Check Off Two National Parks in One Weekend: Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns

We haven’t hit a National Park in months and in the past couple weeks we managed to check 3 more off our list.  First was a big trip to Big Bend and then we made our way north to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in west Texas.   Guadalupe is only about a 30 minute drive to Carlsbad Caverns National Park which is in New Mexico.  We hit both parks over a few days and think it would be a great long weekend trip for anyone. So here’s the lowdown: ​

What it Cost:
We have the America the Beautiful Annual Pass so daily entry into both parks was free.  Otherwise its $7 per person for Guadalupe and $15 per person for Carlsbad (plus the cost of any additional tours you do).  Honestly, the parks pass is amazing and we HIGHLY recommend it. If you plan on hitting a couple parks in a year it will save you a bunch of money and it supports the parks so WIN WIN.  It’s $80 per pass which can cover up to 4 adults (passholder and passengers) and gets you in to all the NPS sites for free.  If you are a senior it’s $20 per year (or you can get a lifetime pass for $80) and if you are a veteran or disabled you can get a free pass.

Where to Stay:
If you have ever driven in west Texas you know there is nothing there.  For miles and miles its just the highway and flat open fields. So your options are pretty limited for where to stay.   We stayed at the NPS campground at Guadalupe, which is really just a big parking lot by the trail heads.  Certainly not glamorous but easy and convenient. There are no hookups available and it’s $15 a night. But they do have bathrooms (no showers) and potable water.  Keep in mind if you are heading there to make sure you are fully stocked - food, gas etc because there are no close amenities.

We arrived mid morning and had no problem claiming a spot, there were about 20 RV spots with some smaller van or car spots available.  We parked in the middle row and got plenty of sun for our solar panels. One thing to note, be mindful of the weather forecast. They get a fair amount of wind there, in fact we stayed a day longer because of 60-70 mile an hour gusts that we opted not to drive through.  When the wind kicks up like that, visibility on the mountains is tough and it makes hiking some of the trails pretty miserable.
​
We stayed at Guadalupe for a few nights so we could do a couple of hikes and then drove Wanda to Carlsbad Caverns for our visit and then stayed in Brantley Lake State Park after.  The state park is not too far from the caverns and it’s a cool spot in the middle of the desert.  It was really quiet and only $14 a night for a w/e spot. But I will say the showers left much to be desired, they were freezing.

---

What to Do:

Guadalupe Mountains
At Guadalupe,  we hiked 2 trails.  The first day we set off on the Devil’s Hall Trail (3.8 miles) which was a very unique hike. After the first half mile or so you are dumped into a rocky wash where you have to pick your own path, moving and jumping on and over boulders.  It feels like it goes on for a lot longer than it does but you eventually reach the Hikers Staircase which you have to scramble up. Here the terrain changes pretty dramatically and you head through a pretty slanted section with more rock stairs...kinda feels like you are a bit tipsy walking through. At the end is Devils Hall.   It is really pretty and beautiful and not at all what we were expecting, a happy surprise.  Overall, it’s an easy trail just be mindful of your footwear choice because the boulders are a little rough on your feet/ankles/knees.

The second trail we tackled was Guadalupe Peak which is the highest peak in Texas rising to 8,751 feet.  The trail is about 8.4 miles long and rated as strenuous, which it is. It was really quite a tough hike up.  It’s pretty much straight up 3,000 feet with not many sections of plateaus or flats. The trail also tricks you a bit, we thought we were close to the top several times only to turn a corner and see in the distance another ridge and another taller mountain to climb.   The view from the top is worth the climb and you have to sign the register at the top proving you made it! If you take this hike on we would recommend packing light, taking plenty of water/snacks and head up early before the heat.

There is a primitive campground about a mile from the top that you can stay overnight in but we went up and down in one day. We spoke to a couple hikers who stayed up there who said it was absolutely awful up there with the heavy winds.

Carlsbad Caverns
​We have been in a couple caverns in the past month or so and we decided to do something a little different, to try an adventure cave tour at Carlsbad. They offer several options at different times and different days. Our only option was the Lower Cave Tour.  It was a 3 hour tour. Armed with headlamps and hard hats you use a rope to climb down and then descend approximately 60 feet of ladders into a section of the cave beneath the main "Big Room".  It was a fun way to explore and we really liked viewing the cave in its natural state.  After the tour we walked the Big Room which is very appropriately named.  It is massive, the size and depth of it blows any other cave we have seen out of the water. There is a nice path which loops around the whole room highlighting different formations along the way. ​

It was awesome to be able to explore 2 National Parks back to back like this.  It is such a quick easy drive between the two and the parks are so different from each other. You get to experience two unique environments and terrains.  ​

Have you ever been to Guadalupe or Carlsbad? Let us know in the comments below.

Read Our Other Travel Blogs