Last updated 4/30/24
White Sands National Park is a large area of sand dunes in New Mexico’s Tularosa Basin. Unlike most dunes, the sand here was formed from gypsum, the same kind of material you’d find in drywall! An ancient lake used to fill the whole area, and at the west end of the park, you can still find its remnants.
This is a park that you’d visit during the day except when there are special events after dark or for backcountry camping permits. Activities include photography, sightseeing, and sledding on the dunes. Best time to visit is during spring and fall.
Pets are welcome in most outdoor parts of the park!
Getting There In An EV
Quick Facts and Tips:
- There are occasional closures for weapons testing at the White Sands Missile Range next door to the park. This usually means road closures for US-70 between Alamogordo and Las Cruces, but sometimes means park closures.
- The park itself does not have any EV charging, food, or lodging on site. Picnic tables are available, and you’ll want water even if you don’t plan to eat at the park.
- Despite a brand new fast charging station in nearby Alamogordo, this park can still be a little hard to get to because the station has been a little up and down so far. It’s best to check ahead of time to see how it’s doing on PlugShare.
- There’s a reliable one-stall fast charger (50 kW) at the local Chevrolet dealer, but it’s only open during dealer business hours and isn’t available on Sunday at all
- Do NOT depend on the fast charging station in Carrizozo to reach Alamogordo. It has been unreliable for years, and works intermittently.
- There are no hotels with Level 2 charging in the area, so you’ll find yourself depending on that local station unless you choose to stay at an RV park, but call ahead to make sure they’ll let you plug in!
Tesla plans to build a Supercharger station in the coming months and there is one other station planned for the local electric utility’s offices, so this situation should improve soon!
For now, careful trip planning is needed. You’ll likely need to approach from Ruidoso, El Paso, or Las Cruces and probably leave in one of those directions. You can also leave through Cloudcroft (it’s a great place to visit during warmer months!), but EVs with less range or towing should plan on spending a few minutes at a Level 2 charger there to reach a CCS charger in Artesia, as the road to Cloudcroft is a really steep climb.
Links For Further Park Information
Here’s a great video with general visitor information: