How Crowded Is White Sands National Park in April?

April runs about 1.2× White Sands National Park's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 10% of the park's yearly visitors come in April.

In a typical April the park sees about 67,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes April the 2nd-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the March peak (1.6×) and the January low (0.6×).

On our Best Time to Visit score April rates 60/100 ("Good"), versus the top-rated September at 77/100 — pleasant weather with noticeably thinner crowds (shoulder season).

Typical April weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 79°F and an overnight low around 41°F, with about 0.3" of precipitation.

That average of about 60°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 26% of annual visitors, choosing April instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 12.8 hours of daylight in April to explore — between the 9.8-hour midwinter low and the 14.1-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 659,742 recreation visits, down 6.1% from 702,236 in 2024.

Across the past decade overall visitation has risen about 24.4%, so a April visit is likely to feel busier than it did a few years ago.