White Sands National Monument, New Mexico   Be careful coming to White Sands National Monument, you might not ever want to return home again. If you came to camp Black Bear Group Area - Lincoln National Forest is a brilliant place to do that, and Alamogordo NM is a perfect spot to get some rest. Rocket RV Park is a brilliant local campground, and a pleasant place is Muleshoe Canyon. For the period of the summer months highs here at White Sands National Monument reach the 90's. During the dark hours of summer temperatures fall down into the 60's. Daytime highs throughout the winter are in the 50's while     White Sands National Monument overnight low temperatures through the winter are in the 20's. Stay the night at Mountain Meadow RV Park; a perfect close by hotel is Comfort Inn & Suites. Mule Canyon is next to White Sands National Monument and is a magnificent place; White Sands National Monument is a magnificent place to visit for more than one day, Desert Paradise RV Park is a magnificent place to camp nearby. White Sands National Monument gets very little precipitation; the wettest month of the year is generally August, that's the one that rains the most, and the driest of the months is April. There are loads of cool pursuits for everybody to take pleasure in. White Sands National Monument has beautiful nature scenery for your viewing contentment. White Sands National Monument is a brilliant wilderness area that everybody       White Sands National Monument overnight low temperatures through the winter are in the 20's. Stay the night at Mountain Meadow RV Park; a perfect close by hotel is Comfort Inn & Suites. Mule Canyon is next to White Sands National Monument and is a magnificent place; White Sands so much to do here at White Sands National Monument that you need to camp here for a while, Aspen Group - Lincoln National Forest is a great site for that. There is brilliant outdoors recreation at White Sands National Monument, so you can have lots of fun. A golf course next to White Sands National Monument is Desert Lakes Golf Course, and you're sure to run into some friendly folks from Holloman Air Force Base here. Near White Sands National Monument you locate tremendous locations like Lead Canyon, and dry warm beds await you at Quality Inn Alamogordo.   It's a popular place to get away to for folks from Holloman Air Force Base. White Sands National Monument is a brilliant place for a trip when you must spend some time in nature. After a long day outdoors Holiday Inn Express ALAMOGORDO is a good spot to spend a night or two; since you might be in a lake visiting mood you can always stop at close by Langford Windmill. At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain ringed valley called the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and have created the world's largest gypsum dune field. The brilliant white dunes are ever changing: growing, cresting, then slumping, but always advancing. Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by moving dunes, but several types of small animals have evolved a white coloration that camouflages them in the gypsum sand. White Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly changing environment.     CONTACTS Email - WHSA_Interpretation@nps.gov Fax- 505-479-4333 Write to P.O. Box 1086 Holloman AFB, NM 88330 Phone Visitor Information - (505) 679-2599 Visitor Information - (505) 479-6124 TRAVEL BASICS Operating Hours, Seasons The monument is open daily, except Christmas Day. Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day): Visitor Center 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Dunes Drive 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Winter hours: Visitor Center 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Dunes Drive 7:00 a.m. - sunset. Special Note: Due to missile testing on the adjacent White Sands Missile Range, it is occasionally necessary, for visitor safety,to close the Dunes Drive for periods of up to two hours. U.S. Highway 70/82 between Alamogordo and Las Cruces is also closed during times of missile testing. Visitors on a tight schedule are encouraged to call the day prior to arrival for information on closures. Getting There PLANE - El Paso International Airport CAR - The visitor center is located on U.S. Highway 70/82, 15 miles (24.15km) southwest of Alamogordo and 52 miles east of Las Cruces, New Mexico. Travelers from Carlsbad Caverns to southern Arizona can follow U.S. 82 through the scenic Sacramento Mountains to White Sands National Monument. