• 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.

Virtual Tour

This page under construction.
 
Cottonwood in fall color
An NPS Photo
 
Rio Grande cottonwood trees grow throughout the dune field.  Their roots tap into the shallow water table which lies just three feet below the surface.  In the fall (late October-early November) their leaves turn golden, adding splashes of color throughout the white sands.

Did You Know?

Aerial photo of dunes

The white sands dunefield is an active dunefield. The dunes move from west to east as much as thirty feet per year.