• 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 »

Camping

Aerial view of the dunes at sunset
Aerial view of the dunes at sunset
NPS Photo
 

Vehicle and RV Camping

White Sands National Monument does not offer any accomodations for those wishing to camp overnight camping in an RV or other vehicle. However, several public and private campgrounds and RV parks are within one hour's drive of the park. The closest public campgrounds are Oliver Lee State Park, about 24 miles southeast, and Aguirre Springs Recreation Area, about 39 miles southwest. In the summer, the Lincoln National Forest has several campgrounds in the Sacramento Mountains, about 40 miles east of the Monument.

For more information on area camping.....

Backcountry Primitive Camping (Backpacking)

For those who would like to spend a night camping beneath the stars in the dunes, please visit our backpacking page.

Did You Know?

Photo of sand avalanching

While the wind piles the sand grains into dunes, the dunes move forward under the force of gravity. As the leading edge of the dune ("slipface") gets steeper, gravity pulls an avalanche of sand down the slipface, moving the dune forward.