Electric Road Trip to White Sands: Charging, Dunes, and Desert Views
An EV Adventure through White Sands National Park
Tucked away in southeast New Mexico, just above the I‑10 corridor, you will discover a wispy sand beach with drifted white roadways and dunes waiting for your lounge chair.
Protected by the White Sands Missile Range, a welcoming desert valley emerges, surrounded by mountains and overseen by fighter jets.
The juxtaposition of it all creates a quiet national park waiting for you to cruise the roadways while searching for the perfect picnic area, create your own hiking path, or sled down the oversized sand dunes.
Conveniently located along US Highway 70, the sole park entrance sits 52 miles northeast of Las Cruces, New Mexico or 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo, New Mexico. Fill the day with adventure while your shoes and shorts slowly fill with sand.
Extend your electric road trip to White Sands National Park and spend a day enjoying The Great American Electric Highway’s inland beach.
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The Beach Without any Water
A sand-dusted road winds through White Sands National Park, flanked by rolling gypsum dunes with distant mountains rising along the horizon.
Our day began with a steady charge at the Lordsburg, New Mexico Pilot Flying J Fast Charger before the approximate three-hour drive east on I‑10 and US 70 - flowing along desert scenery, walking a rest area with warnings of rattlesnakes (unfortunately did not see one), before entering an autonomous semi-truck race into the morning sun.
The green flag dropped when a tractor-trailer actually driving the speed limit risked delaying the day.
Pulling into the passing lane I instantly recognized the familiar Waymo-style autonomous radar bulges - delighted to spot a driverless semi-truck I pressed on the accelerator. Overtaking the trailer, we pulled even with the cab and voila: no one at the wheel, no one riding shotgun.
I marveled in the preview of future transportation while debating taking an archival picture. Not wanting to be a statistic, I let that one go - as Cheryl was dozing, and my filming while driving may have abruptly ended the trip.
Putting the hammer down, we replenished our go-go juice at a Las Cruces, New Mexico ChargePoint before rolling into a rare White Sands National Park visitor center parking space - things were a bit busy with Spring Break - to consume a quick cooler lunch.
Wind-swept sands ripple across White Sands National Park, where hardy desert grasses emerge from the dunes against a backdrop of rolling white hills.
As anxious as you must be to begin sliding down the sand dunes, I highly recommend exploring the park visitor center.
You will find a small museum covering park history, park rangers ready to answer questions, plus a wide variety of shirts and magnets to commemorate your visit.
Be patient with parking - the front, highway frontage parking lot fills quickly; you may have better luck driving past the visitor center to the parking lot on the west side.
Now that you have your souvenirs, head down the Dune Drive past the visitor center to the ranger stop and pay your entrance fee. Thus begins an adventure in white.
REMEMBER - Dune Road occasionally closes during missile tests at the adjacent range.
Check park hours here before arriving to disappointment.
Amp’d Advice: Properly Prepare for the Desert Sun
Water is not available in the park - fill your bottles at the visitor center.
Bring sun protection in the form of a wide-brim hat, sunscreen, and a long-sleeve sun shirt.
Utilize the covered picnic shelters for a lunch from the cooler. The parking lot is nice, but the park landscape is the real cheese.
Planning on staying for the day? Add the protection of a sun umbrella.
A sand-covered parking area at White Sands National Park sits alongside the dunes, with picnic shelters offering shaded spots for visitors to rest.
The park road is a 14‑mile out-and-back loop; the first six miles are paved, then the remaining unpaved road winds through the dunes, offering numerous pullouts and a few relief stations.
As we found ourselves farther in the park, we discovered designated picnic stations with small, covered pavilions and ample parking, creating a beach scene in the middle of the desert.
Large sun umbrellas dotted the dune tops; people in swimsuits, or stripped down and thankfully still covering their privates, lay on beach recliners taking advantage of the warm spring sun.
