Things on the way to Carlsbad Caverns, NM

[JKwock]

Thinking about a family camping trip to the Carlsbad Caverns with my wife and three children (11, 9, and 7). What other great places will be on the way from Los Angeles, Ca. Have always traveled north but it's time to travel east. Thanks in advance.

Jason

[wepampercampers]

Looks like lots of great feedback for NM. But before you get there...
If you're not an interstate kind of a person, take CA-62 to AZ-95 and camp in River Island State Park in Parker, AZ. The area has gorgeous, red, cliffs and wild burrows.

Also, I love this website: PublicLands.org Just select the state, then you can zoom in to see all the public lands along your route.

[Chock_Full_o__N]

If you're coming across, hmmm...is it I-40, to Albuqueque? I can't remember. But if you're coming that way, be sure you stop at the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest NPs. They are adjacent and right off the interstate. When you go south at Albuqueque, you'll head right through Roswell. You gotta see the museum, just to say you did!

About 13 miles north of Carlsbad it a great KOA. Just a little further down the road is the Living Desert SP. It's up on top of a small mountain; no camping there but a nice museum and collection of live flora and fauna.

Oh, and another vote for staying for the bats! It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

[SageCrispin]

+1 for Pima Air and Space.

Closer to your home-we loved Anza-Borrego, but probably a no go in July.

[fcooper]

If you get to Deming, NM, check out the Deming Luna Mimbres Museum. We thought we'd spend an hour in there, and spent 1/2 day and did not see it all. It was so good, we came back on our return trip to see the remainder.

Great mexican restaurant about a block away, Irma's restaurant.

The Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ was great also. If you're lucky, the surviving B-17 pilot will be giving the lecture on the B-17.

Have fun

Fred

[djsamuel]

mikestock wrote:
Be sure and be at Carlsbad at dusk to see the bats swarm out to devour every mosquito for miles. I regret that we didn't because it didn't fit our rushed schedule.

That is not to be missed. Excellent.

[mikestock]

Be sure and be at Carlsbad at dusk to see the bats swarm out to devour every mosquito for miles. I regret that we didn't because it didn't fit our rushed schedule.

[DesertHawk]

Should be a nice time to visit Cloudcroft, perhaps on your return home leg.

In the Carlsbad area, Sitting Bull Falls would be worth a day trip, kind of neat place with cave(s) & formations behind the Falls. If it is still open Clickly.

[JKwock]

End of June or early July is when we plan to visit.

[Gonzo42]

You didn't say when you are planning to go. Side note: I believe that once a year around August they let tourists visit Trinity Site which is where the first atomic bomb was tested. You would have to research that if it interests you. Just north of WSMR and south of Alamagordo is White Sands (the park).

[ExxWhy]

Fred, that's Columbus NM. Site of the Pancho Villa raid in 1916. If you go there and plan to walk across the border to Palomas,(DON'T drive over there) be sure to go have lunch at the Pink Store. Not much else over there if you ask me. It's a drug cartel border town, though seems to be safe for tourists.

Another interesting place in that area is City of Rocks state park, about 40 minutes off I10. Gila Cliff Dwellings are very interesting, but that's a few hours drive from Deming.

[Gonzo42]

We were at Carlsbad just a few months ago. Our original plan was to go back up to Roswell before going west but instead took a left at Artesia (Hwy 82). Some construction on that road plus we got to go thru Cloudcroft where I had skied in the '60's. Mountain driving, slower but not really hard. I was stationed at WSMR and they have a missile park if you are interested.

[DesertHawk]

Using I-10

Around the Deming Area: Pancho Villa SP is south of Deming right on the Mexican Border in Columbus, NM. Pancho Villa raided Columbus on Mar 9, 1916. HISTORY Of THE COLUMBUS RAID It was only a few years before the US would enter World War I which was already raging in Europe.

North of Deming towards Silver City is City of Rocks State Park. I've never been to Pancho Villa, but have enjoyed out trips & stays at City of Rocks. Ditto on City of Rocks

Silver City Area -Videos

Las Cruces Area & Southern NM Mexican Food plus camping and attractions in the area. At least try a Green Chile Cheese Burger. Video

Taste of NM Pecans: Stahmanns or Salopek

In Las Cruces: Hacienda RV Resort and Siesta RV Park are the easiest to get to, just of I-10 exit 140. Las Cruces KOA and Sunny Acres RV Park off I-10 exit 135. KOA on the mesa over looking the Mesilla Valley, Sunny Acres in the Valley. Park Reviews Siesta RV has gravel roads & pads, Hacienda RV has paved roads, maybe concrete pads. Sunny Acres more into town, maybe cramped???

Leasburg Dam State Park is about 17 miles N of Las Cruces on I-25. With Fort Selden State Mon't near by. A young Douglas Mac Arthur called the fort home while his father was post commander in the late 1880s.

Off I-10/I-25 on US 70 between Las Cruces & Alamogordo, White Sands Nat'l Monument & Alamogordo Area. This site also has info on Carlsbad......I believe I would stay at Brantley State Park to base to see the area by Carlsbad.

Info for Tucson, a really neat town & area: 🙂 Clicky an old post some links may not be working anymore.

There are two units to see at Saguaro NP, one on each side of Tucson. East unit has a paved road which loop around part of the park. Small visitor center. West unit is a dirt road, seems longer maybe ? & has a larger visitor center. Near it is also the AZ Sonora Desert Museum (very good one, more zoo than museum), a must see IMHO. Also campground near by Gilbert Ray CG. Info in the above Clicky.

