las cruces to carlsbad

I was in Grammer School when I fell in love with Carlsbad Caverns and had to wait until last year to get there, worth every day of waiting. I don't care how you go,(we went through Alamogordo and went to White Sands)just go, it is fantastic. I will be 75 in June.

You won't see any bats at Carlsbad in March. :)

Be sure to rent a 'wand' at the entrance. It will give a nice narrative when approaching something special.

NMDriver wrote:

Via El Paso, I would advise taking TransMountain & the Loop (TX 375),

If towing it is better to take NM 404 east toward Chaparrel at exit 162 over to NM 213 then south to US 54 west to get to Loop 375 south. No steep climb up or down and the mileage is about the same, with less traffic.

Transmountain with a tow is no good, you would be better to stay on I-10 to catch 180 in El Paso and deal with a few stop lights on the way out of town.

If the weather is fine use US 70 and 82. The down slope from Cloudcroft is an easy, gentle, scenic drive. In fact going via 70/82 is much more entertaining than 180 if the weather cooperates.

x2

Via El Paso, I would advise taking TransMountain & the Loop (TX 375),

If towing it is better to take NM 404 east toward Chaparrel at exit 162 over to NM 213 then south to US 54 west to get to Loop 375 south. No steep climb up or down and the mileage is about the same, with less traffic.

Transmountain with a tow is no good, you would be better to stay on I-10 to catch 180 in El Paso and deal with a few stop lights on the way out of town.

If the weather is fine use US 70 and 82. The down slope from Cloudcroft is an easy, gentle, scenic drive. In fact going via 70/82 is much more entertaining than 180 if the weather cooperates.

DAS26miles wrote:
After Carlsbad, we headed up to Roswell and the UFO museum. Spent 1 hour going thru it. The DW said it was 59 minutes too long.

We were just there a few months ago.
DW is still right. :)

If going directly to Carlsbad Caverns & not needing to get to the town of Carlsbad, the US 180 route via El Paso is shorter.

The route via Cloudcroft going Eastbound wouldn't be too difficult. Only really steep section is going up to Cloudcroft from Alamo (also must pull up out of Las Cruces on US 70 to cross the pass over into the Tularosa Basin, not too hard & not bad going down into the Basin. Not as steep going down to Artesia from Cloudcroft.

Via El Paso, I would advise taking TransMountain & the Loop (TX 375), one can bypass most of El Paso. Make sure to get off the Loop when it crosses US 62/180 & go East or 62/180 will turn into Montana Street & takes one into El Paso near downtown.

TransMountain is a somewhat steep & curvy climb & descent. Watch speed, use lower gears....speeds can get out of hand quickly on the descent. It will take you up a mile above sea level.

Here's on older post on the subject: Route to Carlsbad.

The pass near the park isn't so steep to cause a worry, mostly more of a climb going up, not so much of a descent going toward New Mexico, but can be very windy at times.

By the way, you will not be going to Ruidoso from Cloudcroft via this route to Artesia.

Did that trip a few years ago. We took the route thru Alamorgordo, stopped at White Sands and ended up at the very nice KOA just north of the cavern. The two high points of the cavern was the lantern tour we took and sticking around tip dusk and seeing the bats leaving, quite a sight!
We were in a small MH and I don't recall how the road was, but I do recall driving thru an unbelievable thunderstorm.
After Carlsbad, we headed up to Roswell and the UFO museum. Spent 1 hour going thru it. The DW said it was 59 minutes too long.
Enjoy the trip!

Well, both will work and if you aren't planning on any stops or sightseeing along either route you may find 180 less taxing on your tow vehicle as 82 includes some significant mountain driving through Cloudcroft to Ruidoso area. It is a beautiful drive and you can visit White Sands if going through Alamogordo. I would go the 180 route if Carlsbad is the only destination I'm interested in. Have fun!!!

While not as scenic as going through Cloudcroft, going down to El Paso and across to Carlsbad would probably be better if you are towing. The trip up to Cloudcroft and back down on 82 is doable if you have good engine brakes and hold your speed down but the signs on that stretch will scare you to death much more than the actual road!! There may also be problems with snowy/icy roads that time of year around Cloudcroft.