White Sands National Monument
White Sands National Monument is a park in New Mexico, at a recorded elevation of 1,250 m. Mule Peak stands 2,462 m to the east-northeast, 22 miles off. The nearest named place is White Sands National Park, a museum 4.9 miles away. Sunspot Scenic Byway passes 26 miles off. 70 named places lie within 25 miles, 28 of them named summits.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1250 m
How to reach it
- 25.8 mi off the Sunspot Scenic Byway
Overlooks nearby
70 named places within 25 miles
- Twin Buttes: 7.3 mi
- Lone Butte: 11.2 mi
- San Andres Peak: 17.3 mi
- Jarilla Mountain: 18.0 mi
- Bennett Mountain: 18.1 mi
- Heritage Park: 12.3 mi
- Desert Villas Homeowners Association: 16.8 mi
- Balloon Park: 18.6 mi
- Tierra de Suenos Park: 18.9 mi
- Tularosa Valley Historical Marker: 19.3 mi
- White Sands National Monument: 5.3 mi
- Harry Francis Acley House Historic Site: 20.4 mi
- Otero County Fairgrounds: 21.4 mi
- The Alamogordo "A": 22.6 mi
- German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Tornado PA-200: 22.8 mi
- White Sands National Park: 4.9 mi
- Tularosa Basin Museum of History: 20.2 mi
- Toy Train Depot: 20.7 mi
- New Mexico Museum of Space History: 22.9 mi
- Alamogordo Founders Park: 20.2 mi
- Grave of Ham the Astrochimp: 22.9 mi
- Alamogordo Astronaut Memorial: 22.9 mi
- Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor: 12.3 mi
- Giant Pistachio: 23.4 mi
- Alamogordo Community Garden: 21.1 mi
- Astronaut Memorial Garden: 22.9 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of White Sands National Monument. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mule Peak | ENE 77° | 2,462 m | 22.0 mi |
| San Andres Peak | WSW 256° | 2,459 m | 17.3 mi |
| Long Ridge | ENE 74° | 2,446 m | 22.7 mi |
| Potato Knob | ENE 75° | 2,407 m | 24.7 mi |
| Gobbler Knob | E 91° | 2,373 m | 22.6 mi |
| Ortega Peak | ENE 62° | 2,335 m | 24.4 mi |
| Hershberger Peak | ENE 65° | 2,330 m | 24.1 mi |
| Big Brushy Mountain | WSW 239° | 2,252 m | 18.4 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:10 | 18:44 | 19:17 |
| June solstice | 05:58 | 19:40 | 20:17 |
| September equinox | 06:54 | 18:31 | 19:03 |
| December solstice | 07:04 | 16:26 | 17:04 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Jun, Aug–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 40 | 45 | 52 | 60 | 69 | 79 | 81 | 79 | 73 | 61 | 48 | 39 |
| Precip in | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — White Sands Natl MON, 5 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of White Sands National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Feb and Jan; busiest: Mar.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
- Arizona Striped Whiptail8 obs
- Barn Swallow1 obs
- Western Kingbird1 obs
- Great Horned Owl1 obs
- Common Side-blotched Lizard1 obs
- Western Earless Lizard1 obs
- Eastern Cottonwood1 obs
- Western Pygmy-Blue1 obs
Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/357621518
Take the scenic way to White Sands National Monument.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.