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In an otherwise forgotten corner of the US, where southeastern New Mexico and Texas meet, one national park rises high above the desert – and another one falls deep below. Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park are gems that make it very much worth visiting this lovely region.
The two are barely a half hour from each other, making this an awesome opportunity to knock out both in one trip. We did this trip on a long weekend and found that to be reasonable, unless you want to do several days of serious hiking. Plus, there’s great Mexican food and some interesting stops on the route.
The caverns are magnificent and include the largest cave chamber in the country. You can take a leisurely walk down into the cave or choose to ride an elevator instead. The stroll around the stalactites, stalagmites, bottomless pit, and other natural features is captivating.
The Guadalupe Mountains are remote, rugged, and rich in history. Attractions easily reached from the road include a frontier-era stagecoach stop, a cabin on a natural spring, and miles of salt flats at the foot of the mountains. If you’re willing to hike and gain some elevation, there’s everything from quick and relatively easy loops to conquerings of full peaks.
Read on to see what we did, where we stayed, and our other advice for making this awesome trip. We’d go back again in a heartbeat!
How to Get There & Where to Stay: Carlsbad, New Mexico
Carlsbad, on the NM side of the state line, is the only major town with accommodations anywhere near Carlsbad Caverns or Guadalupe Mountains National Parks. Luckily, it does have plenty of hotels, restaurants, and shopping. But unfortunately, it’s a bit far separated from much else.
If you’re flying in, the regional airport in Roswell (which is a great stop – more on that later) is the closest one to Carlsbad, at about 90 minutes away. You will definitely need to rent a car if this is the case. More major but distant airports include El Paso and Albuquerque. Any drive in this part of the country is sure to be gorgeous, especially if you’re road tripping from even further away.
Carlsbad has plenty of hotels, including the Fairfield Inn & Suites, which we found to be perfect. It’s located in the southern part of town, making access to the national park easy. It offers free breakfast and parking and is next to a Walmart. If you’re a loyalist to Hilton, IHG, or Hyatt, there are also a Home2 Suites by Hilton Carlsbad, a Holiday Inn Express Carlsbad, and a Hyatt House Carlsbad, among others.
Visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park
The first thing you need to know is that a timed entry ticket is required to visit the caverns – this is NOT the same as your national park daily or seasonal pass! Reservations are made on recreation.gov and only cost a dollar per person. They cannot be made in person or on the same day!
With that out of the way, you’ll want to allow for at least 20 minutes to drive from Carlsbad to the visitor center. At the turn off the highway, you’ll encounter Whites City, which has a big souvenir shop, gas station, café, and bathrooms. From there, it’s a drive up the mountain foothills to reach the cavern entrance.
Touring the Cave
After waiting in line at the visitors center to show your time slot reservation and your park pass, you’ll be given the option to hike down into the cave via the Natural Entrance Trail or take the elevator. If you are in even moderately decent shape, we highly recommend making the hike. It’s totally paved, has plenty of places to stop, and is just over a mile long; it’s just rather steep.
You’ll immediately feel the cool cave air upon approaching the entrance, which is about 56 degrees Fahrenheit year-round – so bring a light jacket. The path down winds around giant boulders and unique rock formations. Photography, including flash, is definitely allowed. You’ll also be able to read many of the significant spots on signs.
The end of the Natural Entrance Trail meets up with the elevator access, and there are bathrooms, a snack shop, and a gift shop there. Make use of those facilities before taking the Big Room Trail, which is the crown jewel of the cave. The Big Room is the largest cavern chamber in America, and it is really magnificent.
The paved, flat path through the Big Room Trail reveals all kinds of marvels. You’ll see gigantic stalactites and stalagmites, cave popcorn, unexplored offshoots, and even “the bottomless pit.” There are natural pools of crystal-clear water that have seeped from above, and perhaps even some rare cave wildlife.
Closed-toe shoes are advisable (also for the temperature) and a lot of it is wheelchair accessible. After about 1.25 miles and around 1.5 hours, you’ll take the elevator back to the visitors center (hiking back up is not allowed). You might also choose to take the shortcut through the Big Room Trail, which will cut the time and distance in half.
Evening Bat Flight Program
The fun doesn’t stop at the surface, especially if you’re at Carlsbad Caverns between May and October. That’s because during those months, the cave serves as a massive habitat for a colony of bats, and you can see them every evening.
