Sledding gypsum dunes at White Sands
White Sands National Park and Alamogordo, NM
- Who it suits
- Families with little kids, families with teens, couples and friends
- How long
- 4 or 5 days
- Getting there
- Fly
- Seasons
- Fall, Winter, Spring
Why it works
- White Sands has the world's largest gypsum dunefield, with wave-like dunes covering 275 square miles of desert.
- Sledding down the dunes is popular with children and adults, and waxed plastic saucers can be rented or bought at the park's gift shop.
- Fossilized trackways in the park record ice age animals and the people who lived alongside them.
- The New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo includes the International Space Hall of Fame and a dome theater and planetarium.
Watch out for
- Missile testing on the neighboring White Sands Missile Range can close the park and its road, so check the park's closure page.
- Amenities in the park are limited, and the closest are in Alamogordo, 15 miles away.
Sources
- White Sands has the world's largest gypsum dunefield, with wave-like dunes covering 275 square miles of desert. source (checked 2026-11-13)
- Sledding down the dunes is popular with children and adults, and waxed plastic saucers can be rented or bought at the park's gift shop. source (checked 2026-11-13)
- Fossilized trackways in the park record ice age animals and the people who lived alongside them. source (checked 2026-11-13)
- The New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo includes the International Space Hall of Fame and a dome theater and planetarium. source (checked 2026-11-13)
- Missile testing on the neighboring White Sands Missile Range can close the park and its road, so check the park's closure page. source 1 · source 2 (checked 2026-11-13)
- Amenities in the park are limited, and the closest are in Alamogordo, 15 miles away. source (checked 2026-11-13)