Moonlight Hike

White Sands National Park Tours

Have you ever wanted to hike the dunes under the moonlight? This is your chance to enjoy the peace and serenity of this unique environment and experience White Sands after dark by joining a park ranger for a guided moonlight hike. Moonlight hikes are offered once a month on a day surrounding the full moon.

The Moonlight Hike follows the Dune Life Nature Trail and is rated as moderate. It requires hikers to climb steep dunes and walk on soft sand. The trail starts down on the desert plain and is level for the first 300 yards before going up a steep slope onto the sand dunes. The trail is one mile (1.61 km) long. You must be able to hike the entire trail and the group must stay together for safety concerns. No one is permitted to leave the program early to return to the parking area by themselves.

The park offers the Moonlight Hike from March through November. Reservations are required to participate in the program. For more information, visit the park's website.    

2024 Moonlight Hike Schedule

Monday, March 25 at 7:30 pm

Tuesday, April 23 at 7:30 pm

Wednesday, May 22 at 7:30 pm

Saturday, June 22 at 8:30 pm

Saturday, July 20 at 8:00 pm

Tuesday, August 20 at 8:15 pm

Wednesday, September 18 at 7:15 pm

Wednesday, October 16 at 6:00 pm

Saturday, November 16 at 5:00 pm 

Tickets are available two months before the tour date at 8:00 am mountain Time. For example, if the tour is on May 15, tickets will be available at 8:00 am MT on March 15.

Please note that tickets often sell out within a matter of minutes. There is no waitlist for sold-out tours; however, if tickets are canceled, they will be immediately available here on Recreation.gov.


Select a date to see a list of times

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