Long creases in the sand gave testimony to the numerous sled rides down the slopes, some ending gracefully and a few in a pile of chafing flesh.
Taking one of the side roads, we discovered an area containing organized seating and a photographer snapping pictures before the wedding to occur in a few hours.
Numerous trailheads dot the road, allowing an organized hike, or the adventurous can trek across the sand to explore the various desert flora and fauna.
Needing to continue our trip north to I‑40 and east to Texas, we reluctantly left the brilliant white sand to roll back past the visitor center and north toward Route 66.
Amp’d Advice: Do not make our mistake - fill your day running amok the white sand dunes
The mistake we made was only allowing 2 to 3 hours to explore the park - this was enough time to drive around and see everything but not enough time to get out and explore the vegetation covered dunes.
Our goal was to head onto Amarillo, Texas and see Palo Duro State Park (Grand Canyon of Texas) the next day before heading to Tulsa, Oklahoma. Unfortunately, at this point of our vacation, we were on a time schedule to get home to doctor appointments, and as hard as these are to schedule, we needed to move along.
Brown grasses blanket the foreground at White Sands National Park, leading to vegetation-dotted dunes rising in the distance.
Be sure to plan your New Mexico EV road trip to explore all the state has to offer. While White Sands National Park may be the focus of this article, you will find a wide range of experiences from corner to corner.
During our three EV road trips across New Mexico, the numerous high-speed charging stations allowed statewide access without concern.
Sure, the charging speeds did vary, but every station performed flawlessly and allowed the show to go on - whether heading north or south, we found ample charging opportunities.
The diverse geographic features across the state provide interest, exploration, and a variety of activities.
Taos & Santa Fe provide a base to explore the northern mountains and surrounding landmarks. Be sure to experience the Rio Grande Gorge.
Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, delivers a vibrant urban lifestyle surrounded by mountains and national monuments. Be sure to come in the fall to experience the Balloon Fiesta.
Roswell is a fun and quirky city that embraces its alien lore and the area’s extensive history.
The crown jewel of southern New Mexico is Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Plan on arriving before sunset to witness the daily bat swarm, before returning the next day to wander the caverns hundreds of feet below the surface.
Route 66, now Interstate 40, bisects the state, providing a central artery traversing west to east and featuring a Level 3 charger approximately every 57 miles.
Enjoy your summer exploring New Mexico and make sure you take the time to spend a day at White Sands National Park.
Every EV trip starts with PlugShare to research destinations and charging options
Our mantra is simple: we design our route - because adventure shouldn’t be outsourced to a GPS.
Once we pick a destination, I dive into PlugShare for charger intel while Cheryl brings the magic by charting each stop on our paper atlas, giving us a colorful, big‑picture snapshot of the journey.
That blend of EV tech and old‑school wanderlust keeps our planning smooth, colorful, and unmistakably SightSee EV. Check out the full article to see how this combo keeps our road trips smooth and fun!
Birds Eye Review: Surf the Sand the SightSee EV Way
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Visitors relax atop a bright white sand dune at White Sands National Park, shaded by a colorful blue and green beach umbrella.
White Sands National Park delivers a rare inland beach experience where brilliant white dunes stretch to the horizon and invite exploration.
The scenic drive springboard impromptu picnics, sled runs and dune-top lounging - balancing relaxation and adventure in equal measures.
Add in the unexpected contrasts - fighter jets overhead, wedding parties in the dunes, and the occasional glimpse of the future on the highway - and the experience becomes even more memorable.
The surrounding EV charging infrastructure eliminates travel concerns, turning what feels remote on the map into a seamless extension of your route.
White Sands is not just a stop along The Great American Electric Highway, but a destination worth building the trip around.
John’s life mission is to educate readers that EVs are simply cars powered by an alternative energy source.
His favorite way to experience it? Road-tripping along the Great American Electric Highway, where the miles turn into opportunities to visit family, reconnect with friends, and soak in the country’s scenic beauty.
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