National Park · New Mexico, United States
White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park is a national park in New Mexico, United States, covering 146,344 acres (59,223 ha), established in 2019; it recorded 659,742 visits in 2025.
National Park · New Mexico, United States
No freely licensed photograph of this park is in our library yet — rather than borrow a picture of somewhere else, this profile leads with its verified facts.
Park facts
| Park type | National Park |
|---|---|
| Location | New Mexico, United States |
| Area | 146,344 acres (59,223 ha) |
| Established | 2019 |
| Annual visits (2025) | 659,742 |
| Coordinates | 32.7800° N, 106.1700° W |
| Managed by | National Park Service |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
About White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park is a national park of the United States located in New Mexico and completely surrounded by White Sands Missile Range. The park covers 145,762 acres (227.8 sq mi; 589.9 km2) in the Tularosa Basin, including the southern 41% of a 275 mi2 (710 km2) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. This gypsum dunefield is the largest of its kind on Earth, with a depth of about 30 feet (9.1 m), dunes as tall as 60 feet (18 m), and about 4.5 billion short tons (4.1 billion metric tons) of gypsum sand.
Description from the park's Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), linked in the sources below.
Planning your visit
Best time to visit
October to April — cooler months; summers are very hot
What to do
Getting there
| Nearest town | Alamogordo, New Mexico |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | El Paso International Airport |
| Getting there | Fuel/Charging The nearest gas station is located in Alamogordo, which is 15 miles (24 km) east of the park. |
Where to stay
| Campgrounds | No |
|---|
Famous trails
- Alkali Flat Trail — 5.0 miles (8 km) — Moderate
- Dune Life Nature Trail — 1.0 miles (1.6 km) — Easy
Like White Sands National Park? Visit White Sands National Park’s official park page for hours and current conditions before you travel.
Airports near this park
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- El Paso International Airport (ELP) · El Paso, United States · 68.1 miles away
- Abraham González International Airport (CJS) · Ciudad Juárez, Mexico · 80.4 miles away
Parks nearby
More parks in New Mexico
Frequently asked questions
Where is White Sands National Park?
White Sands National Park is in New Mexico, United States (32.7800° N, 106.1700° W).
When was White Sands National Park established?
White Sands National Park was established in 2019, per the source listed at the foot of this page.
How big is White Sands National Park?
White Sands National Park covers 146,344 acres (59,223 ha).
How many people visit White Sands National Park each year?
It recorded 659,742 recreation visits in 2025, the latest published figure.
When is the best time to visit White Sands National Park?
October to April — cooler months; summers are very hot.
Does White Sands National Park have campgrounds?
No — White Sands National Park has no campgrounds.
How do I get to White Sands National Park?
The nearest town is Alamogordo, New Mexico. The nearest airport is El Paso International Airport. Fuel/Charging The nearest gas station is located in Alamogordo, which is 15 miles (24 km) east of the park.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_United_States_National_Park_System_official_units — Wikipedia list of National Park System official units — unit name, state, official designation.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_areas_in_the_United_States_National_Park_System — Wikipedia list of National Park System areas — year established and gross area.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_parks_of_the_United_States — Wikipedia list of US national parks — coordinates, established date, area, recreation visitors (2025), description.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Sands_National_Park — Wikipedia article — description (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.nps.gov/whsa/ — Official park page.
- https://www.nps.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/things2do.htm — Named trails, as stated by the source.