White Sands National Park
Closure Information See 5 current alerts
Current alerts (5)
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Closure
Dunes Drive Safety Corridor
Dunes Drive is open. A safety corridor is in effect between mile marker 3 and 5.5 along Dunes Drive. Visitors may drive but not stop or exit their vehicle in this area.
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Backcountry Camping Closed
Backcountry camping at the park is closed. There is no established opening date at this time.
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Interdune Boardwalk Closed
Due to the active safety corridor, the Interdune Boardwalk is closed. Please visit the park visitor center to learn about other options during your visit.
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Park Closures
From time to time the missile range that surrounds the park performs military testing that may require the closure of the park or Highway 70. Please plan your visit around upcoming military tests.
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RV and Tractor Trailer Parking at the Visitor Center
There is limited space for parking for recreational vehicles and trailers in the parking lot directly in front (south) of the visitor center. RVs are asked to not park in the lot behind the visitor center. There is no parking space for tractor trailers.
Hours
Standard Park Hours
| Every day | 7:00AM - Sunset |
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Coming up:
- Nov 26: Thanksgiving Day (closed)
The park gates always open at 7:00 am with closing hours changing with sunset. The park closes 30 minutes after local sunset. Local sunset is 8 minutes earlier than Alamogordo's predicted sunset. Sunset times can be found at https://sunrise-sunset.org/us/alamogordo-nm
Visitor centers
White Sands Visitor Center
White Sands Visitor Center
| Every day | 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
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Coming up:
- Nov 26: Thanksgiving (closed)
Visitor Center hours are 9:00 am - 5:00 pm year-round. It is open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Events in the next few days
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Ice Age Life Within Drop-in Program
· 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM · Free
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Sunset Stroll
· 05:00 PM · Meet near the sunset stroll sign parking area, an 8-mile (12.9 km) drive from the fee station. Follow Dunes Drive, staying left at the intersection. The Sunset Stroll begins in the parking lot on the left just after you pass the Backcountry Camping Loop t · Free
About this park
Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here.