RE: Carlsbad Caverns...anyone?

[ForestCreature]

 
We are thinking about throwing Carlsbad into the mix for next years vacation. Has any one been there ? Is it worth the time &  trip down from CO ?  
 I haven t gone as far as to see what kind of camping is in that area yet. I know there is no camping except for backwoods within the Carlsbd NP.

[stoichie]

 ForestCreature
I was there years ago.  It was cool.  Now, I wish that I had done some of the wild cavern tours.  I remember a KOA type campgound along the highway.  Remember it will be hot in the summer above ground (went in March).  There are campgrounds in Guadalupe NM & NF to the south in TX.

[ForestCreature]

 stoichie
Thanks Stoochie
 The NF  would be in the running. Scratch the KOA.. we d drive an hour to stay away from private CGs I ll do more digging around for state forests or parks.
 We would like to do the down and dirty tours, 4 hrs of crawling and squeezing around,
 We have never caved and it sounds interesting.  Long as DH arthritic knees can withstand it.
 
 We are looking at mid to late sept as our timeframe for vacation. Between now and then we ll probably change our destinations 20 times! The only sure thing right now is CO.... Utah is also another thought.....to much to see with to little time [8D]

[Turn Key]

 ForestCreature
Marcy
 Don t know how your going to route it but we have some great SP s in Texas.  Here s a site that will get you started, if your interested:
 
 [link]http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/[/link]
 
 Palo Duro Canyon SP would be a great place to stop.  Here s the page for that park from the site above:
 
 [link]http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/paloduro/[/link]
 
 The only thing I would worn you about is that, like others have said, this part of the world is HOT in the summer time.  Be ready!
 
 Have a great trip and let me know if I can help more!  
 
 

[CampG]

 ForestCreature
I have never stayed at this CG, but there is a state park 12 miles north of CC.
 
 http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/nmparks/PAGES/parks/brantley/brantley.htm
 
 
 Carlsbad is well worth the journey.  It is a beautiful cave.
 Many, many, many years ago, my first trip down that way we stayed at Palo Duro Canyon in Texas, then Oasis State Park in New Mexico.  Once we arrived at CC we stayed at a parking lot style campgrounds there in White City.  We made that trip late june, in an old Apache pop up tent trailer.
 
 JR

[Campaholics]

 ForestCreature
I was ten or eleven when we went to Carlsbad Caverns.  49 or 50 years later, it s still vivid.  It s different from Mammoth Cave (good CG in the NP) and Wind Cave NP (west of Mt Rushmore, don t know about CGs), also on my don t miss it list.  
 
 Instead of clearing things up, I just added a few.  But then again, I always find planning the trip almost as much fun as actually going.
 
 Enjoy the planning, enjoy your trip,
 The Campaholics

[ForestCreature]

 ForestCreature
Wow Turn Key,  I never imagined  Texas looking like that ! Palo Duro Canyon looks great. How far from the caverns is it? and is it scorching in mid to late Sept ?
 
 You  are all making Carlsbad sound like it is worth the 10+ hr detour. Thanks.
 Is 2 Days enough time there?

[Turn Key]

 ForestCreature
Marcy,
 
 Your looking at about 280 miles from Palo Duro Canyon to Carlsbad.  Shouldn t be a bad days run.  Route would take you down through Lubbock (Nice town.  Son went to Lubbock Christian U.), Hobbs and the to Carlsbad.
 
 Temps are hard to say.  I know that Texas in September is still warm in the day time but can cool at night.  Inside the Canyon can be very different.  I would be prepared for anything from about 40-90 degrees.  Have been to the Canyon twice, both times in the spring.  Would suggest an e-mail to the park.  They could give you a better idea about temps for that time of year.
 
 Hope you make the trip and have a great time!

[cb]

 ForestCreature
I am not a spring chicken and have traveled from Dubrovnik to Dehli.  Carlsbad Caverns are one of the most remarkable natural wonders I have seen.  Don t miss it.

[Trlrboy]

 ForestCreature
Carlsbad Caverns is one of our favorite places.  We ve been there three times and each time shows us something new.  You can spend an entire day just taking the regular, self-guided tour.  Having lunch is a modern " cafeteria"  down at the very bottom of the cave is weird since it is literally carved out of rock.  There are several wild cave tours you can take ranging from very simple to rather muddy.  We have taken one that is easy where you go along with a guide into some narrow chambers and dimly lit rooms off the regular trail.  Then we took one that was a candlelight tour which is how the cave s discoverers found it.  That was impressive.  You would think that you would not see much that way but with 10-15 candles lit you see quite a bit.  The best part was climbing back up to the regular trial and having a kid look at us and go " Wow Mom, can we do that?"
 
 Camping in the White City area is worthless.  It s basically parking lots off the highway.  
 
 Someone else suggested Brantley Lake SP which is about a 1/2 hour away.  If you are used to Colorado camping you will find this more like you would picture camping in a desert but with a big lake right nearby.  Brantley Lake is a fairly new park that is built right at the end of a man made lake.  The lake itself is pretty and the fishing is decent for small stuff so if you have kids they will have fun.  Swimming as I remember is sort of rocky.  The park itself has about 2 dozen scattered trees and looks like an oasis as you drive up to it from the flat land you ll be crossing.  It s a nice place to spend a couple of nights while you are at Carlasbad and the view of the stars is simply incredible.  Zero haze and ambient light at night make for a spectacular sky.  We were there when the Hale-Bopp comet was passing us by and that looked like someone had painted it on the black sky.
 
 While you are there be sure to go to the Living Desert SP, just north of Carlsbad.  It is an interesting day trip.  Also, get some maps of surrounding roads.  There is a 20 mile loop road near the cave that takes you way out into the desert for complete solitude.  Too bad you aren t allowed to camp out there.