Carlsbad Caverns & Guadalupe Mountains National Parks
Carlsbad, New Mexico
Terrain // Dirt | Found On // Campendium | Our Stay // March 11 – 14, 2024
Two Parks One Stop
As our trek back to Ohio continued, we found ourselves in Carlsbad, New Mexico. We stopped here intentionally because a) we found a free campground on Campendium, and b) we could knock out two national parks from this one stop. Little did we know that spring break was in full swing, so the area was PACKED. The campground is first come, first serve, and all designated spots had already been claimed. Luckily, we were able to park along the perimeter. We also didn’t realize you had to acquire a permit online or by visiting the member center to venture down into the caves. So, we showed up ready to cave dive, only to find out we’d be unable to since we didn’t acquire a pass. Let this be a lesson: Make sure you adequately research where you intend to hike, especially during busy seasons like spring break.
Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad Caverns National Park covers about 73 square miles. Away from sunlight lies the celebrated underground world of Carlsbad Cavern. It is an incomparable realm of gigantic subterranean chambers, fantastic cave formations, and extraordinary features (so they say). The park offers three main cave tour options depending on your time, interest, and physical ability. Two tours are self-guiding trails through Big Room Route (1.25 miles), which is easy to moderate, and Natural Entrance Route (1.25 miles), which is steep and strenuous. The third option is ranger-guided through King’s Palace (1 mile), which is easy to moderate. In early spring through October, the evening flight of the bats of Carlsbad Caverns is a natural phenomenon as fascinating as the cave itself. Thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats fly from the cave and can be viewed in the outdoor amphitheater at the cave’s natural entrance.
Guadalupe Mountains
The Guadalupe Mountains are among the best examples of a marine fossil reef. Geologists come from around the world to marvel at this extraordinary phenomenon that formed 260-270 million years ago. The exposed reef coincides with Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Other parts of the reef are exposed in the Apache and Glass Mountains. The park has over 80 miles of trails to explore. Popular hikes include Guadalupe Peak, the Tejas Trail, Devil’s Hall, and the ruins of the Pinery. Dog Canyon is located along the park’s remote northern boundary and is popular for visitors looking to experience the park’s high country in relative solitude.
Where We Stayed
Sunset Reef Campground is a reclaimed well pad with 11 developed campsites, five RV spaces, and six tent sites. Each site has a shaded picnic table, fire pit, and grill for your camping convenience, with a vault toilet on site. Visitors can dry camp at this campground for a maximum of five nights for free. The spots filled up quickly during our visit, and we ended up parking along the perimeter instead of a designated spot. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a 25-minute drive (14 miles) to the north, and Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a 35-minute drive (30 miles) to the southwest, making this the perfect spot to check two national parks off our list. It also appeared to be in the middle of cattle grazing land, as cows were munching on the shrubbery surrounding the campground.
Hiking
Frijole Trail
Frijole Trail in Guadalupe Mountain National Park is a 3-mile out-and-back trail near Salt Flat, Texas. This trail takes visitors up to the ridge along the Frijole Trail. There are abundant views of the surrounding desert along the way. It was a decent hike, but the views were mostly underwhelming. Since this was a quick visit, we couldn’t do much longer of a hike before the sunset.
Slaughter Canyon Cave Trail
Slaughter Canyon Cave Trail was the silver lining we needed after missing out on the cave hike. This 1-mile out-and-back trail is generally considered a challenging hike due to its steep incline and rocky terrain. There is 462 feet of elevation gain. It’s a precious gem when you can enjoy a hike without encountering other people along the trail. We kept stopping to admire the landscape spread out before us the higher we climbed. The cave is gated and only accessible by a guide from the National Park Service.
Natural Cave Entrance
This was as close as we got to experiencing Carlsbad Caverns… The Natural Entrance is at the mouth of the Bat Flight Amphitheater. This was the only access to Carlsbad Cavern before elevators were installed in the 1930s.
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail
This mostly paved, accessible day-use trail is 0.5 miles with a slight change in elevation. There are multiple markers on the flora of the Chihuahuan Desert. You can access the Natural Cave entrance from this trail.
Rattlesnake Springs
Rattlesnake Springs is a lush oasis in the desert. This riparian ecosystem features a natural spring and a large grove of cottonwood trees planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps. All water at Carlsbad Caverns comes from here.
Attractions
Whites City // 10 minutes north of the Sunset Reef Campground, is this little tourist town that primarily caters to visitors of Carlsbad and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. It hosts two hotels, a spacious RV Park and campground, a water park, a gift shop, a museum, and a Cactus Cafe.
Resources
National Park Pass
It’s roughly $30 / vehicle to enter most national parks. If you plan on entering any national park at least three times in a calendar year, we highly suggest getting an Annual Park Pass. It’s $80 for a whole year (cheaper for seniors), and the pass covers entrance or day-use fees to all National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands for one personal vehicle, including rentals and RVs/motorhomes, plus entry to 2,000 Federal Recreation Sites.
CAMPENDIUM
Campendium is another camping resource we use when looking for free/cheap places to stay. It’s free to use the app, but we have a subscription for $50 a year that provides an ad-free experience and detailed coverage maps you can filter by elevation, public land boundaries, and wildfire and smoke conditions. Plus, you can save your favorite places and trails in the area.
Campendium helps both seasoned travelers and newcomers plan memorable outdoor adventures.
What Did We Miss?
Let us know what to check out during our next visit. We know we couldn’t see the best features of each pack due to our poor planning and short stay. While we’re glad we got to see what we did, we’re certain we’ll find ourselves in this area again.
