Directions

White Sands National Park is located in southern New Mexico.

NPS Photo

Public Transportation

There is no public transportation that currently serves the park. Cars may be rented in Alamogordo, Las Cruces, and El Paso.
The closest airport is in El Paso, TX, about 85 miles (136.79 km) from the park.

Fuel/Charging

The nearest gas station is located in Alamogordo, which is 15 miles (24 km) east of the park. Las Cruces is 52 miles (84 km) west from the park. Fill up your gas/diesel tank in one of these two cities before driving to the park.

Alamogordo has limitied electric car charging locations. Las Cruces offers a variety. Make sure your electric vehicle is fully charged before visiting White Sands National Park. There are no charging facilities at the park.

Directions to the Park
The visitor center and Dunes Drive is located directly off of Highway US-70 between the cities of Alamogordo and Las Cruces. The entrance to the park can be found between mile markers 199 and 200 on Highway US-70.

From Alamogordo, NM:
Drive time: About 15 minutes
Head west on Highway US-70 towards Las Cruces. The visitor center is located about 15 miles (24 km) west of Alamogordo on the north side (right-hand side) of the road.

From Las Cruces, NM:
Drive time: About 1 hour
Head east on Highway US-70 towards Alamogordo. The visitor center is located about 52 miles (84 km) east of Las Cruces on the north side (left-hand side) of the road, one mile (1.6 km) past the Border Patrol station.

From El Paso, TX:
There are two ways to arrive at White Sands from El Paso.
Through Las Cruces:
Drive time: 1.5 hours
1) Take I-10 West towards Las Cruces. After 39 miles (62.76 km), exit onto I-25 North. Follow I-25 North for about seven miles (11.27 km) and then exit onto US-70 East towards Alamogordo. The visitor center is located about 52 miles (84 km) east of Las Cruces on the north side (left-hand side) of the road, one mile (1.6 km) past the Border Patrol station.
Through Alamogordo:
Drive time: 1.5 hours
2) Take US-54 East towards Alamogordo. After 82 miles (131.97 km), turn left onto US-70 West towards Las Cruces. The visitor center is located about 15 miles (24 km) west of Alamogordo on the north side (right-hand side) of the road.

Arriving at the Park

White Sands National Park is not open 24/7 like many other national parks. The park and visitor center hours change throughout the year. Check the parks operating hours o know when the park and visitor center are open during your visit.

Parking at the visitor center is limited. There are two parking lots, the front (south of the visitor center) and back (north of the visitor center) lots. There is limited parking for recreational and oversized vehicles in the front (south) parking lot. There is no oversize parking available in the back (north) parking lot. Passenger vehicles should refrain from parking in the oversized vehicle and use the back parking lot if the front lot is full.

GPS Coordinates
32° 46' 45" North, 106° 10' 19" West

For map software and directions
When using a GPS unit if you only enter “white sands” you may be routed to White Sands Missile Range, which is approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of the park.

The physical address for the park is...

White Sands National Park
19955 Highway 70 West
Alamogordo, NM 88310