Is White Sands National Park Worth Visiting? Ultimate Guide!

Are you wondering if White Sands National Park is worth visiting? I’ve visited White Sands National Park several times and I’ll give you my first-hand information and you need to know to help you decide if White Sands National Park is worth it.

White Sands National Park was a National Monument until 2019, when it received National Park designation. This park is well-known for its white gypsum sand dunes that look like snow.

Where is White Sands National Park?

White Sands National Park is located in southern New Mexico, near the town of Alamogordo, New Mexico. It’s about 3.5 hours south of Albuquerque and 1.5 hours north of El Paso, Texas. If you’re on a road trip, many folks will combine a trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Guadeloupe National Park and perhaps Saguaro National Park, as these national parks aren’t only about 3.5-4 hours away.

What is the best time to visit White Sands National Park?

The park is open all year, but I’d say the best time to visit would be fall or spring, as summers bring major heat and monsoons to the area, making it uncomfortable to explore (but you can still walk on the sand even in the heat — the sand is white gypsum and doesn’t heat up like regular sand does).

IMPORTANT: There is an active military missile range near White Sands National Park and they often test missiles. If they are testing missiles, White Sands National Park is closed. Make sure you check the official website for any closures to avoid disappointment! Closures are typically scheduled 2 weeks in advance.

White Sands National Park is a gated park and is closed after dark. The hours vary throughout the year — at some points during the year, the park closes as early as 6pm. Check the official park website for exact hours.

Fees

Entrance fee to White Sands National Park is $25 per car, or you can use your America the Beautiful pass.

Is White Sands National Park worth visiting?

Ultimately, it’s going to come down to your personal preferences, but in general I would definitely say yes! I’ve been here several times — with one of those times deliberately going out of my way to come here, as it had been on my bucket list for years. The other two times, I was passing through and decided to stop since I was in the area.

However, this is not one of those National Parks, like Yellowstone, where you need to spend a whole week. At White Sands, you can get away with a few hours and feel like you’ve seen it, as there isn’t a whole lot to do or see here. It’s just sand dunes.

White Sands National Park is pretty out-of-the-way from major cities. As mentioned above, it’s a whopping 3.5 hour drive from Albuquerque — which would be an excessively long day trip. If you’re visiting El Paso, then White Sands NP is much more reasonable for a day trip, at only 1.5 hours away.

That said, these sand dunes are very unique and they’re fun to photograph. As I mentioned above, my first time here, I went out of my way to get here, driving from Tucson — and I really enjoyed my visit, and was happy I went, even though the weather wasn’t the greatest (we visited in July, during monsoon season, and ran into thunderstorms). But did it live up to the hype in my mind? Honestly, not quite, because essentially, it’s just sand dunes, even though they’re really unique.

You might be wondering why I came back to White Sands National Park? Well, it’s simple; I just happened to be passing through the area and I had better weather (i.e. a sunny day), so I wanted to re-do my photos. Otherwise, no, I wouldn’t go out of my way again to go back here.

Things to do in White Sands National Park

Let’s be real here, there isn’t a lot to do in this National Park, so this list will be pretty short. But let’s take a look, shall we?

Drive “Dunes Drive”

This is the park’s main attraction! Dunes Drive is the scenic road through the park and it dead ends, so you go back the same way you came. It’s only 16 miles and will take you through the entire park with various pullouts along the way. As you get further into the park, the paved road turns into hard-packed sand and you’ll have to be ready to dodge potholes and drive through sand drifts (but the park services is pretty good at plowing — yes plowing! the road) .

Purchase or rent a sled

You can purchase waxed sleds from the visitor center and go sledding on the dunes. In theory, it looks like a ton of fun, but it seems to be harder than it looks. I’ve been to White Sands several times and I see people attempting to sled but they don’t get very far down the dunes. The trick is to come here just after a rain storm, as the dunes will be hard-packed and easier to slide down.

These saucers are quite pricey from the visitor center at $25 a piece. You can get something similar on Amazon or Wal Mart for much cheaper.

Some hotels in the area offer free plastic saucers to rent — I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Alamogordo and they offered these to rent — but you must return them!

Walk up a dune

While I can’t say I’d want to go for an actual full-blown hike at White Sands, definitely get out of your car and walk in the sand, because it is neat to feel the fine gypsum sand in your feet — and it’s kind of wild that it doesn’t get burning hot like sand you’d find at the beach!

Go for a hike

Personally, hiking in sand dunes doesn’t interest me in the least. Let’s be honest, are you really going to see that much different scenery than you will from the road? Plus, it’s so easy to get lost! The ‘trails’ are marked with tall posts to help guide you, but I can’t imagine this would be any fun, drudging through the sand like that…and for what, exactly? LOL no. Not for me.

But if it is for you, the most popular hike in the park is Alkali Flats, which is 5 miles round trip.

Interdune Boardwalk

My sister and I did this quick stroll — this ‘trail’ is on a boardwalk and has interpretive signs along the way, giving you more information about the ecology in this area.

Have a picnic

I just love the retro-style picnic tables at White Sands National Park! Not only are they fun to photograph, they’re functional, in that they have windscreens to prevent blowing sand disturbing your lunch. There’s also a ton of grills available so you could really have one helluva picnic here. You’ll also find plenty of pit toilets.

See a sunset

I still want to do this! Sunsets here are supposed to be amazing, but on our first visit to White Sands, it was raining, so there was no sunset to be had. Just keep an eye on park hours, as the park is gated at night, typically closing just after sunset.

What about sunrise at White Sands National Park?

Being that the park is gated, often times it’s not open yet for sunrise, but check the park website to be sure.

Where to stay when visiting White Sands National Monument?

Alamogordo is the closest town to White Sands National Monument and has all kinds of lodging, including most chain hotels, so you’re sure to find something to your liking. Personally, I’ve stayed at the Holiday Inn Express and the Fairfield Inn by Marriott Alamogordo and both were nice (though the Fairfield Inn has been getting some nasty reviews lately and it’s been a minute (2018) since I’ve stayed there!

There is no camping allowed. In the past, backcountry camping was allowed, however this is closed indefinitely due to rehabilitation projects in the park.

RELATED: If you stay in Alamogordo – check this place out — Visiting the World’s Largest Pistachio – Alamogordo, New Mexico

Final Thoughts – Is White Sands National Park Worth Visiting?

I’d say yes, with a few caveats — and you can take it for what you will:

• At the end of the day, the park is just sand dunes. That’s it.
• The park is actually quite large at 2.2 million acres, but the most accessible parts (i.e. the Dunes Drive) only makes up a small portion of it. While there are trails, there isn’t much to see unless you just want to see more of the same. (yep, sand dunes).
• Speaking of trails, you could get lost easily. Once you’re up on the dunes, it can get disorientating.
• The primary activities here are photography and sledding. If you don’t want to do either of those, you might not like this.
• This is out in the middle of nowhere. You have to make an effort to come here.