The National Park Service has constructed an entire amphitheater just above the cave entrance, where, at dusk during the season, visitors can enjoy a spectacular show of bat flight. First, a ranger gives a little presentation about the bats. We learned that they emerge at night to hunt for food, and they can number in the hundreds of thousands to over one million!
Then, the ranger will instruct everyone not to make any noise at all, and to turn OFF all electronics – no photos allowed. Bats are extremely sensitive and may not fly out if they detect any noise or electronic signal. After what’s usually a short wait, you’ll witness a massive wave of bats fly up and into the sky.
At that point, the emergence may last for quite a while, and it’s up to you how long you’d like to stay and watch before very quietly making your way out. We found it to be amazing and easy to watch for a while. For anyone afraid or creeped out by bats, you shouldn’t worry. It’s just fascinating, and they won’t come near you.
The Bat Flight Program time depends on the day and will be posted at the visitor center, but expect it to be a bit before sunset. No reservations are required; just show up at that time. You can either tour the cave early, take a break, and return to the park, or plan your cave tour time to be in the late afternoon to just make one trip.
Other Things to Do on the Surface of Carlsbad Caverns
The cave really is the main attraction, and the bats are an amazing extra for those who are there in the right season. But there are a few other things to consider adding to your day at Carlsbad Caverns:
- The Visitors Center – It has a fantastic historical and scientific exhibition on the cave. We definitely recommend spending 30 or so minutes exploring before you enter the cave.
- Gift Shop – At the visitors center, with the usual national park gear. Don’t forget your passport stamp and sticker!
- Restaurant – In the gift shop, serving a few southwestern style lunch options and drinks.
- Reef Top Circle Scenic Drive – The road traversing the top of the mountain the cave sits on, which was once an undersea reef. BUT, due to landslides and degradation, the road is CLOSED and won’t be reopened for many years, according to a ranger we spoke to. Check back in the future.
- Rattlesnake Springs – A little piece of the park sits on its own to the south, closer to the main road. It has an old cabin and a natural spring with cold, clear water emerging to the surface. We visited and were the only people there, and while it’s peaceful, it’s not a must-see.
- Surface Hiking Trails – There are a few of these on the surface through the Chihuahuan Desert landscape. If you don’t mind a very busy day, you could probably do one or two along with the cave; otherwise, consider these for a multi-day stay.
Notably, there is no camping at Carlsbad Caverns National Park unless you get a permit for the backcountry. So plan to stay in either Whites City or Carlsbad.
Visiting Guadalupe Mountains National Park
You’ve come all this way, and it would be a shame to not visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park, being that it’s just 35 miles down the road. It doesn’t matter the order that you visit the parks, but Guadalupe Mountains is better for good weather (since you’ll be in a cave at Carlsbad, and bad weather won’t really matter). You also don’t need a reservation at Guadalupe Mountains.
Plan for a 45-minute drive from Carlsbad or slightly less from Whites City. It’s just south on the main highway, and you’ll see welcome signs shortly after crossing the Texas state line. Note that phone service is limited out here, and there is no local town, so bring water, snacks, and enough gas for the trip back.
Starting at the Visitors Center & Hiking the Pinery Trail
The Pine Springs Visitors Center is just off the main road and where you’ll need to buy or show your park pass. You should definitely look around the exhibition inside to see the local wildlife, trails, and history. This park’s history is particularly interesting.
That said, do the Pinery Trail while you’re here. It’s a very short, easy loop from the Visitor Center and leads to the ruins of the Old Pinery Station. You can see where travelers on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route stopped on their 2,800-mile journey in the 1800s, as parts of the building are still standing. The mountain views are great, too.
That won’t take you more than 30 minutes, so refer to the giant map of other trails inside the Visitor Center to see what to do next. To be honest, most of the other park trails range from moderate to extreme in difficulty, including full scaling of mountain peaks.
Frijole Ranch & Nearby Trails
This was the area we focused on during our day at the park, and it’s a good one for visitors who don’t want to do the aforementioned mega-mountain hikes. It’s just a few minutes north of Pine Springs and has its own parking lot. There are also picnic benches, bathrooms, and shade, making this a good place to plan for lunch.
