A Southwest National Park Road Trip- 3 parks in 3 days
Place: White Sands NP, Carlsbad Caverns NP, & Guadalupe Mountains NP
State: New Mexico & Texas
Closest Cities: El Paso, TX Las Cruces NM , Carlsbad, NM
Time of Year: January 2025
How we got there: Road Trip
At this time in our lives, our travels have picked up extensively. What this means is that we tend to use every single vacation day! So this year we decided to take advantage of our 3 day weekends to fit in a few more adventures without using precious vacation days! As most of you know by now, we love national parks and plan to visit them all! During this first 3 day weekend in 2025 we squeezed in 3 national parks in 3 days! This is how we did it:
White Sands National Park
On this chilly day in January, we left our home in Gilbert, AZ bright and early to begin our 6 hour road trip to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Just 15 minutes outside Las Cruces we made a pit stop to visit the Recycled Roadrunner erected at a roadside rest stop. It is easy to find with just a Google search and well worth a stop!
An hour past Las Cruces, passing missile ranges along the way, lies the stunning gypsum dunes of White Sands National Park. We arrived late in the day with just enough time to take our traditional national park sign picture and talk to the rangers at the visitor center.
The rangers told us that if we hurry, we will make it in time for the last sunset stroll with a ranger of the day. There is basically one 8 mile road leading to all stops in White Sands and not long into the drive this road turned to white gypsum. It almost looked like it had just snowed!
I am sure they must have gypsum plows as the wind is always shifting the sand from place to place. We were to meet the ranger at the Backcountry Camping Trail parking lot near a sign reading “Sunset Stroll Meets Here”. Before the stroll started, we took a look around.
As we met up with our group, we were instructed to bundle up. When the sun goes down, the temperatures drop and the wind kicks in. Boy am I glad we listened! The ranger talk was interesting and we learned a lot about gypsum and what it is used for. It’s so soft to the touch and makes such beautiful waves as the wind blows over it! I will leave all the other great info for you to learn on your visit! About 45 minutes into our stroll the sun started to set and we just could not resist setting off on our own to explore!
We have seen many sunsets in our travels and I have to say that this was definitely one of the most special! It just took my breath away!
Besides seeing the sunset below the gypsum hills, you can also hike through the dunes, camp and sand sled here. For us, a short hike and sunset was just what we were after. We headed back to Las Cruces for dinner and a good night’s rest at a local Marriott before we made our way to Carlsbad Caverns in the morning.
Carlsbad Cavern National Park
The next morning we had an early start because we had a 3 hour drive ahead of us. We drove over the state line through El Paso, TX, past Guadalupe Mountains National Park and back into New Mexico to Carlsbad Caverns. On the way into the park we not only passed the national park sign but also spotted some wildlife! A herd of Barbary Sheep were enjoying breakfast on the side of the road!
Driving in you would not know that there is anything special here. It is not until you reach the visitor’s center that you are aware you are in a national park. Before I go any further, you need to know that Carlsbad Caverns requires 3 things to enter. The first is an entrance fee or America the Beautiful card, the 2nd is a timed entry reservation and the 3rd is a tour reservation. You can purchase these things here https://www.recreation.gov/search?q=carlsbad%20caverns . We chose the King’s Palace Tour because it is what was available this time of year. What I really wanted was the Lower Cave Tour. Next time for sure!!
We entered the cave using the Natural Entrance Trail which is about 1.25 miles and you descend 800 feet. Our tour would meet in the Big Room at the bottom. The trail down is paved and steep in places and it really does take over an hour . I didn’t believe it since it is only just over a mile but there is a lot to see and it is dark so plan at least an hour before your tour starts.
The hike down to meet the tour was really incredible. Take your time and enjoy it. We opted to take the elevator back up so this was the only time we would get to see this section of the caves.
