White Sands

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.

White Sands National Park is located off of US Highway 70 between the cities of Las Cruces and Alamogordo. The park is about 15 miles west of Alamogordo and 52 miles east of Las Cruces.

Temperatures at White Sands vary greatly throughout the year. Summer time temperatures can be very hot. Winters are mild with cool evenings. Spring time is the windy season. Fall is very enjoyable with mild daytime and night time temperatures.

The dunes at White Sands cover 275 square miles of the Tularosa Basin.

The wind shapes and moves the dunes as a whole but gives each individual dune the texture of ripples.

Fall is a wonderful time to visit as most of our plants with leaves change beautiful colors.

As the sun changes its angle through the sky it allows shadow to roll across the dunes.