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - To Park: No public transportation serves the park. Cars may be rented in Alamogordo, Las Cruces, and El Paso. Weather & Climate The Tularosa Basin, a high desert area, averaging 4,000 feet (1200+ meters) in elevation, is subject to harsh, and sometimes rapidly changing climatic conditions. Summers are hot, averaging 95?F. (35?C.) highs in July and August, with occasional readings over 100?F. (38?C.). Winters are relatively mild, but night time temperatures often go below freezing (0?C.) and cold spells can send the mercury below zero (0?F., -17?C.). The lowest recorded temperature is -25?F. (-32?C.). Snowfall is infrequent, but heavy snows have occurred on occasion. Precipitation averages about 8 inches (20cm.) per year, with most falling during summer thunderstorms, often accompanied by lightning and hail. Wind is the dominant climatic factor here, especially from February through May. The prevailing southwesterly winds blow unimpeded across the desert and at times reach gale force. Wind storms can last for days in the spring. This is the time of the greatest dune movement, when living conditions for dune animal and plant communities become extremely harsh. Accessibility All facilities in the visitor center and picnic areas are wheelchair accessible. The sand dunes themselves are accessible to wheelchairs to a limited degree. The Interdune Boardwalk is a 1/3 mile (round-trip)wheelchair-accessible trail through an interdune area and to the top of a dune. Getting Around An eight-mile scenic drive leads from the Visitor Center into the heart of the dunes. Wayside exhibits at pullouts along the drive provide information about the natural history of the park. FEES/PERMITS Entrance Fee INDIVIDUAL $3.00 for 7 Days Entrance fees are collected at the entrance station on the Dunes Drive. WHY FEES? Activity Fee LAKE LUCERO TOURS $3.00 per person for One Time $1.50 per person for 16 and under and Golden Age passport holders. National Park and Golden Eagle Passports are not valid for this activity. MOONLIGHT BICYCLE TOURS $5.00 per person for One Time Advance registration is required. Call (505)679-2599 ext.111 $2.50 per person for 16 and under and Golden Age Passport holders. National Park and Golden Eagle Passports are not valid for this activity. CAMPING Backpackers Campsites Open All Year There is no car camping at White Sands National Monument. However, the park does have primitive backcountry campsites for backpackers wishing to enjoy a night on the white sands. The backcountry campsites, located about one mile from the scenic drive, are reached from a trailhead on the drive 6 miles from the visitor center. The campsites are primitive with no water or toilet facilities. No ground fires are permitted at the campsite or anywhere else in the park. Backpackers must register for campsites in person (no advance registration) at the Visitor Center by one hour before sunset. The backcountry campsites are occasionally closed due to missile testing on the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. FACILITIES Visitor Centers WHITE SANDS VISITOR CENTER Open All Year Closures - Closed Christmas Day. Special Programs - Check 'InDepth' section of this web page. Available Facilities - Refreshments and snacks can be purchased at the visitor center giftshop from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Summer 8:00 a.m. to 7 p.m.) Books, maps, posters, videotapes and audio tapes are sold in the visitor center by: Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, P.O. Box 1086, Holloman AFB, NM 88330-1086 User input for White Sands National Monument, New Mexico: Submit Input: Your Name: Write or Paste Input here: Upload picture:      Review Guidelines   Current weather conditions at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Local climate location: TULAROSA 14 miles away Find a Business in or near White Sands National Monument Business TypeOR Business Name   Coordinates: Latitude: 32.82 Longitude: -105.94 New Mexico Public Lands Complete list of all Public Lands in New Mexico Outdoors Recreation Near Alamogordo, New Mexico Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Alamogordo, New Mexico, the metro area neareast to White Sands National Monument. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more. Books about about White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Books available from Amazon.com about White Sands National Monument. New Mexico Outdoors Index Campgrounds Near or in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Paddling Rivers Near or in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Other National Parks Near White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Trails Near or in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Hotels Near or in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Lakes Near or in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Beaches Near or in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Golf Courses Near or in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico Ski Areas Near or in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico     Alamogordo NM, Alamogordo 3.5 miles away Holiday Inn Express ALAMOGORDO, Alamogordo 3.6 miles away Quality Inn Alamogordo, Alamogordo 3.6 miles away Best Western Desert Aire Hotel, Alamogordo 3.7 miles away Comfort Inn & Suites, Alamogordo 3.7 miles away Days Inn Alamogordo, Alamogordo 3.8 miles away Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites ALAMOGORDO HWY 54/70, Alamogordo 4.3 miles away Super 8 Alamogordo, Alamogordo 6.5 miles away Lodge at Cloudcroft, Cloudcroft 15.6 miles away Cloudcroft Hotel, Cloudcroft 15.8 miles away * Distances listed are direct linear distances, actual travel distance may be different.