• 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 »

Park News

For US 70 closure information, call (575) 678-1178.

All closures are subject to change without notice.

News Releases
Looking for the latest press releases and such? Click here...

 

News Release Archive
Older news releases are still available here.

 

Missile Closures
Due to missile testing on the adjacent White Sands Missile Range, it is occasionally necessary, for visitor safety, to close the Dunes Drive for periods of up to three hours. To view upcoming closures...

 

Park Road Conditions and Weather-related Closures
While the weather is usually nice, there are times when we get an unusual weather that brings with it a extraordinary amount of rain or snow. During these times, we may have to close all or a portion of the Dunes Drive. Current road conditions...

Did You Know?

Photo of yucca growing on a dune

Some species of plants can survive burial by a moving dune by a process called "stem elongation." As the sand rises, the plants quickly grow upward to keep their leaves above the rising sand.