#2 of 12 sights in White Sands
Sight · White Sands National Park
A sledding stop beside White Sands' marked two-mile dune loop.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
White Sands Tour Guide
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 place
Backcountry Camping: Sledding and a Dune Loop“Up ahead is the Backcountry Camping parking area, with sledding dunes right beside the lot. It's a useful stop if you've already had some practice and want slopes where you can build a little speed.”
Plays as you drive up to Sledding Area - Backcountry Camping Parking Lot in the Parkwolf White Sands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
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Guide
The Backcountry Camping Loop parking area is also a public sledding stop, with gypsum dunes immediately beside it. This is a good pick if you have some sledding practice: the nearby slopes let you build speed without the steep drop at the base of a larger dune. Choose a gently sloped face with a level runout, sit or lie feet-first, and keep your path clear of roads, parking areas, vegetation and other hazards. Waxed plastic saucers work best; bring one or rent or buy one at the park gift shop.
The marked Backcountry Camping Loop is a moderate two-mile round trip that takes about an hour and a half. Orange markers with a spade symbol guide you over several steep dunes in loose sand. The trail is open to day hikers, so you can walk it without making an overnight camping trip.
Two wheelchair-accessible vault toilets and accessible parking are at the trailhead; the toilets have no running water. Picnic tables are listed at the parking area. There is no shade, water or toilet along the loop, and water is not available in the dunefield after you leave the Visitor Center, so fill bottles before driving out.
Wildlife
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.
Keep exploring
ModerateBackcountry Camping Trail2 mi · 2.5 hr · At the trailheadClimb loose gypsum dunes on a short, orange-marker loop.
ChallengingAlkali Flat Trail5 mi · 3 hr · 0.9 mi awayFive sandy miles through gypsum dunes to an ancient lakebed edge.
EasyInterdune Boardwalk0.4 mi · 24 min · 1.8 mi awayA short boardwalk through White Sands’ fragile interdune landscape.
ModerateDune Life Nature Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 3.2 mi awayA short sand loop with blue markers, steep dunes, and wildlife signs.
Restroom · 0.1 mi awayHeart of the Sands RestroomTwo accessible vault toilets beside White Sands’ Dunes Drive.
Sight · 0.1 mi awaySunset Stroll Meeting AreaA ranger-led half-mile walk into the dunes at sunset
Restroom · 0.2 mi awayBalloon Area RestroomAccessible vault toilets and parking along Dunes Drive.
Picnic area · 0.3 mi awayPrimrose Picnic AreaShaded tables and built-in grills along Dunes Drive.
Picnic area · 0.3 mi awayYucca Picnic AreaA convenient picnic stop near two dune-hike parking areas.
Picnic area · 0.3 mi awayWhite Sands Group Use AreaShaded, reservable pavilion for group picnics and gatherings.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayGone with the Wind Roadside ExhibitA quick stop explaining how wind reshapes the dunes and roads.
Picnic area · 0.4 mi awayRoadrunner Picnic AreaA big shaded picnic stop with sledding dunes right at the lot.Parkwolf’s White Sands ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
