White Sands National Park

desert · geology · New Mexico

Massive gypsum dunes. White Sands contains about 4.5 billion tons of sparkling white sand made entirely of gypsum crystals. Some dunes tower as high as 60 feet tall, which is about as tall as a six-story building.

Brightest sand on Earth. Unlike regular sand that's made from silica, gypsum sand doesn't absorb heat from the sun the way other deserts do. This makes White Sands stay cool and reflective, gleaming brilliantly white even on scorching hot days.

Covers a huge area. The park spans 145,762 acres, but it's actually surrounded by a military missile range that's even larger. The white sand dunes cover about 41% of an enormous 275-square-mile gypsum field in the Tularosa Basin.

Looks like snow dunes. The dunes create an otherworldly landscape that looks more like snow-covered mountains than a desert. Visitors say walking through White Sands feels like exploring a frozen wonderland in the middle of the hot New Mexico desert.

Unique mineral treasure. This is the largest gypsum dunefield of its kind anywhere on Earth, with sand that's about 30 feet deep on average. Scientists study White Sands to understand how different minerals shape deserts and landscapes.