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White Sands National Park

Fido is welcome to explore the extremely rare gypsum sand dunes at White Sands National Park in Alamogordo, NM. Dogs are permitted as long as they are on a leash no longer than 6', cleaned up after, given lots of water, and never left unattended. Dogs are not allowed inside White Sands' visitor center. Admire the expanse of sparkling sand and panoramic mountain views by hiking the pet-friendly Alkali Flat Trail. This sandy trail is well-marked but does not have any shade. Visitors should plan to hike the trail in Spring, Autumn, or in the early morning and evening if visiting in summertime. Carry plenty of water for yourself and Fido. Visit Website

Or call (575) 479-6124 or email whsa_interpretation@nps.gov for more information.

Reviews

BringFido Guest Rating
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

White Sands National Park has received a rating of 5.0 out of 5 bones by 12 canine critics on BringFido and 3.5 out of 5 by 1,613 guests on TripAdvisor.


Visitors rave about the incredible scenery and enjoyable experiences for dogs at White Sands National Park. They suggest bringing plenty of water, sun protection, and long leashes to let dogs run and play freely on the cool, soft sand, noting the lack of shade.

AI-generated from the text of reviews

  • Tyler
    Mar 15, 2024
    Best sand box ever!

    Pups had an absolute blast at White Sands! Dogs are allowed everywhere except the visitor center (which is huge for a national park). Gift shop had BarkRanger merch. We did several of the shorter hikes which the dogs enjoyed. Later in the day we put them on long recall leashes and let them run over the dunes. They loved running, digging in the sand, and rolling around. Had an exhausted happy pack of pups by the end of the day.

  • Lisa
    Mar 13, 2024
    So cool!

    Great place to walk the pups!

  • Jonathan
    May 27, 2022
    Cool sand, easy hike

    The sand is cool, not hot. The sand is easy for my geriatric do to walk on.

  • Angela
    May 10, 2022
    Absolutely incredible!!

    Due to a past rattlesnake bite on my big pup Griffin, I was a bit wary about coming here. I kept my eyes peeled and the pups close to me just in case. The real treat was watching the sunset. Wow!! Definitely suggest bringing your pups here for a great walk and a beautiful sunset. As others have said, there is NO SHADE and the trail markers are a bit hard to follow and straying off course may seem like a good idea.

    For the sunset, find your spot about an hour before sunset to ensure a good view! Definitely suggest going all the way down Dune Drive and finding a dune all to yourself.

    There’s no other place like it!

  • R A
    Mar 4, 2022
    My dog loves this place!

    Bring a long leash and let your pup run and play on the cool white gypsum sand. Bring plenty of water and sun protection.

  • Jessica
    Dec 21, 2021
    Great dog friendly stop!

    Fun place to stop and explore and stretch out the dog legs on a road trip! Trailer access friendly and easy to spread out and not see another person for awhile. Dogs loved being able to sniff and exercise

  • Amanda
    Oct 11, 2021
    best park ever!

    this was a very pretty spot and cool for the dogs. the park is huge so you can easily spread out from people. like others have said, bring plenty of water. the dogs had so much fun!

  • Kevin
    Jul 23, 2021
    AMAZING

    This place is beautiful! Amazing views for days and a GREAT way to tire out a pup! We bought booties for our pup, but were told that they weren’t necessary because the sand is gypsum, which doesn’t get hot and is actually cool to the touch. BEWARE: there is NO SHADE here for your pup, so bring a lot of water, take breaks and keep your eye on the trail markers!

  • Kaitlyn
    Mar 13, 2021
    Love this place

    my pup and I really enjoyed being able to hike to a secluded spot and play fetch for awhile! Great National Park to spend the afternoon and have lunch!

  • Rocco
    Feb 25, 2021
    Fun For Humans And Dogs

    This was such a fun day for our whole family. There’s lots of space to find a place to play without other people around. The photos are beautiful. My dog seemed to think the white sand was snow at first and kept trying to take a bite of it🤣

  • Ali
    May 14, 2019
    Amazing Place

    White Sands is unbelievably remarkable and beautiful. There are lots of trails that we and our dogs loved. Make sure to bring water. You can get into your vehicle and cool down in air conditioning between walks. There are multiple trails ranging from about 300ft to 8km. You drive around to access the whole area. Is an 8 mile drive. We absolutely loved it.

  • Valerie Gonzales
    More than a year ago
    fun in the sun

    The dogs loved it at white sands. They ran as much as they could with their leash. Had fun going up and down the hills of sand. Make sure to take plenty of water as they were extremely thirsty.

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Area Info

White Sands National Park