White Sands National Park — Attraction in Alamogordo

World’s largest gypsum dune field at 275 square miles only to be followed by number 2 and 3 and 1 and 2 square miles respectively.

This place is a heaven on earth. It’s an out of the world experience, so expect to spend minimum 5-6 hours at the location. I’d say come around 1pm to tour visitor center, watch 20 min movie on white sands, enter the park, drive the white sands scenic loop, spend sometime sand sledding on dune either by buying or renting sleds and wax at the visitor center, head down to trail walk and finally ending with sunset stroll.

There’s no food stalls or restaurants on site. You are allowed to bring your food, just be respectful of the nature and don’t spread trash. Always pack-out anything you pack-in; including trash such as food wrappers and empty bottles.

Occasionally the road into the park can close due to missile testing. So please check the park website before heading to the park.

Entry fee is $25 (7 day pass) per vehicle. It’s free for active/reserved/veterans and military gold star pass holders. There are also certain free days annually. Be sure to check their website.

Plenty of parking at the site. Don’t worry about renting an SUV/Truck because your 1.8L engine like Corolla or Sentra would be just fine. The roads are paved and easily drivable.

Only one trail is handicap accessible and rest and pretty challenging for disabled folks.

Start with a 20 minute educational video at the visitors center.

4:30 pm free sunset stroll with park ranger is very informative and it can last for about 60-90 minutes. I would recommend carrying a winter jacket because it gets pretty chilled in the evening. DO NOT MISS THIS TOUR.

There are various drop in programs with park rangers which are very informative and educational. Check in at the visitor center to discover these unscheduled exciting programs.

Lake Lucero tour is pretty awesome and will be sold out in seconds. Offered once a month in November through March.

Restrooms available at the visitor center and few potter potty inside the park. This park also has bunch of picnic benches which you can utilize to set up...

Love love love

this National Park.

Thank you T. Rex, I mean, T. Reed for helping me out this early morning!!!! The park is open early!!!!! Than you,

Ranger Mark Garners " for presenting me my

Access Pass

with all the benefits to an Army Veteran!

Celebrate!!!!!!!

Thanks a million zillion! Park Rangers are the best!!!

Started my bucket list wanderlust!!!! Sketch and paint here often. Came to Raytheon company picnics as a young child. Don't miss the Sundown tour! Bring a mask the wind can really whip up the sand! Get pics with the setting sun...take off your sunglasses!!!

The park is mostly down at this time. A pilot crashed an F-16 fighter jet. He survived, way to go!!!!!!! Veterans may get a free park cards for free admittance to ALL Federal Parks. Thanks President Franklin D Roosevelt for making our national parks a high priority!!!!!! We owe so much joy and pleasure exploring our National treasures! Great gift shop, wow.

Park Rangers are the best!!!

All workers at the gift shoo, friendly courteous!!! Great deals, tons of gifts...few for yourself. If you want to sled the beautiful white sands make sure to apply a ton of wax!!!! If not ypull crash and burn, lol. So much info on the dessert during the Sunset stroll. Too much fun with the Park Rangers. Celebrate your Wanderlust ( strong desire to travel) here. So many Americans travel the National Parks trail. I started mine here!! Keep returning!!

Enjoy your travels. Be safe and be a courteous driver. Enjoy!!!!

Love My National Parks!!!! Oh make sure the kids become Jr Park Rangers, you too!! No cost!!!

Oh all Seniors should get ur card to enter National Parks the Senior Card has added benefits!!

Safe travels, enjoy.

Love...

We visited this park before our drive home to Texas. The park is just southwest of Alamogordo, New Mexico and not far from Holman Air Force Base. There is a visitor's center near the main entry road. The center had a small display explaining about the park and how the sand dunes came to be. The staff was helpful. You don't pay for entry to the park here, though. That is done just a bit farther into the park and a drive up kiosk. One thing we did before leaving the visitor's center was use the public restrooms. I am taking of a star for this review because these were some of the worst restrooms my wife and I have ever used and an embarrassment to the NPS! Not only were they not clean but the urinals had been removed from the walls with pipes left sticking out. The paint on the walls and doors was in bad shape. Honestly, I have been in better public restrooms in rural India and China that had more to offer than these.

Once inside the park you drive the main road in and it eventually forms into a big loupe road. There are different areas to park, the don't want you just stopping on the road but only in the parking areas. There is a section that is off limits to visitors due to an air force jet crashing there earlier this year but it is well marked with yellow tape.

We parked at the parking lot at the far north end and went out hiking on the Alkali Flats trail in search of places for pictures. Very pretty but if you want to find sand dunes without foot prints you have to hike out quite a distance from the main trail. We did and took some nice sunset pictures and then hiked back. Luckily they mark the trail with tall red stakes within sight of each other so you have pretty clear idea of how to get...