There is a restroom and little cafe at the bottom where you meet your tour guide. The tour itself was nice and you get to see things that you cannot see when exploring on your own. After the tour be walked the entire Big Room at our own pace. This takes some time because there is so much to see. It is basically a large loop. It really is unbelievable that all this beauty lies under the ground! It is a whole other world of stalagmites and stalactites! You have to see it to really appreciate it!
Once you have explored everything, you have two choices when leaving the cave. The first is to hike back up the main corridor to the Natural Entrance. If you have extra time and don’t mind a steep climb, this is your option! Like I mentioned before, we opted for the 2nd choice which is to take the elevator to the top!
Once we were up and out of the caves we found a nice picnic table to enjoy our lunch and then we were on our way to the town of Carlsbad, NM to stay the night.
Carlsbad, NM is about 40 minutes Northeast of Carlsbad Caverns NP.
We checked into our Marriott and found a bite to eat before catching the sunset at a nearby park.
The next morning we were headed back to Texas for a visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It took only an hour from Carlsbad, NM. This is a very small park with only a few things to do and my mind was fixed on climbing the highest peak in Texas, Guadalupe Peak! The elevation is only 8751 ft but it is still Texas’s tallest. There is a $10 per person entrance fee or you can use your America the Beautiful pass. Now, I have to mention that when we left the hotel it was 18 degrees outside. It was January after all! When we arrived at Guadalupe NP there were snow flurries and dark looming clouds!
The park ranger advised us that the peak is -2 below and that today may not be the best day to hike it. In my mind you cannot experience Guadalupe Mountains National Park without hiking to the tallest peak in Texas so we decided to give it a try anyway! All bundled up and with crampons(spikes) in our packs we began our 4 mile trek to the top.
We started to gain elevation right away with switchbacks on a dry dusty trail. Once we were high enough, our scenery started to change! It was absolutely gorgeous covered in frost and I just wanted to linger in this winter wonderland.
The trail continued up and around the mountain. The side facing the sun was dry and the side in the shadows was full of slick patches of ice and snow. A wooden bridge hangs on to the cliff edge on a sunny side.
3000 feet later, we arrived at the summit of Guadalupe Peak!
This was quite a hike and an accomplishment in my books! We snapped a few pictures with the stainless steel monument that marks the peak and had a small break while enjoying the views.
It soon became too cold to handle! Our fingers were freezing and the wind was picking up so we were ready to start the descend. This is where our camprons came in handy!
We did have to put them on and take them off a few times as needed but they were a lifesaver on the slick downhill sections. We came across several people with street shoes that were slipping and sliding and unable to continue.
Round trip up and back down was 8.4 miles. The hike is estimated to take 6 to 8 hours. We did it in 5 hours flat. Not too bad for old people!! After the hike, we were to travel back to Las Cruces to stay the night passing through El Paso first for some TexMex cuisine. Of course we cannot pass up a photo opt with the Texas signs!
On our way home from Las Cruces to Gilbert, AZ we noticed large flocks of birds in the air near Willcox, AZ. We have visited Willcox in the past while hiking the nearby Chiricahua National Monument(highly recommended!), and I remembered reading that they hold a bird festival there every year. A quick google search told me that the festival was ending that very day. We made a quick U turn and crashed the Wings Over Willcox Birding and Nature Festival! This was the season for the Sandhill Cranes and I just love long legged birds! What an incredible display! Thousands upon thousands of Sandhill Cranes serenaded us as we watched in awe!
Twice as we looked on, the flock went silent as a predator hawk flew over. How they know, I will never know, but how amazing it was to witness! This is what I love about our adventures: stumbling upon moments like these!
Well, there you have it! 3 national parks in one 3 day weekend! We hope you too will take the time to visit these lesser known national parks as they deserve their distinction just as much as the larger parks do! On a side note, Texas has one more national park: Big Bend. It was 5 hours from this location so we decided to save it for another trip! You can read about Big Bend here https://dawntillduskaz.com/big-things-in-big-bend-national-park/. Stay tuned and remember to visit and hike responsibly leaving no trace!
