• The dunes in soft light

    White Sands

    National Monument New Mexico

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  • Closures and Missile Tests

    Upcoming Missile Tests: From time to time the missile range that surrounds us performs missile testing that may require the closure of the park or Highway 70. Please follow the link below for up to date information on closures More »

Research and Collection of Resources

Researcher in the dunes.
NPS Photo
 

If you're interested in doing research at White Sands National Monument, you must first apply for a permit online through the US National Park Service Research Permit and Reporting System.

Once you've submitted your application, we will then review it and notify you of our decision (approve, disapprove, or need more information).

For more information:

David Bustos, Chief of Resource Management
White Sands National Monument
PO Box 1086
Holloman AFB, NM 88330
(575) 479-6124 ext 225
Email: david_bustos@nps.gov

Did You Know?

Photo of hiker on the dunes

Only the top few inches of the gypsum dunes are made of loose sand. Rainwater falling on the dunes dissolves some of the gypsum and cements the sand grains together, creating a crude form of plaster of Paris. This makes the white sand dunes easy to walk on.