White Sands National Park

White Sands is now a national park as of 2020. Rare, snow-white dune fields composed of gypsum crystals, called selenite, give White Sands National Park its name. It is located in the Tularosa Basin just south of Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Photographs from White Sands National Park

Where to photograph in White Sands

The park provides numerous ways to experience the National Park. Dune Drive, an 8-mile scenic paved and sand road, travels from the Visitor’s Center to the heart of the dune field. And, there are numerous places to pull off, park, and hike into the dunes.

A number of trails, such as the Interdune Boardwalk, the Playa Trail, the Dune Life Nature Trail, the Backcountry Camping Trail, and the Alkali Flat Trail, provide visitors access into the interior of White Sands. Hiking these trails present the photographer numerous opportunities to capture interesting and beautiful scenes.

For all these locations, plan to photograph during the golden hours or at night.

The geology of White Sands

The existence of this unique landscape is due to an unusual series of events that occurred over a period of 250 million years. The National Park Service has a concise explanation for how these events created this singular dune field.  They also have information about prehistoric animals that once roamed this area.

Purchasing our photos of White Sands

All of our scenic photographs are available as fine art prints. Use the contact form to the right to get more information. Or, go to our Fine Art Print page to learn about various pricing options.

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