White Caves, White Sands, Green Cacti

Decided a few weeks prior to Memorial Day to visit Guadalupe Mountains NP, Carlsbad Caverns NP, and White Sands NM. It was difficult finding a place to camp near Carlsbad Caverns NP in New Mexico. Additionally, I invited my parents since the trails we were planning on hiking were easy. I assumed my parents didn’t have access to any gear, so I opted for hotel rooms instead of camping. Well, that decision turned into greater miscommunication and more than half the trip had to change. Pops could no longer go. Carolyn and my sisters were expecting to camp. I assumed hotels would be easy to book. Picked up the wrong, more expensive rental car. Just a terrible start to the trip.

Left San Diego Friday evening to 12hrs to Guadalupe Mountains NP. That was a brutal drive. My mom had to take over for about 3hrs of driving- MVP forreal. We were in El Paso, TX at about 9am when I realized wouldn’t be able to explore both Guadalupe Mountains NP and Carlsbad Caverns NP that same day. We drove past Guadalupe Mountains NP towards Carlsbad Caverns NP. The drive from San Diego is reallyyy boring until about Las Cruces and you see Organ Mountain. And then the drive becomes flat again for what seems like forever.

We arrived in Carlsbad Caverns NP around 2pm. It is $12/person to go down the caverns. The main attraction is the Carlsbad Caverns National Park Trail, which goes down the vast cavern beneath the visitors center. The trail is one-way and you can either start going down the elevator or the Natural Entrance, or do it as an out-and-back. We started via the Natural Entrance- a steep decline into the cave.

Once at the bottom, you become engulfed by stalactites and stalagmites. The cave has lights to show the formations, but I recommend bringing your own light to really see the details. The trail is less than mile but we spent nearly 3hrs here taking pictures of everything- we’ve never seen any of this before!

The Big Room at is at the end of the trail- it contains all the picturesque formations to add to your collection.

The wait to get on the elevator took about 45mins. We had a quick dinner in the parking lot and rushed to experience the Bat Flight Program. The Park Rangers give a little lecture on the types of bats that live in the area. The main attraction is when all the bats flight out. We weren’t allowed to take pictures because the electronics, no matter how minor, affect the bats. It’s a surreal experience and a must-add to a Carlsbad Caverns visit. Next time, I would want to join the Ranger-led tours as you get access to more of the cave. We left at 8pm.

Now remember this is Memorial Day weekend. For some reason I assumed we could find a hotel/motel to sleep at. NOPE. Nothing was available. I drove towards Alamogordo, NM and had my girlfriend call hotels on the direction for any rooms, but nothing was available. I drove on the 82 at night and wow. There is really nothing on this highway. I’m pretty sure I went the whole way without seeing a gas station. I drove until I got tired and we slept by the road in Mayhill.

We left the parking lot around 5am towards White Sands NM and arrived about 745am. We head towards Alkali Flat Trail, a 5mi RT through dunes with the San Andreas Mountains in the background.

Even in the morning, the area was busy but after about a mile into the hike, the crowd dissipates. This trail is a loop and we went clockwise.

The trail is strenuous because of the heat. We started at 8am and if we didn’t have breeze throughout, I would’ve turned back. The gypsum dunes are really soft and sneakily tiring. You take two steps forward and fall half a step a step back. Sometimes we just went around the dune instead of walking over it- keeping an eye out for the trail marker.

The last 2mi were brutal. It was 100F, no cloud cover, the breeze had died down. It was starting to become a dangerous hiking condition. My Moms was starting to get irritated and feeling overheated quick- she wasn’t used to this kind of activity. We put a wet towel behind her neck to cool her off a bit. It gets tricky resting on this trail because there is barely any shaded area. You rest, you get baked by the sun. You keep going, you become overheated. Definitely bring more water than you expect to drink.

I’m really proud of her for this hike. The area is vast, exposed, and very white- it’s easy to get discombobulated and lose your sense of direction. The contrast of the San Andreas Mountains background and white gypsum foreground makes you wonder how all these sands came to be.

White Sands NM is a different type of beauty. We decided to drive back to Tucson, AZ afterwards.

I learned my lesson from the day before and made sure to book a room before it got dark. While driving, Carolyn pitched the idea we go to Saguaro National Park and hit up a trail there.The drive on Cactus Forest Drive on the East side is peaceful. Large saguaros throughout.

We hike Freeman Homestead Trail, an easy 1mi RT trail. It was the perfect trail to hit up after the long morning and drive we just had. There are little placards letting you know different types of plants that grow in the area. I felt small being next to these giant saguaros.

We stopped the next morning at Saguaro NP West to stamp our National Park Passport. I may start collecting those white oval stickers. They look dope. I wouldn’t know what to do with them other than make a collage. The drive on the 8 is seriously boring- needs a random landmark or something. Shout out to Moms for handling the trails we did.
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MILEAGE REVIEW (roundtrip)
Carlsbad Caverns National Park Trail: 1mi
Alkali Flat Trail: 5mi
Freeman Homestead Trail: 1mi
TOTAL: 7mi