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 March to November on a day surrounding the full moon.
The Moonlight Hike follows the Dune Life Nature Trail and is rated as moderate. This hike requires hikers to climb steep dunes and walk on soft sand. The trail starts 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.
2025 Moonlight Hike Schedule:
Friday, March 14 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 12 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, May 11 at 7:15 pm
Tuesday, June 10 at 8:00 pm
Wednesday, July 9 at 7:30 pm
Friday, August 8 at 7:45 pm
Monday, September 8 at 7:30 pm
Tuesday, October 7 at 6:30 pm
Wednesday, November 5 at 4:45 pm
Tickets are available one month 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 April 15. Due to a limited number of tickets per tour, only six (6) tickets may be purchased per reservation. 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