Carlsbad Caverns

[Brewhaha]

Me and the fam are planning a Griswaldian Spring Break trip to Carlsbad Caverns. We are trying to decide if we want to pull the popup down or do the hotel thang. Also, we are trying to figure out the best places to visit in the park and the best places to visit outside of the park.

Any experts out there?

P.S. I'm hoping to avoid cousin Eddie on this trip as well.

[mroy]

No way! I was born in Carlsbad! I think I've even been to the caverns before, but I was too small to remember any of it. I hear it's really cool tho. Sorry to post and be of no help. I'll head back there some day and make memories of my own

[slickrocker]

I lived in NM for 8 years and got down to the Caverns a few times. Definately walk down through the Natural cave entrance, there's an elevator you can come back up in. The Big Room will take an hour or so and you might want to book one of the other tours if you have time. We did the Kings(Queens?) Chamber, it was pretty interesting, but it was an extra charge.

Drive the desert loop road as well. If you've got time to hike, Rattlesnake Cyn. is pretty cool, it's also where a couple of eastern friends backpacked, got lost, panicked and one ended up killing the other in a mercy killing.

In Carlsbad, check out Living Desert State Park.

[RedRoxx]

Guadalupes have some nice hiking. If you want some off trail type caving try to sign up for the ranger guided trips, Left Hand Tunnel, Slaughter Canyon Cave ( used to be known as New Cave), and my favorite, Spider cave. If you don't like tummy crawling for more that a few feet with your head twisted to the side with tons of Daddy Long Legs dancing all over you you might want to skip this one. But its' a cool cavers type cave.