Parking
The parking area accommodates cars, buses, and RVs. Accessible spaces are directly in front of the restrooms.
Map
Where it is
Loading the White Sands map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
Parking
2 active White Sands alerts
- ClosureDunes Drive safety corridor and Interdune Boardwalk closureMentions Dunes Drive, referenced in this guideDrive through the Dunes Drive safety corridor without stopping or exiting; the Interdune Boardwalk is closed. - The corridor spans mile markers 3–5.5.Official details
- ClosureBackcountry camping closedBackcountry camping is closed, and there is no overnight lodging in the park. - NPS says the campsites are closed for rehabilitation; no reopening date has been determined.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
White Sands Tour Guide
Your drive to Heart of the Sands Restroom, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for White Sands National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
Roadrunner and Primrose: Picnic Shelters in the Dunes0:00 / 0:31
“You're approaching Roadrunner and Primrose, two picnic areas with shaded tables among the dunes. If you've brought lunch, this is a good place for a break without committing to a hike.”
Plays on the road 0.1 mi from Heart of the Sands Restroom in the Parkwolf White Sands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Backcountry Camping: Sledding and a Dune Loop
- Sunset Stroll: Walk with a Ranger
- The Kit Fox’s Big Ears
- Clear Crystals, White Dunes
- 23 audio storiesacross White Sands’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Gemsbok, Great Horned Owl, Roadrunner, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 5 trails, 24 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Heart of the Sands Restroom
A useful stop on Dunes DriveHeart of the Sands Restroom is a named roadside stop in a parking area along Dunes Drive.
Heart of the Sands Restroom is a named roadside stop in a parking area along Dunes Drive. It’s one of several restrooms in White Sands, so use it as a practical break while exploring the dunes rather than a destination on its own.
What’s hereThere are two separate wheelchair-accessible vault toilets and trash bins.
There are two separate wheelchair-accessible vault toilets and trash bins. The toilets have no running water, so this is a basic restroom stop.
Wildlife
Wildlife in White Sands
39 sightingsGemsbokMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
17 sightingsGreat Horned OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsRoadrunnerMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
11 sightingsRavenMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
16 sightingsHorned LarkMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
20 sightingsBlack-throated SparrowMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across White Sands. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
