White Dunes

Why Visit White Dunes

White Sands National Park protects the world's largest gypsum dunefield, a 275-square-mile expanse of blindingly white sand dunes rising from the Tularosa Basin in southern New Mexico. Unlike typical desert sand composed of quartz, these dunes are formed entirely from gypsum crystals, creating a surreal, otherworldly landscape that appears untouched by the arid environment surrounding it. The park straddles the border between Doña Ana and Otero counties, surrounded by military bases and framed by the San Andres and Sacramento mountains. Best visited October through April when temperatures remain moderate and the stark white dunes photograph dramatically against clear skies, White Sands attracts approximately 600,000 visitors annually seeking an experience found nowhere else on Earth.

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