White Sands
National Park
About White Sands
Visited – November 2019 and 2021 (#22 of 63)
Established (as NP) December 2019
146K acres (about 7% the size of Yellowstone)
Where is White Sands NP: In southern New Mexico, about 50 miles north of Las Cruces, adjacent to Alamogordo (essentially where the first a-bomb was tested).
Recommendations
Don’t miss: Take a hike out on the dunes. The Alkali Flat Trail is pretty long, but at least do some of that to get yourself out onto the apparently endless dunes. They offer sledding, which was tempting, but best left to the kids.
When to visit: Probably best between November and March or it’ll be insanely hot.
How long to stay: A day should be plenty, but consider adding on some time in nearby Alamogordo and Los Alamos (250 miles north) to learn about the Manhattan Project.
Check out the Photo Gallery of our best pictures.
Photo Gallery
As sand dunes go, these are pretty neat. Blinding white with the occassional brushy plant clinging to life. Makes for some neat photos. So check these out.
Link to NPS Info
Click to visit the park’s website with maps, history, and lots of great info on things to do and places to see.
Trip Report
Read about our adventure to White Sands…
White Sands is a fun day. We didn’t try to go “sledding” but there were quite a few kids who did. Still, hiking through the dunes was pretty cool (and difficult). Our visits in were in November with excellent weather. I’m sure summer is as hot as the sun. So don’t go then.
White Sands Blog Posts
White Sands Trip Report
We first visited White Sands weeks before it formally became a National Park. But, being sticklers for the integrity of our quest, we just had to visit again AFTER it had earned its NP status. Both visits were cool and it's a fun park to adventure in for a day.We...