#6 of 12 sights in White Sands
Sight · White Sands National Park
A popular sledding stop among rolling gypsum dunes.
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 area
Alkali Flat: Tall Dunes and Sledding“Alkali Flat's sledding area and trailhead are coming up, with some of the tallest dunes you can reach from the road. Stop here if you want to climb a dune for the wide mountain view or try your sled on a bigger slope.”
Plays on the road 0.2 mi from West Filming Area in the Parkwolf White Sands Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
West Filming Area is two circular, hard-packed sand lots beside Dunes Drive, about seven miles from the Visitor Center. It’s a popular place to park and sled, surrounded by rolling white gypsum dunes with sparse grasses and soaptree yuccas.
A waxed plastic saucer works best on this sand. Pick a gentle dune face with a level runout, clear of roads and parking areas; the sand at the bottom can be hard.
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
ChallengingAlkali Flat Trail5 mi · 3 hr · 0.2 mi awayFive sandy miles through gypsum dunes to an ancient lakebed edge.
ModerateBackcountry Camping Trail2 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.8 mi awayClimb loose gypsum dunes on a short, orange-marker loop.
EasyInterdune Boardwalk0.4 mi · 24 min · 2.7 mi awayA short boardwalk through White Sands’ fragile interdune landscape.
ModerateDune Life Nature Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 4 mi awayA short sand loop with blue markers, steep dunes, and wildlife signs.
Sight · 0.2 mi awayAlkali Flat Sledding AreaPractice on a gentle run; the high dunes get steep.
Sight · 0.4 mi awayHorse Unloading AreaA designated trailer lot that also serves dune sledding.
Restroom · 0.4 mi awayEvening Program Area RestroomTwo accessible vault toilets, right off Dunes Drive.
Picnic area · 0.5 mi awayYucca Picnic AreaA convenient picnic stop near two dune-hike parking areas.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayWhite Sands AmphitheaterA dune-ringed outdoor venue for White Sands evening programs.
Sight · 0.7 mi awaySunset Stroll Meeting AreaA ranger-led half-mile walk into the dunes at sunset
Restroom · 0.8 mi awayBalloon Area RestroomAccessible vault toilets and parking along Dunes Drive.
Picnic area · 0.8 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.