One could stay at the Kartchner state park by the cave & do a day trip to Tombstone, which isn't much now but a large tourist trap operation. The old courthouse is neat. Seeing where all the history happened was nice. Shouldn't take too long. Bisbee a short drive from Tombstone was neat. Nice mine tour there as well. One could do both in a long day trip from Benson area. We did once using a hotel in Benson using our car. We did Bisbee & the mine tour with a stop at Tombstone on way out, then drove to Las Cruces.

Chiricahua National Monument out from Wilcox is great, been there will go back. Has a nice campground as well. http://www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm

Take US 380/US 70 West at Roswell: :C West of Roswell US 70/US 380 to US 54 - - - - - -> US 380 runs from Roswell to Carrizozo to San Antonio, between Carrizozo & US 70 one passes Billy the Kid Country & Lincoln & Smokey Bear in Capitan all in Lincoln County & the neat Valley of Fire BLM Campground is near Carrizozo, then take US 54 south to Alamogordo. Or US 380 to San Antonio, NM & I-25. Or US 54 N to Santa Fe.

:C A really neat place is the Valley of Fires BLM Campground (near Carrizozo) is a first rate campground with electric & water hookups, good dump station and a fine shower house. Pics & description can be found:
Campground . . and . . Cloudcroft, Lincoln/Capitan, Carrizozo/White Oaks.

Routes From Las Cruces to Carlsbad: An Old Post On the Subject with some repeats from above.

War Road Route to bypass the Trans Mountain pass. Use Exit 162 in New Mexico (just short of the NM/TX state line) NM-404/Ohara Rd East, turn right on NM 213 S (War Road), this turns into Martin Luther Kings Jr. Blvd (FM 3255) once entering TX. Take the ramp onto Gateway S Blvd/Patriot Fwy (US 54 S) to TX 376 Turn left onto Woodrow Bean Trans Mountain Rd (Texas Loop 375). Follow Loop 375 to the US-62/US-180/Montana Ave exit (about 12 miles). The US-62/US-180 takes you to Carlsbad Caverns. No mountains to cross on this bypass. If you take a right on 376, then it'll take you up & over the pass.

If you want to take the Pass, just stay on I-10 on into TX. Take the exit toward Texas Loop 375/Trans Mountain Rd (about 5 or 6 miles from state line)....Turn left onto TX-375 Loop W/Woodrow Bean Trans Mountain Rd it will take you up & over (great vistas up at the top, at a rest/viewing area).

Video Drive Trans Mountain

[Gonzo42]

Caverns of the Grand Canyon, Grand Canyon South Rim, Meteor Crater.

Williams AZ, Winslow AZ

Hatch NM for the world's best chilis.

UFO Museum, Roswell, NM

[Golden_HVAC]

Tucson Air Museum is tops for me, even better than the big hole in the ground called "Grand Canyon". Even though the Grand Canyon is not the largest one, and Canyon DeChelly is much steeper and easier to see. Canyon DeChelly is not a National Park, so it is possible for handicap people to drive into the canyon! What a concept!

If you go to Canyon DeChelly, it is to the West of Albuquerque (I 25) and north of I40. Best way to go is get off I 40 in Gallup (or close to it) (Make sure you fill up with gas near the interstates, as fuel must be trucked into the smaller towns, making it more expensive). Then head towards either Monument Valley or south to I40 for the return trip towards LA.

If you want to take in Monument Valley, and it is not summer, you might consider the Indian run campground, it does not have hookups, and will be fine in the spring and fall, but summer you might like Goldings with it's full hookups, but not the valley to look at.

From Monument Valley, then the south rim of the Grand Canyon is not to far away. From there, go back to Williams and I40. Going west to Kingman, I always go west to Laughlin. It is the same distance to get to Barsto Via Laughlin or stay on I40. I like to stop there, take in a casino dinner or breakfast, and then go home the next morning. Riverside RV park is huge, full service, offers free rides to their casino. It is not as much fun as before, when most parking was on the Arizona side, and free boats transport the gamblers back and forth across the river.

Are you planning on going in the summer? You might want to check weather.com and check the average temperatures for that month of the year. Also check Google Maps. If you find a area, then click on Map, and Terrian, you can see the elevation. Higher elevations are much cooler than the valleys. So Tucson is cooler than Phoenix. Going a little further east, like Benson will be even higher elevation and probably 10F cooler.

I want to visit Columbia NM. someday. it is the only town invaded by another Army since the 1800's. You can google Columbia NM and get a lot of information about it. Only a few miles south of I10. Closer to El Paso Tx. I went through El Paso on my trip to Carlsbad Caverns. Remember it is a border town, and safe in the daytime in the better parts of town. So if you see the local residents have bars on most of the windows, it is not a great place to spend the night parked on the street. Might find another park to have your picnic.

Yes I did go to the mines in Bisbee. It was interesting. The mine is about 65F all year long. Very cool in the summer, but warm in the winter. I also toured a "Dry" cave. Most caves have water in them. This one was about 70F but very high humidity, so not very comfortable, and I was happy to get out of it.

I visited the Tombstone and Benson areas several times over Thanksgiving from 1996 to 2002. It was very interesting each time.

The trip to Carlsbad, I also went to Albuquerque in October 1992. It was featured in Motorhome Magazine, and the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was a lot of fun. I went back many times to the balloon Fiesta, held the first full week of October. So if the first is on a Saturday, then that weekend and the following week and weekend. But if the first is on a Sunday, it will be starting on Saturday the 7th for 9 days! Probably a great trip as a destination in itself, and yes worth taking the kids out of school for a short time.

Have a great trip!

Fred.