Open Year-Round Entry Fee Charged W hite Sands National Monument preserves a major portion of the world's largest gypsum dune field, along with the distinctive plants and animals that have adapted to this harsh environment. A few species have even evolved white coloration to blend with the sands. The snowy white dunes rise to more than 60 feet and cover 275 square miles. The dune field is about 10,000 years old.
Sand blows in from a seasonally-wet lake bed where gypsum continues to form.
An eight-mile drive from the visitor center explores the heart of the dunes. Along the route are exhibits highlighting the park's natural history and some interpretive trails. The visitor center itself is something to see. Built between 1936 and 1938 by the Works Progress Administration and other government agencies, it is an excellent example of Pueblo Revival architecture. The visitor center and adjacent seven buildings, built 1936-40, have been designated as the White Sands National Monument Historic District.