The national parks truly are America’s treasures. For way too long I took them for granted. So this time when we were near White Sands National Monument camping there was no way I was going to miss out on taking the kids sledding at the famous New Mexico sand dunes. Sledding at White Sands National Monument had been on our family bucket list since before we started this fulltime RV journey.
We went in February and could not have asked for a better day. The weather was absolutely beautiful overcast 70 degrees and the park was not crowded at all. I absolutely love when you can go to a national park with your family and find a little spot where you can be alone without others and just enjoy nature and space. I can’t speak to the park in the summer. I’m guessing it is a little more crowded but we really enjoyed the time of year we went.
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Where is White Sands National Monument?
White Sands National Monument New Mexico is about an hour outside of Las Cruces. From El Paso to White Sands National Monument takes about an hour and a half. You take the Interstate 10 get off in Las Cruces and take the highway 70 in. Make sure you check the weather for wind if you are planning on nearby camping. White Sands is not the most fun when it is windy as you can imagine. Otherwise, it is a lovely place to enjoy the sand dunes in New Mexico. I believe this should be on every family’s bucket list. Plan to visit the White Sands National Monument and spend a day sledding and playing in the sand.
Here is some important information that will help make your trip so much smoother at White Sands National Monument:
Tips for Visiting White Sands National Monument
Get a Sled
Bring Your Own
If it is practical, bring your own sleds from home. Most people don’t travel with sleds, we get it.
Buy a Sled Outside White Sands
If it’s the right season buy your sled at Walmart ahead of time (a saucer style works best). You will save a lot of money if you buy your sled outside the park. I’m talking a quarter of the price.
The tip here is, even though it sounds super counter-intuitive, they only sell sleds in the summer, not the winter. They sell for the busy sand sledding season, not for snow sledding. We know because we called all the Walmarts in the area and they all said the same thing- they only carry them in the summer. The monument is kind of out there, so the closest Walmart is about 25 minutes away.
Buy a Sled at White Sands
If you can’t purchase your sled at a different location, don’t worry. The gift shop at the White Sands National Monument does sell sleds. They sell at a premium here, a staggering price of $18. That is a pretty rough price to pay for a one time use kind of thing and it definitely adds up when you have multiple people that want to sled. Don’t get me wrong the experience is definitely worth it and it’s a lot of fun sledding so you don’t want to miss out.
They do sell used sleds at the same gift shop for $10 but they run out (even on not busy days) so try to get there early.
If you buy a sled from the gift shop you have the option of selling it back to them at the end of the day for $5 (or $3 if you bought a used one) if you show your receipt. You will also want to buy a small cube of wax to wax your sled. This costs about $2 and you also have the option to sell it back at the end of the day for $0.50. If you plan on taking advantage of any of the buybacks you need to be back to the gift shop before 5 pm.
We only bought one sled. We figured the kids can take turns and it wasn’t worth blowing our budget over it. However, as we were driving into the park Reid noticed out of the corner of his eye a sled on the side of the road We drove over to it and some kind Samaritan had left it there with a giant FREE written in the sand. It was a tender mercy meant for our family I’m sure. At the end of the day we made sure to pay it forward and leave the sled the same way we had found it. Be on the
Bring Water Into the Park
There is no free potable water available after the visitors center. You will definitely want to pack in a fair amount of water and drinks as there is nowhere to get it for at the visitors center at the front of the park and it’s not close to where all the fun is.
Bring a cooler with sodas, Gatorade, and water because you will want to spend the day playing not driving back to the visitor’s center to buy water. Staying hydrated is super important in the desert. Please also note that there were signs that restricted alcoholic beverages to certain times of the year so you may want to double check if you plan on bringing adult beverages.
Bring in Food
Similar to the water situation you want to bring enough food at least for one meal and snacks. There are grills and picnic areas if you want to plan on bringing some hotdogs or meat to heat. You will also need to bring your own charcoal and matches. We were happy with sandwiches, chips and fruit in our cooler that we could run back to the truck easily if we needed to.
