Playa Trail
- 0.2 mi
- round trip
- 3,987 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Easy
- difficulty
- Mar–Apr, Oct
- best months
Is Playa Trail open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in White Sands National Park. It doesn't name Playa Trail, so check the source for the area it covers.
Dunes Drive Safety Corridor
Park closure covering White Sands National Park · NPS · White Sands National Park
As of · Source: NPS · White Sands National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
The Playa Trail is an easy, 0.5 mile (800m) round-trip, level trail with outdoor exhibits along the way to help you learn and explore this trail and the characteristics that make it special. Follow the green trail markers with a heart symbol that lead to a small playa. On this self-guided trail, you will discover the importance of a playa undergoing constant change. Learn how this change creates habitats for plants and animals. It may be brown, white, filled with water, or have growing crystals. See what the playa looks like today! At the end of the trail, you have the opportunity to travel back in time and see what this area looked like 10,000 years ago and learn about the giants that once roamed this land. Please stay on the trail. Footprints destroy the biological soil crust that is vital to White Sands. The average completion time is 30 minutes. Length: 0.5 mile (800m), round-trip Trail Marker Color: Green Trail Marker Symbol: Heart Average Completion Time: 30 minutes Difficulty: Easy Distance from Visitor Center: 2.5 miles (4 km) Restroom: No restroom facility is available Before setting out on foot at White Sands National Park, please view our Hiking Safety Tips.
- Nearby · A Desert Oasis Interpretive Sign · Dune Life Nature Trail · Dog Canyon Trail
Best time to go · Mar–Apr, Oct
Best time to visit Playa Trail
Best months: March–April and October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
57° / 22°
3 wet
Feb
63° / 27°
3 wet
Mar
71° / 33°
2 wet
Apr
79° / 41°
2 wet
May
88° / 50°
2 wet
Jun
97° / 60°
4 wet
Jul
97° / 65°
7 wet
Aug
95° / 63°
7 wet
Sep
89° / 56°
5 wet
Oct
79° / 42°
4 wet
Nov
67° / 29°
3 wet
Dec
57° / 22°
3 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at White Sands Natl Mon, NM, 2.3 mi away at 4,006 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
HIKE
A Desert Oasis Interpretive Sign
Next door
Water is the focus of this interpretive sign on the Playa Trail. It describes how water is trapped in the basin and helps create the dried lakebed that is highlighted on this trail.
HIKE
Dune Life Nature Trail
Next door
The Dune Life Nature Trail is a moderate, one-mile (1.6 km) self-guided loop hike. Though not difficult, this hike does require hikers to climb two steep dunes with loose sand. Follow the blue trail markers with a club symbol. Meet Katie the Kit Fox and learn about her…
Photo: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Dog Canyon Trail
~34 min drive
5.12-mile out-and-back hike in Dog Canyon, New Mexico with 1,000 ft gain.
Photo: AudreyIski, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Mineral Springs
~34 min drive
4.20-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,091 ft elevation gain.
Photo: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Rim Trail
~40 min drive
9.82-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 1,553 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
"Just Add Water" Interpretive Sign
Next door
This interpretive sign on the Playa Trail showcases how water and the changing seasons create a hidden world that is waiting to come to life.
HIKE
Backcountry Camping Loop Trail Restroom
~5 min drive
The Backcountry Camping Loop Trail restroom has two separate wheelchair-accessible vault toilets with no running water, a dumpster, and trash and recycling bins. It is within a parking area with plenty of space to park automobiles and RVs, and there are accessible parking…
HIKE
Alamo Canyon Trail (104)
~30 min drive
6.94-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 2,708 ft gain.
Photo: uıɐɾ ʞ ʇɐɯɐs, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Road Canyon
~40 min drive
Road Canyon is a 3.20-mile out-and-back trail in New Mexico with 17 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Dune Life Nature Trail Restroom
Next door
The Dune Life Nature Trail restroom has two separate wheelchair-accessible vault toilets with no running water, a trash bin, and is adjacent to a parking area with plenty of space to park automobiles and RVs. There are accessible parking spaces directly in front of the restroom.
