Why White Sands National Park
White Sands National Park is a protected area located in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico. Spanning 145,762 acres, the park is entirely enclosed by the White Sands Missile Range and sits near Holloman Air Force Base. It protects the southern portion of a 275-square-mile field of brilliant white sand made of gypsum crystals, creating the largest dunefield of its kind on Earth. Across the park, sand depths average about 30 feet, with individual dunes reaching heights of up to 60 feet.
The unique landscape began taking shape approximately 12,000 years ago as the climate warmed, causing ancient lakes to evaporate and leave behind selenite crystals that strong winds broke down into sand. Today, thousands of animal species live within the park, the majority of which are invertebrates. Many resident animals exhibit white or off-white coloration, and at least 45 species—including 40 distinct moths—are found nowhere else on Earth.
Human presence in the basin spans tens of thousands of years. Fossilized tracks preserved in gypsum soil show humans coexisting with extinct Ice Age megafauna between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. Subsequent inhabitants included Paleo-Indian hunters, Archaic agriculturalists, the Jornada Mogollon culture, and Apache groups. By the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Hispanic and Euro-American settlers established salt-gathering trails, agricultural settlements, ranches, and mineral mining operations across the basin.
The area was initially proclaimed a national monument by President Herbert Hoover in 1933 before being redesignated as a national park in 2019. Its visitor center complex was built out of adobe during the 1930s through a federal employment program and is now recognized as a historic district. As the most visited National Park Service site in New Mexico, the location receives approximately 600,000 visitors annually.
Travelers can explore the central dunefield by following a drive that extends from the visitor center deep into the white sand landscape. Popular activities include walking on marked hiking trails, sledding on the dunes, picnicking under built shelters, and overnight backcountry camping. Rangers conduct regular nature walks and orientation talks, along with monthly guided tours during cooler months to the preserved Lucero family ranch site near Lake Lucero.
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