• 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.

Like No Place Else on Earth

Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here, dunes have engulfed 275 square miles of desert creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Monument preserves this dunefield, along with the plants and animals that have adapted to this constantly changing environment.

Did You Know?

Satellite photo of dune field

Only a handful of gypsum dunefields exist and the white sands dunefield is by far the world's largest, covering 275 square miles.