First Stop of Backcountry Camping Loop Trail Tour
in New Mexico · centroid 74 mi from El Paso
Welcome to White Sands National Park’s digital self-guided tour! If you see the Backcountry Camping Loop Trailhead in front of you, you’re in the right place. White Sands is far more than just a sandbox.
Over time, this land has been home to countless creatures and people. It’s been a site for research and recreation, sleds and snapshots. Just as the landscape shifts and changes every day, the way recent humans have utilized this place has changed, too.
As we begin our voyage to explore how the ways we use this landscape has changed over time, remember that nothing is permanent – especially not the world’s largest gypsum sand dunes. Keep in mind that you may need to adjust your location to get a better view along the way. Here are a few more tips to help you make the most of this self-led tour: Read up on our hiking safety tips before setting off on foot.
- States
- New Mexico
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- El Paso, TX · 74 mi · ~2.1 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 32.8099°, -106.2641°
About White Sands National Park
This trail is inside White Sands National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/first-stop-of-backcountry-camping-loop-trail-tour.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/whsa/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked First Stop of Backcountry Camping Loop Trail Tour and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.