Carlsbad Caverns

So many people I know had been "dragged" to Carlsbad Caverns when they were kids. Now as more patient adults they want to go back and see it again. I had never been to the Caverns as a kid and my only adult experience of caves was a visit to Howe Caverns in upstate New York. At Howe Caverns I was frightened by the narrow dark passages and nearly fled from an attack of claustrophobia. Visiting Carlsbad Caverns was a far different experience.

We chose to tour the main cavern because some of the other caverns were ranger led tours that included some narrow tunnels. After descending in an elevator we entered into a series of huge rooms with endless vistas. The self-guided tour was an easy 1.5 hour walk along a narrow pathway. We arrived at 10 a.m. and pretty much had the place to ourselves. I won't attempt to describe how awesome and astoundingly beautiful these Caverns are -- the reader will experience that for him or herself.

If you have dogs you will notice signs that state it is mandatory to board them on the premises while you are touring the Caverns. The fee is minimal and on a sweltering day it would be humane to put dogs in the onsite air conditioned kennels. The rangers are firm -- they do not want generators running in the parking lot there. We visited on an overcast windy day and were told we could get by without boarding if we left the rig windows open. We opened all the windows and the dogs slept comfortably for the two hours we toured the Caverns.

Brantley Lake State Park -- Near Carlsbad, New Mexico: July 2007

We drove on US 285 south from Santa Fe to stay two nights at Brantley Lake State Park, the closest public campground to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico. The ride was profounding boring. The scenery was flat, the heat shimmered off the pavement, and the eye could not rest on anything much that was beautiful. Julie, who tends to be eternally optimistic, said that there was beauty to be found in the flat dry plains. I must have missed it. I would suggest a different route if you plan a trip to Carlsbad Caverns from northern New Mexico. Julie agrees.

The campground is in a beautiful high desert setting four miles off of Rt. 285 about 12 miles northeast of Carlsbad, NM. It was in the mid-90's during our visit and since the campground has no shade (although our site had two trees) the mid-day heat was especially strong. It did not cool down much during the evening hours but there was a welcome light rain that kept us away from turning on the air conditioner in the rig.

We recommend site #16, a water and electric hookup, due to its proximity to a walking trail (especially nice if you have dogs) down to the lake, the view of Brantley Lake, and the relative separateness from the other sites. The facilities at this campground were clean but dated. We would definitely return to this public campground but later in the year when the days are cooler.

We chose to avoid the boring return trip to Santa Fe on US 285. Instead we drove west out of Artesia on 82 through the Sacramento Mountains. The drive through the mountains was beautiful -- there were stunning views in places -- and it will be an area we will explore further in future trips to southern New Mexico. As we came down out of the mountains we could see White Sands National Park off to the west and the Capitan Mountains to our north. At Alamogordo we went north on 54 to Duran (a beautiful drive and no traffic) where we picked up Rt. 3 to Encino and then back on US 285 to Santa Fe.