White Sands National Park

About

White Sands National Park protects 275 square miles of gypsum sand dunes in southern New Mexico's Tularosa Basin, creating a landscape that looks more like another planet than the American Southwest. The brilliant white dunes shift and reshape constantly, rising up to 60 feet high and stretching to the horizon in every direction.

Driving the eight-mile Dunes Drive takes you from the visitor center deep into the heart of the dune field. The road transitions from pavement to packed gypsum sand as you go further in, and pullouts along the way let you stop, explore, and climb the dunes. Sledding down the dunes on plastic saucers (available at the gift shop) is a park tradition that kids and adults enjoy equally.

Several hiking trails wind through the dunes, ranging from the easy half-mile Interdune Boardwalk to the five-mile Alkali Flat Trail, which crosses open dune fields with no shade. The Dune Life Nature Trail offers a one-mile loop that reveals the surprisingly diverse plant and animal life adapted to survive in this harsh environment.

Sunset is the park's marquee experience. As the sun drops toward the San Andres Mountains to the west, the white sand shifts through shades of pink, gold, and lavender. The park often extends hours during summer to let visitors experience sunset from within the dunes.

Full moon programs offer another spectacular way to experience the park. Rangers lead guided walks among the dunes under moonlight, when the white sand glows with an otherworldly luminescence.

The visitor center features exhibits on the geology, ecology, and human history of the Tularosa Basin. A short film explains how the dunes formed and continue to move. The park sits adjacent to the White Sands Missile Range, and occasional missile testing causes temporary closures - check ahead before visiting.

White Sands is one of those places that makes you stop and stare. Photos don't quite capture how vast and strange and beautiful it really is.

Accessibility

White Sands National Park offers several accessible features for visitors with mobility challenges. The visitor center and its restrooms are fully accessible for wheelchairs, strollers, and other wheeled devices. The center's exhibits and film screening area are wheelchair accessible.

The Interdune Boardwalk is the park's primary accessible trail - a half-mile raised boardwalk that provides wheelchair-accessible passage through the dune environment with interpretive signs along the way.

Dunes Drive is paved for the first several miles before transitioning to packed gypsum sand. Visitors can experience the dunes from their vehicles along the entire route, with accessible pullouts at scenic overlooks.

For full moon programs, the park provides two ADA-accessible buses (24 seats total) for transportation. The amphitheater area includes a wheelchair and stroller ramp.

The picnic areas near the dunes have accessible tables, though the sand surrounding these areas makes off-path travel in a wheelchair difficult. The nature of the park - loose sand dunes - means that much of the backcountry terrain is not accessible to wheelchair users.

Accessible parking is available at the visitor center and at trailhead pullouts along Dunes Drive. Contact the park at (575) 479-6124 for current accessibility information and to discuss specific needs before your visit.

More accessible places in New Mexico

• New Mexico Museum of Space History (Alamogordo)
• Valles Caldera National Preserve (Jemez Springs)
• National Museum of Nuclear Science & History (Albuquerque)
• Chaco Culture National Historical Park (Nageezi)
• Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (Albuquerque)
• Aztec Ruins National Monument (Aztec)

Photo credits

• White Sands National Park - main view of accessible destination: National Park Service, Public domain (U.S. National Park Service)
• White Sands National Park - view 2 of accessible destination: National Park Service, Public domain (U.S. National Park Service)
• White Sands National Park - view 3 of accessible destination: National Park Service, Public domain (U.S. National Park Service)