White Sands National Park hosts Fossil Day from 2 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 06:42 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
White Sands National Park in Alamogordo will host National Fossil Day programmes from 2 to 28 October 2026, exploring fossilised human and animal footprints from the Ice Age. The programme schedule includes ranger talks, guided walks, drop-in activities and a special presentation during October Full Moon Night.
The site is in the Tularosa Basin of New Mexico, where the white gypsum dunes cover parts of the landscape once associated with Lake Otero. The National Park Service is using the October programme to connect visitors with fossil evidence preserved beneath and around the dunes.
National Fossil Day brings Ice Age programmes to the dunes
The programme begins on 2 October 2026 and runs through 28 October 2026. The announced schedule includes Ice Age Life Within drop-in sessions on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in October, from 10am to 11am, at the visitor centre courtyard.
Visitors can examine casts and moulds of fossilised footprints and replica skulls of large Ice Age mammals. Rangers will discuss how people and animals used the same landscape. The programme was announced by the National Park Service, while local television coverage confirmed the October dates.
Fossilised footprints connect the programme with Lake Otero
Ranger-guided walks on the Ice Age Trail are scheduled for 7 and 28 October 2026 at 10am. The trail was formerly called the Playa Trail, and the walks will address the Pleistocene landscape, its human and animal inhabitants, and the discovery of fossilised footprints.
National Fossil Day itself falls on 14 October 2026. A drop-in programme will run from 10am to 2pm in the visitor centre courtyard, where park scientists will share information about the footprints and display casts, moulds and museum collections.
The park’s fossil record includes human footprints and tracks from Ice Age animals. National Park Service research places human activity in the Tularosa Basin at least 23,000 years ago. The footprints are currently inaccessible in their original locations, so the casts and visitor centre displays give the programme a direct link to evidence that cannot be viewed on the dunes.
The schedule ends with a special presentation on 25 October 2026 during October Full Moon Night. Resource Management Program Manager David Bustos will discuss fossilised footprints at the park’s outdoor amphitheatre. The National Park Service states that the presentation starts at 6.30pm, with event parking opening at 4pm and extended park hours until 8pm.
Visiting White Sands National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The National Fossil Day programme runs from 2 to 28 October 2026 at White Sands National Park, with activities at the visitor centre courtyard, the Ice Age Trail and the outdoor amphitheatre.
- The programme offers public drop-in sessions, guided walks and a ranger presentation. The original fossil footprints are currently inaccessible, while casts and related displays are available during the listed activities.
- The park is in the Tularosa Basin near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The announced activities take place within the national park rather than at a separate venue in the surrounding towns.
- The Ice Age Trail walk is 0.8 miles long. Visitors attending the Full Moon Night presentation should note that the event takes place at the outdoor amphitheatre and that the park has extended hours until 8pm on 25 October 2026.
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Frequently asked questions about White Sands National Park
When does National Fossil Day take place at White Sands National Park?
The main National Fossil Day drop-in programme takes place on 14 October 2026 from 10am to 2pm. Related activities run from 2 to 28 October 2026.
What can visitors see during the National Fossil Day programme?
Visitors can examine casts and moulds of fossilised footprints, replica skulls and museum collections. Guided activities explain the Ice Age landscape and the people and animals represented by the tracks.
Where is White Sands National Park and how do you get there?
The park is in the Tularosa Basin near Alamogordo in New Mexico. The programme venues are the visitor centre courtyard, the Ice Age Trail and the outdoor amphitheatre inside the park.
