White Sands & Carlsbad Caverns National Parks, New Mexico

We love visiting National Parks in the U.S. and have explored more than 30 across the country. New Mexico is home to two truly unique parks—White Sands National Park, the world’s largest gypsum dune field, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park, known for its vast limestone cave system. I’ve always found caves intriguing and fascinating, and I've always wanted to capture the feeling of stepping on those soft, pristine white sands, so both parks were on my bucket list. 

We finally made it happen with a road trip from Austin over the May long weekend last year, and I wanted to share some tips and highlights from that trip.

Carlsbad Caverns:

We drove from Austin to Carlsbad and stayed at White's City Cavern Inn, conveniently located just 10 minutes from the park entrance. I had booked a timed entry reservation for 9:30 a.m. the next morning for a self-guided tour of the caves. I had initially hoped to join the guided King’s Palace tour, but due to limited staffing, tickets weren’t available in advance. Fortunately, when we arrived at the park, we found out there was a guided tour opening within the hour, and I immediately grabbed the opportunity.

We started by exploring the Big Room on our own, taking in the sheer scale and surreal beauty of the cavern. Later, the guided King’s Palace tour added another layer to the experience, taking us deeper into the cave’s intricate formations.

The variety of formations (stalactites, stalagmites, and other limestone structures) and their shapes were absolutely fascinating. It was completely mesmerizing at times, just to stand there and take it all in.

I would have loved to spend a couple more hours inside the cave, but we had a photo shoot scheduled that evening at White Sands National Park, so we wrapped up our visit and headed out around noon.

White Sands National Park:

We reached the mountain town of CloudCroft, which is ~45 minutes from the entrance of the Park, and stayed there for the next couple of days. It has a quaint, small downtown with a handful of shops and restaurants, all of which close by 9 pm. If you need to grab something to eat after 9 pm, the nearest city, Alamogordo, is about 30 minutes away, so plan accordingly.

We enjoyed the music and dinner at CloudCraft Brewing Company one evening, when we were able to get a reservation.

We had a great time during the photoshoot with Jrchisum Photography in the White Sands National Park that evening. We booked an evening shoot and were lucky to watch the sunset cast a soft pink glow across the white sands, transforming the desert landscape into something dreamlike.

We returned the next morning to experience the dunes in the soft morning light and spend some time on the sand. The white sand was unbelievably soft and cool in the morning, which made it a great experience to walk barefoot on the dunes. We spent a couple of hours simply rolling down the sand dunes, walking barefoot, and playing like kids. It was pure, unfiltered joy. We considered renting a dune sled from the visitor center, but we didn't really need it.

The sheer openness of the landscape and its pristine white color gave it an otherworldly feel. We enjoyed spending the quiet morning hours there before the sun intensified and the crowds gathered. 

If you are planning a trip to this National Park during the summer, make sure to visit in the mornings and evenings, when the sand is cooler, and you get to see it in different shades. Because the park is surrounded by the White Sands Missile Range, it may close during missile tests, so you need to check the NPS Park Closures page before planning a trip.

Hiking Nearby:

We also spent some time hiking in the area, exploring trails like the Osha Trail in Lincoln National Forest, the scenic paths around Silver Lake, and the area near the Mexican Canyon Trestle, among others. Of all of them, we enjoyed the Osha Trail, which was conveniently located right behind our cabin.

We also drove to Ruidoso one afternoon, which is an hour north of CloudCroft, and enjoyed a pleasant lunch with scenic views.

Overall, it was a long drive to and from Austin, but being able to experience both the National Parks made it worthwhile for us. The photoshoot gave us memorable pictures that hang in our living room, reminding us of those beautiful moments forever. This trip also brought our total National Park count to 35!