• The dunes in soft light

    White Sands

    National Monument New Mexico

  • Closures and Missile Tests

    Upcoming Missile Tests: Friday-Saturday, April 27-28 -- Missile test scheduled on both mornings. Highway 70 will be blocked at Red & Yellow checkpoints. No backcountry camping on Thursday and Friday, April 26 & 27. More »

  • High Winds

    We are in our windy season, so please be aware of possible high winds.

  • Backcountry Camping

    There will be no backcountry camping available the night of Saturday, April 7, 2012.

Visiting Schools Calendar

Bringing your class to the monument is a great way to educate while having fun at the same time.

For safety, we do have to limit the number of buses in the monument to 12 per day. Please check the calendar below for available dates.

If you requested a ranger to speak to your class, please check the calendar on your visit date. "Ranger" means that a ranger is available to speak with your class. When you arrive at the monument, please check-in at the visitor center. "No Ranger" means that a ranger was not available to speak to your class. "Ranger?" means that a request for a ranger to speak to your class is pending; please check seven days prior to your visit.

Schools who do not show for their scheduled ranger program will not be allowed to request an on-sight ranger program for one year. This will apply only to the offending teacher(s) and not to the entire school. There is a 15-minute window for schools that are running late. If your school group will be more than 15-minutes late, the ranger scheduled program will be canceled.

Please call the monument if your school group is running late. Please contact the monument as soon as possible if your school group needs to cancel the scheduled ranger program so that we can schedule other school groups in that time slot.

 

 
December 2011
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
25 26 27 28 29 30 31
1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24


 
January 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  

1

2

3

4

5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 ALBYouth 2BusRanger
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 Memorial 2busRanger 27 28
29 30 31      


 
February 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  

26

AHighSchool 1bus LLuc

27 28 29    

 

1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15

16

CounselCtr 1van

17 18
19 20

21

22 23

24 

SierraMid 2bus2ranger

McGillUniv 3van

 

25

LaFePrep 4bus2ranger



 
March 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
25

26

27

28

29 30

31 NMMilitaryInst

1busRanger

1 2

3

4 5 SelwynSch 1busRanger 6 7 8 EastTennState 3vanRanger
NoLL 
9 10 RuidosoSpc
Olympic
9POV

11 UnivTXPanAm 2van2pov Ranger

12 13

14

Santa Fe
Mtn Cntr
1pov

15

YuccaElem 1bus

16 17
18 19 20 21 22

23

24



 
April 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
29

30

LeBarronPark 3bus/Ranger/TRB

 

 

 

1 2 3

4

MescaleroHeadstart 4bus

CaminoReal 3bus

5

VistaHills 2bus2NoRanger

AlamoHomesch 3povNoRanger

TombaughElem 2bus

6 7
8

9

10 11

12

13 ImperialCollege 2bus

ValleyViewElem 5bus

14
15 16 17

18  

TularosaInter 2bus/Ranger

MesillaValleyChrist

1bus/Ranger

GermanSchoolELP

3bus/NoRanger/TRB

 

 

 

    

 

19

20 MaxPlanckGym 4POV Stroll

SonomaElem 3bus

TularosaElem 2bus

JohnsonElem 2bus

MesillaElem 1bus

21

GymBerchtesgaden 2vanRanger?

22

23

BerinoElem 2bus/Ranger/ TRBresv

 

24

ConleeElem 3busNoRanger

25 OregonElem 6bus

LomaHtsElem
1bus

DexterElem 2bus

26 DonaAnaElem 1bus3vanRanger

CesarChavezElem 1bus

 

27

BLACKOUT:

DateNotAvailable

LomaHeights 2bus

TornilloHigh

2busNoRanger

ExplorationsPrep 2busRanger/TRB

CentralElem 1bus

SunlandPark 1bus/Ranger

EscontriasElem

2bus/NoRanger

HighlandElem 2busNoRanger

28

UTEP

2van



 
May 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
27 28 29 30

31

JohnDrugan 5bus

 

 

1

ChaparralMiddle 1busRanger

2

3 LynnMiddle 6bus

ChaparralHigh 2bus

YuccaElem

3bus

4 StratfordJunior 1busSunsetStroll

SierraElem 2bus

 

5

GranburyHS 1busRanger

LaVetaElem 1bus

UnivWisconsin

3van

PhoenixCollegiate

2busRanger

6

7 EENM 1busRanger

JornadaElem 2bus

LasCrucesCatholic 20POV

8 EENM 1busSStroll

NMSchDeaf 2van

 

9 EENM 1busSStroll

CentralElem 1bus

10 EENM 1busRanger

CapitanSch 1bus

ArreyElem 1bus

CCVermont 2van

11 CloudcroftHS 3bus

HatchHS

2bus

AlmedaElem

2bus

HermosaHgts 2bus/Rangerwmovie

12 TularosaHSS 3POV

13

14

NMSchoolforBlind 1bus:morning

15

HelenBallElm 3busNoRgr

16 JuniataColleg 5Van

EastMtnHS 1busRanger

17 RubenTorres 2bus

UNCarolina 2van

Alamogordo HSHonor 3busNoRgr

18 DesertView 2bus

BaylorUniv 2van

HarrisonElem 1busRanger

WHSMRsch 3bus3Ranger

SidneyGutierz1bus

19
20

21

BuenaVista 1busRanger

NMSchoolBld 1busafternoon Ranger

22 HermosaHgts 2busNoRgr

WhiteMtnElm 1busRanger  HollomanMid 2bus

23

Sacramentom 1busNoRgr

SierraVista 1busNoRgr

24

VistaElem 2busNoRgr

UofTXAustin 1Van6POV

25

AustinStUniv 5van

26


 

 

June 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
24 25 26

27

28 29

30 UnivTexas 1busRanger?

 

 

1

2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10

11

12 13 14

15

16

FirstBaptistSch 1busRanger?

17

18

19 20 21 22 23


 

 

July 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15

16

17 18 19 20

21

BoerneHS 1busRanger?

22 23 24 25

26

27 28
29

30

31


 
August 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
26 27 28 29 30 31  
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10  11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25


 
September 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
30

 

 
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27

28

29


 
October 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16

17

18

19

20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31

 



 
November 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
25 26 27 28 29 30  
1 2 3
4 5 6 7

8

9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24


 
December 2012
Sunday     Monday    Tuesday   Wednesday Thursday   Friday      Saturday  
30 31
1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28 29


Did You Know?

Photo of kangaroo rat

Because there is virtually no fresh water within the White sands dunefield, animals that live in the dunes must get almost all their water solely from the food they eat. Desert animals have evolved many ways of conserving moisture. The kangaroo rat eats only dry seeds and never drinks water.