I do want to note here I wasn’t sure what to expect White Sands National Monument would be like and how easily accessible it would be get to our truck. Just to ease any concerns for moms and dads of
Bring Sunglasses
Every single person in your family needs sunglasses and depending on if it is sunny likely a hat as well. The sand is white, even blinding white and if it is sunny outside it makes it difficult to see and navigate. It reminded me of snow skiing when it is snowing and overcast and you have a hard time seeing the ground. It can almost give you a bit of vertigo. It’s not quite that bad but you get the idea. Also, if you’re sensitive to bright light it can quickly give you a headache and could potentially ruin your day. So just remember to pack sunglasses even for the littles.
Bring Flip Flops and Sunscreen
Most likely you will be barefoot most of the day. The sand is cool even in the summer. In the winter it’s cool but not cold. It’s comfortable and soft to walk in and will be easier on foot than in shoes. Flip flops make it easy to slip on and off so you can have them in the parking lots or restrooms.
Set up a Day Camp
Bring sand toys, and camping chairs and set up camp. While sledding was the highlight for my older girls, the sand toys were definitely the highlight for my younger ones. They sat and shoveled sand into buckets over and over for hours. We opted to bring a couple of camping chairs and set up a small day camp. While we weren’t sledding we sat with the younger kids and let the older kids explore the dunes. It really was a magical day for all of us.
Check for Missile Testing
Just outside of the park the US Airforce has a base that frequently tests different gadgets. These tests
Enjoy White Sands Year Round
White Sands is enjoyable at any time of the year. We loved visiting in the winter. It was less crowded and the weather was still favorable. We watched the weather and chose the warmest day of the week with a low wind forecast. The White Sands National Monument hours vary depending on the time of year but usually range from 10 am to Sunset. Check with the park because there are some ranger-led programs available.
Not Super Accessible
Some notes for parents with smaller kids and wheelchair accessibility needs. This is not a stroller or wheelchair friendly national park for the most part. The majority of the park is natural sand dunes so it does take a little bit of climbing. It did not seem difficult for my three-year-old to navigate and he was able to mostly climb and walk by himself. If you are traveling with a wheelchair there are still areas and trails of the park you can enjoy. On your way into the park, there is a nice boardwalk that you can take to enjoy some of the beautiful scenery.
Where to Camp at White Sands
We stayed at the Hacienda RV resort in Las Cruces New Mexico. It was about an hour away right off the Interstate 10 and there were lots of great things to do there. We enjoyed the very clean showers and restrooms. While there was no playground, the kids enjoyed riding their bikes around the campground. Mom and Dad enjoyed the adults only hot tub and exercise room.
White Sands National Monument Hotels
There are plenty of great options for hotels near White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. You will find most of your favorite chains nearby. We really enjoyed setting up our base in Las Cruces, about an hour away. It was right off the main interstate and had all our favorite shopping and dining nearby. Plus, we enjoyed the Farmers Market, $1 children’s movies at the Rio Grande Theatre downtown and they also have lots of free museums. Some great family-friendly hotel options include the Hilton Garden Inn Las Cruces, Staybridge Suites Las Cruces, Holiday Inn Express and Suites Las Cruces and Comfort Suites Las Cruces.
Have you been to White Sands National Monument with your family? What did you think?
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As a New Mexican, I have visited White Sands many times and have some additional tips. It is in the desert. During the summer it gets HOT, and the sun is intense. If you have to come then, try to visit during a full moon. They leave the park open after sunset, and it’s amazing! Other often neglected experiences are the self-guided nature trail and exploring the interdune areas. White Sands is so worth the detour from Las Cruces or El Paso. If you have more time available, check out Three Rivers Petroglyphs. It’s about an hour north just outside of the charming town of Tularosa. I’ve seen petroglyphs all over the southwest, and 3 Rivers is my favorite.