did, even at a leisurely pace), but it’s more fun with two.
Where should I stay? | White Sands has a camping site, but it has to be requested every day if planning on stay more than one night. If you’re not into camping or stargazing, I would suggest finding an AirBnB or hotel in Alamogordo or Las Cruces, both towns that are about a half-hour’s drive away from the park entrance. We stayed at a lovely AirBnB in Las Cruces that was both close to the park and close to grocery and restaurant options.
How to get there? | The closest airport to White Sands National Park would actually be El Paso (ELP), located on the west edge of Texas. It’s about a 2 hour drive from El Paso to the White Sands recreational area, so if planning to fly in, I would recommend ELP. You can also fly into Albuquerque (ABQ) or Santa Fe (SAF), but both of those are closer to a 4–5 hour drive down to the park.
What to Do in White Sands National Park
There are only a handful of official trails within the park, with the longest only clocking in at 5 miles roundtrip (my favorite trail!) and the shortest being under a mere half-mile stroll. All of them are accessed via Dunes Drive, the lollipop road that circles through White Sands and is also the only road within the park. As you drive your way up the lollipop stick, you’ll see the scrubby vegetation dotting the soft white dunes slowly give way to empty expanses of sand and huge soft hills framed by picture-perfect mountains in the background. The best part of White Sands is that off-roading is not just acceptable, but entirely expected — the best experiences come from straying off, climbing a few pillowy dunes, playing in the sand, and just generally having a great time! Don’t feel limited to just the trails: the entire park is basically your playground.
It’s also worth noting that most of the “trails” in the park aren’t your typical well-worn path with great signage — due to the nature of the shifting sand, park trails tend to be delimited by trail markers that are sometimes all too easy to lose sight of. Despite getting turned around a few times, I never felt in dangerous or actually lost within the park, so just keep an eye out and you’ll be fine! I’ve noted all 5 White Sands trails below, from shortest to longest.
- Interdune Boardwalk (0.4mi/650m)
The Interdune Boardwalk is a well-limited trail that peeks out into White Sands. You can still find plenty of shrubbery along side the boardwalk, as well as interesting information about the kinds of plants that grow there. It is quite common to venture out beyond the boardwalk to play in the large dunes, especially because the boardwalk makes for an easy landmark to head back to.
- Playa Trail (0.5mi/800m)
This extremely short trail winds its way around the playa, describing the historical significance of the water that used to be there and the ecosystem that it supported. This trail does not feature much sand. Because of the delicate balance held by the playa, please do not wander off-trail!
- Dune Life Nature Trail (1mi/1.6km)
This trail takes you straight up a set of beautiful white dunes dotted with plants, while giving you a detailed lesson about the various wildlife that depends on the vegetation for food, shelter, and survival. You can easily spot bird tracks and other animal prints while walking from trail marker to trail marker, and there are great tall dunes to sled down from.
- Backcountry Camping Trail (2mi/3.5km)
This is the first trail that I would consider a legitimate trail experience. Clambering up and down silky white dunes, squinting at trail markers, and rolling around in the endless fields of sand. This is a loop trail that’s perfect for people who want to actually hike, but don’t want to commit to the much longer (and much hillier) Alkali Flat Trail. Due to how long it takes to wade through sand, this trail can take around 1.5 hours.
- Alkali Flat Trail (5mi/8km)
The longest trail in the park, and my personal favorite trail, is the Alkali Flat Trail. The name can be misleading — the trail is not flat in the slightest, and will have you climbing up steep dunes and searching for the next trail marker with varying levels of success. I prefer this trail over the Backcountry Camping Trail because the dunes are larger, you feel more lost in nature, and there are many more unspoiled dunes to climb and play in. I also love picking out a faraway dune, climbing onto it, and then settling in to watch the sunset — this trail has the most remote feeling out of anywhere in the park! It takes about three hours to complete the Alkali Flat Trail, and regardless of which season you are visiting, you should make sure to pack in some water. If you only have one stop to make in White Sands National Park, I highly recommend it be this one!
- Sledding
This is one of the most popular activities in the park! The visitor center sells and rents out sleds so you can slide down sparkly white hills of sand. We didn’t purchase one, but a hiker we ran into generously lent us his for a few rounds. It can be tricky to get the hang of sledding with them, so you’ll probably have to try multiple times — but it looks fun, and if you are bringing kids along it’s pretty much a must-do. Pick an untouched dune, lean back, and enjoy the ride!
White Sands National Park makes for a fantastic addition to any New Mexico trip. No matter your age, you’ll feel like a little kid again running around in the pristine white sand dunes! Though it may not be the national park with the most to do, you certainly won’t regret spending a day or two marveling at the beautiful landscape here. Grab your camera, a water bottle, and a sled, and you’re basically ready to go. I hope you think it’s as beautiful as I did!
Frequently Asked Questions
- What should I pack?
If it’s summer, bring all your light, breathable clothes for those hot hikes! If it’s winter, pack in a light but warm jacket — you’ll warm up from the climbing eventually. Make sure to have a hat, sunblock, walkable shoes, and plenty of water/snacks on hand. Sunglasses to help protect your eyes during the glare of midday aren’t a bad idea either if you’re light-sensitive like me, because the light reflecting off those sand dunes is no joke! Also, your shoes will become veritably filled with sand — just a word of warning.
- What was your favorite part of the park?
Hands down, the Alkali Flat Trail. So much of it is untouched, so if you don’t want dunes filled with footprints, this is the place to go! It’s also a wonderful place to watch sunset, and the best hike in the entire park. Highly recommend!
