from Texas to Carlsbad Caverns

hi

We will be driving from central Louisiana to Los Angeles and although i am prettty familiar with Texas already, I wanted to know the best route to Carlsbad Caverns from Texas.

Is it better to take the I-10 from Houston towards El Paso and then go up HWY 54, or should we go through Abilene and take HWY 176 to Carlsbad?

We plan to go during winter, so we%26#39;d need to know the best/safest routes during bad weather vs. the scenic routes if the weather%26#39;s fine.

thanks a bunch!

from Texas to Carlsbad Caverns

Your best route will probibly be 176 to carlsbad. The Weather won%26#39;t get to bad, we rarely get snow this direction. The roads get a little rough once you get off the highway scene closer to the New Mexico line on some roads, so take care. The caverns are nice, so I think you will like them. Good luck.

from Texas to Carlsbad Caverns

thanks so much for the tip!

Do you reccomend any places to stay in/near Abilene or Fort Worth for a night? nothing fancy, just a good, clean place near the hwy.

What about a place near Calsbad caverns?

cheers--we appreciate it.

I went to Carlsbad from Austin in January one year, and it was no problem to take I-10 toward El Paso and then north. (Maybe it was unseasonably warm, but I was in a t-shirt in some of my pictures...) Not much radio station reception though, so bring your own music.

I stayed in a chain motel in the town of Carlsbad, and that was convenient to the caverns (not super close, but as close as you can get, although there was a B %26amp; B along the way). Not much going on in Carlsbad on a Sunday night -- the only place open for food was the convenient store and Pizza Hut. The caverns are fun -- sign up for a special tour (ranges from super-easy to experienced spelunker), and you can get a more personal look at the place.

I have found that when looking for a motel, these suggestion sites are pretty well right on the money when it comes to reviews. I would stick with that. I can%26#39;t give you any advice there without lying.

When you do go into the caverns, you can go down an elevator, or you can go into the natural enterance as well. I like the natural enterance, but you have to have good legs, its a steep incline. While you look around, you will be able to see that nature has a sence of humor as well. Look into some of the shapes and see what you can tell it looks like! That%26#39;s always fun. They won%26#39;t let you touch anything though, the oil from your skin might hurt the rocks from growing. Also, you might want to check and see if the bats will fly out that night, and that is a show you won%26#39;t want to miss. The bats swirl out the natural enterance at night. They won%26#39;t hurt you. If you have children, I know they will enjoy that,expecially the boys!

Wish I could tell you more about loging, but I will tell you that you will enjoy it.

We visited Carlsbad on Labor Day and then drove back to San Antonio. We took 285 south to I-10 east. 285 had little traffic and I-10 has a speed limit of 80 (means I can travel 85-90) there were police out giving tickets so you can%26#39;t go too crazy.

We were coming from the north, so we stayed in Roswell (many more choices for lodging) and drove in the morning.

thanks everyone for the great advice!

If anyone else has favourite places to stay or eat near Carlsbad Caversn and White Sands, let us know.

Also, how long of a drive is it from these 2 sites? And how long should we spend at White Sands? (not sure if it matters but we are moderately healthy walkers and can handle a decent work-out)

BTW, if anyone has driven into southern Arizona from NM and want to suggest any sites (considering our trailer/car issues), please do!

Thanks again for the advice and pardon all the questions.

Unfortunately, our tight schedule doesn%26#39;t allow for much wandering so we really appreciate the inside scoop you have all given! :)

I don%26#39;t remember the name of the restaurant, but there was a great local steak place in town in Carlsbad -- I%26#39;m pretty sure if you ask anyone in town they could tell you (I think this is how I found it!).

White Sands is about 2 hrs away I think -- actual distance is not far, but lots of steep mountains to go over, so a lot of braking on steep grades. Once you%26#39;re there, there%26#39;s not a whole lot to do except read up about the site and take a walk on a beautiful beach in the middle of nowhere. =) you can buy tobaggons (sp?) and try to sled down the slopes...(we passed on that). It%26#39;s still cool to check out -- we probably spent only a couple of hours there.

Roswell, NM is somewhere in the general area -- the ';UFO museum'; is not worth checking out (I got dragged there and was not impressed! it%26#39;s like a h.s. science fair project...)

thanks for the tips, happy2explore!

but i am concerned about the ';mountain/steep roads'; to white sands from carlsbad..

will it be hard for a car pulling a uhaul trailer?

is there an alternative route with easier driving conditions?

i appreicate your insights!

Hi~

My husband and I are planning a trip to see the Carlsbad Caverns. We%26#39;re driving there from Los Angeles in late November. Can you recommend any lodging and/or restaurants? Did you enjoy any group tours while at the Caverns? Thanks for your help!

to octoboy and happy2explore

or anyone...

how many hours is the drive from san antonio to carlsbad caverms?

has anyone driven from houston to carlsbad? if so, how many hours drive is that?

And finally: are there any good places to stay in white sands; what about restaurants?

cheers!