Store · White Sands National Park
A practical last stop for sleds, food and souvenirs.
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
White Sands Visitor Center: Footprints and Supplies“You're approaching the White Sands Visitor Center, a good stop for understanding what lies beyond the dunes.”
Plays as you drive up to White Sands Trading Company 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
White Sands Trading Company is the park concession’s gift shop and grab-and-go counter in the historic visitor-center complex off US 70. Stop here if you need a sand sled or quick food before Dunes Drive; the dunefield has no water, so fill bottles at the visitor-center area.
The shop is where to check for waxed plastic saucers for sand sledding, plus souvenirs and New Mexico Native American crafts such as pottery and sterling-silver jewelry. Waxed plastic saucers are available here to buy or rent; confirm current stock and terms at the counter. The counter has grab-and-go sandwiches, snacks and drinks; coffee and ice cream are also available. Wax helps a saucer slide, but sand takes practice and performance can vary, so ask what equipment is available rather than planning around one model.
The visitor center and seven neighboring buildings were built between 1936 and 1940 by WPA workers, and the group became a historic district in 1990. The Trading Company has served park visitors since 2005. It is a handy supply and gift stop, not a separate exhibit.
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
ModerateDune Life Nature Trail1 mi · 1 hr · 2.5 mi awayA short sand loop with blue markers, steep dunes, and wildlife signs.
EasyInterdune Boardwalk0.4 mi · 24 min · 4 mi awayA short boardwalk through White Sands’ fragile interdune landscape.
Visitor center · At the trailheadWhite Sands Visitor CenterAncient tracks and cool adobe make this a smart first stop.
Sight · At the trailheadWhite Sands National Park Entrance SignA quick photo stop at the visitor-center approach.
Entrance station · 0.3 mi awayWhite Sands Entrance StationBuy your pass here, just beyond the Visitor Center.
Sight · 1 mi awayTularosa Basin Roadside ExhibitA quick stop for the water story under the gypsum dunes.
Sight · 1.8 mi awayChihuahuan Life Roadside ExhibitA quick bilingual guide to life across scrub and white dunes.
Historic marker · 3.7 mi awayLife Thrives Roadside ExhibitA tiny world lives in the crust beneath the dunes.
Sight · 4.5 mi awayRare Wonder Roadside ExhibitA compact bilingual guide to the dunes, from desert scrub inward.Parkwolf’s White Sands ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
