White Sands National Park guide · 1 min read
Full Moon Nights on the Dunes
Full Moon Night brings a different rhythm to the dunes after dark. The evening can feature live performers, ranger-led programs, and visiting presenters, all taking place while the moon lights the sand.
The evening also draws on the cultural legacy of Southern New Mexico and Northern Mexico, along with the park's natural resources.
The park extends its closing time on every Full Moon Night, which gives you room to explore the dunes on your own even when no scheduled program is running. Moonlight bounces off the white sand so strongly that your own shadow can be easy to spot on the ground.
Ranger-led options fill out the evening. Moonlight Hikes let you walk the dunes on nights around the full moon, with ranger stories about this unusual landscape. Sunset Strolls are one-hour, ranger-guided walks across the sand, and Full Moon guided hikes are offered several times a year.
The setting makes the park's story easy to see. White Sands National Park protects a major portion of the world's largest gypsum dunefield, which covers 275 square miles of the Tularosa Basin. The park itself protects about 115 square miles of that dunefield, while the rest lies within White Sands Missile Range to the north.
Begin at the visitor center, where exhibits describe the park and the award-winning film A Land in Motion can be watched. Pop-up ranger programs are offered there too, so you can pick up background before walking out onto the dunes.