Start with the very quick trail to Frijole Ranch Museum, which is an incredibly preserved homestead from the 1800s. It revolves around a natural cold spring that once provided a lifeline to inhabitants and wildlife in an otherwise dry desert area. When staff is available, you can go inside the ranch house to see what life was like for the frontiersmen back then. Otherwise, you can freely walk the grounds and see the exterior, the one-room schoolhouse, and the system to capture spring water.
From there, you can embark on hikes such as the Smith Spring Trail, Frijole Trail, and even Bear Canyon. We did Smith Spring, and it was a great choice. You’ll first pass Manzanita Spring, which is another cold lake formed from below, and continue uphill.
The trail does become narrow and rocky, and it follows a gulch up the mountain foothills for part of the way. It’s very natural and rugged but not super difficult. The surroundings get greener and greener as you approach Smith Spring, deep inside the mountain canyon. Once there, you’ll be greeted by a crystal-clear pond that flows in a creek down the slopes.
A fence kindly reminds you not to approach the pond, but downstream we sat down and put our feet in the ice-cold water. It was a lovely relief on a very hot West Texas day. Do not forget water on this trail, and remember your phone won’t work here. The loop back down is about the same distance that you came up, and you should allow 2-3 hours in total for this hike.
Other Major Trails & Things to Do in Guadalupe Mountains National Park
We’ve only covered a few of the many trails through the Guadalupes. There are so many more, and hiking experts could probably spend a week here. Some more to consider include:
- McKittrick Canyon – This is one of the other very popular regions of the park, in its northern part. The canyon trail branches off in several spots and includes portions that take you back into New Mexico. Expect rugged, steep conditions, but rewards like grottoes, hidden peaks, and even campgrounds.
- Guadalupe Peak – The park’s namesake is also the highest peak in Texas. Expert hikers will gain 3,000 feet in elevation to reach just over 8,750 feet at the top, and will hike 4.2 miles one-way. Plan for an entire day, if not an overnight.
- El Capitan Trail – This is the only trail that provides access to western Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It is also one of the longest and ends at Williams House Ranch. But the peace, quiet, and undiscovered parts of these mountains are major rewards for expert hikers.
- Bear Canyon – One of the steepest trails in the park, gaining 2,000 feet in two miles, perfect for fitness fanatics looking for extremeness.
- Salt Basins – This is not a hike and could be a great addition for people who don’t want the extreme. If you keep driving south on the highway, you’ll eventually reach the miles and miles of flat, white salt fields at the base of the mountains. It’s stunning to see, even just from the road, and very photogenic.
- Salt Basin Dunes Trail – To add to the exoticness of this place, if you drive all the way around to the west side of the park, you’ll find white sand dunes that border the mountains and salt flats. You can hike these for something very unique that will remind you of White Sands National Park.
While we only did a full day at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, you could clearly spend much more time here, especially if you’re a hiker. If you’re just on a long weekend and can only do a day at Carlsbad Caverns and a day here, that’s perfectly fine too.
Unless you’re packing dinner and camping, plan for another 45 minutes or more to drive back to Carlsbad for dinner and your hotel. There’s great Mexican food in Carlsbad.
Final Thoughts: A Trip to the Guadalupe Mountains & Carlsbad Caverns
In conclusion, this trip is totally worth it, whether you have a long weekend or an entire week. Stay in Carlsbad, visit both parks, and come prepared. Depending on how much time you have in total, you can add plenty more to your stay in this region, whether it’s an extra hour or an extra day. Consider these:
- International UFO Museum and Research Center of Roswell – This is a fun, hour-long stop in the famous Roswell, New Mexico, where it is said that the most evidence of any extraterrestrial event exists. They have a ton of evidence, too. It’s a great way to break up your drive down south or north.
- White Sands National Park, New Mexico – Another amazing park about 3 hours west of Carlsbad, if you have an extra day. We have never seen anything like the miles of snow-white rolling sand dunes in the middle of the desert here. The local town of Alamogordo also has a cool outer space museum.
- Albuquerque and its International Balloon Fiesta – This will require an extra day or two, at the minimum, as Albuquerque is about 4.5 hours from Carlsbad. But it’s an awesome addition to a road trip with its quaint, unique old town. If you’re there in October, the Hot Air Balloon Festival is breathtaking.
We’d happily do this trip again. We’d especially like to do more in the Guadalupe Mountains, and perhaps see the morning version of the Bat Flight at Carlsbad Caverns, when they return to the cave en masse and fly downwards. We’ll let you know if and when we finally do!
