A dog-friendly visit to White Sands National Park

White Sands National Park is located about 20 mins outside of nearby Alamogordo. While it’s relatively small in size, what’s special about this park is the bright white ‘sand’ dunes which seem to shimmer in the sun - and they also look absolutely stunning against the bright blue skies. However the dunes are actually made of gypsum and this park is the largest gypsum desert in the world!

The white gypsum against the bright blue sky is magic!

As you enter the park you will see the Visitor’s Centre which is a good stop if you need the bathroom or to learn more about the site. If you want to ‘surf’ the dunes, you can also hire plastic discs from the Visitor’s Centre.

The entry fee is $25 per vehicle, but is valid for seven days. This fee is waived if you have an America the Beautiful Pass (which I highly recommend if you plan on visiting a few parks within a year).

As you pass through the entry gate, you’ll receive a map of the park that is useful to help guide you around and show where the best walks are. While the park itself is quite large (over 275 square miles), you can’t actually drive very far into the park. However, there are plenty of spots to pull over and admire the different views, as well as a few more developed picnic spots if you plan on staying for longer.

The views are amazing and stretch back towards the nearby mountains

We stopped at the Interdune Boardwalk and enjoyed walking this to get great views across the dunes and see some fossils. The boardwalk was made of wood which made it easier than the gypsum for Beatle to grip. While the walk is only about 2,000 feet (or 600 metres) in length, due to the heat of the day we still took water with us and had a couple of breaks along the way.

You can hike or sled in the park

While officially, dogs must be on leash inside the park - we did see a few dogs having a play in the sand and let Beatle off for a few quick photos once we got to a spot where there was absolutely no one around.

Beatle loved rolling in all the pristine gypsum and luckily it wipes off easily!

It goes without saying that you must pick up after your pet in the park - as no one wants to see any dog mess on the pristine white gypsum. Also, once you’re in the park there are no stores, so make sure you take plenty of water (you can fill water containers at the Visitor’s Centre). I also recommend giving your dogs paws a good wipe down on leaving to prevent any irritation (and your car filling with sand!). The unique geography of this area means temperatures can rise fast, so never leave your dog unattended in or around your vehicle.

For more information about White Sands and to see the dog policy click here