Top 10 Places to See When Visiting Carlsbad, New Mexico

Welcome to Carlsbad

1 Carlsbad Caverns National Park — Carlsbad Caverns National Park was established first as a National Monument on October 25, 1923, and later redesignated as a National Park on May 14, 1930. The entrance to the park is located twenty miles south of Carlsbad at Whites City. The drive through the park to the visitor center allows visitors to experience animals, plants, and terrains of the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains.

We enjoyed the scenic drive and stopping at the exhibit areas to explore small canyons and caves. We spent time watching Big Horn Sheep cross the mountainside. We walked short trails to the edge of the cliffs. We marveled at the beauty of the world above the huge caverns below.

2 Carlsbad Caverns — The entrance to the caverns themselves is located in the Visitor Center seven miles from the entrance to the park. Reservations are required to be made online at www.recreation.gov. No entrance to the caverns is allowed without a reservation. There is an elevator, and the trails below are suitable for handicapped access. The self-guided walking tour is 1.3 miles.

We made our reservations and spent 2 1/2 to 3 hours exploring the breathtaking and astonishing beauty of the world below the ground. I took hundreds of photos and will never forget these caverns for as long as I live.

3 Rattlesnake Springs — South of Whites City on Washington Ranch Road is Rattlesnake Springs, an isolated oasis and picnic area surrounding a large natural spring that supplies water for the entire park. Rattlesnake Springs boasts over 300 species of birds and is a birdwatcher’s paradise.

We parked the car and walked the short gravel trail back to the springs and marveled at the sparkling clear water. We easily saw through the water to the topography of the world below and clearly watched large bass swim by fearing nothing from us because fishing is not allowed.

4 Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area — Located 30 miles southwest of Carlsbad in the Lincoln National Forest is a canyon of waterfalls fed by natural springs. The canyon and the falls are maintained by the Department of Agriculture Forest Service. This is a beautiful area with picnic tables and a short paved walk to view the main waterfall. This handicap-accessible site is a must-see desert oasis with wading and hiking trails.

It was extremely windy the day we were there and the water was chilly. We walked down to the water and felt the spray from the waterfall on our faces. I looked for little rainbows in the air, but we were too deep in the canyon for the sun to hit the water droplets.

5 Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area — This beach park area in downtown Carlsbad consists of over 125 acres of beautiful sidewalks and picnic areas along the dammed lake on the Pecos River and allows visitors to fish, swim, picnic, and hike. There is a boat ramp for putting a boat on the water, and skiing and other watersports are allowed. The lake area is 4.5 miles long beginning at the Upper Transil Dam and ending at the southern Lower Transil Dam at the Bataan Recreation Area.

Walking the path along the waterside we met people from Carlsbad. Everyone said hello as we passed and everyone smiled at us and our two little dogs. Most of them stopped and bent down to adore them and give them some love.

6 Bataan Recreation Area and Veteran’s Memorial Park — Located at the southern end of Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area on the Pecos River in downtown Carlsbad, is a beautiful area of monuments to Carlsbad residents who fought and died in the Battle of Bataan. Included in the same area are several war memorials to all Carlsbad Veterans of Foreign Wars. Exhibits include a duster tank, Vietnam War Huey helicopter, a sidewinder missile, and a bomb vault.

Sadly, this is the area where we saw homeless people, and one lady who was probably high on something was strolling through yelling at herself. We saw another young woman pushing a shopping cart full of stuff heading back into a remote area away from the monuments.

7 Living Desert Zoo & Gardens State Park — This state park is located just five miles north of downtown Carlsbad off Highway 285 North. The 1.3-mile long walking tour takes visitors through exhibits of over 40 different species of animals native to the Chihuahuan Desert, and hundreds of plant species. There is no better way to learn about the animals and plants that live in the desert of Carlsbad, New Mexico.

The walk is mostly outside and the sun was hot the day we were here. We spent a lot of time watching the animals and looking for the ones who were hiding in the shade. Unfortunately, we did not see the Black Bear or the Mexican Wolves.

8 Guadalupe Mountains National Park — Approximately 50 miles south of Carlsbad is the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Salt Flat, Texas. The main visitor center is located at Pine Springs. Yes, it is necessary to cross into the state of Texas to get to the main entrance. It is also necessary to remember the time change when traveling between these two states. This national park protects the world’s most extensive Permian fossil reef, and the four highest peaks in Texas.

Most of this park can be seen in a day or two, depending on how much exploring you do. We did not hike any of the trails, but only drove where we could get with a car. The mountains are beautiful and we enjoyed driving around the area.

9 Frijole Ranch House and Cultural Museum — Located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, but at a separate entrance, is the most extensive preserved homestead of the American west, with a house, barn, schoolhouse, and springs. Visitors are free to enter buildings and walk trails around the property. The Frijole Ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

The house is filled with exhibits from the years the house was inhabited. We learned about the families who lived there and saw some of the antique tools and machines they used. The walls have pictures and clocks still hanging from the original owners.

10 McKittrick Canyon — Take the drive back to the McKittrick Canyon Trailhead and Visitor Center. If able to hike, it is only two miles to the Pratt Cabin in the mountains. This scenic canyon drive and hike go through steep canyon walls to a rich oasis in the middle of the desert.

We were not able to hike the trail but sat on the bench and watched as others tramped up and down the mountainside. Seeing how little they looked gave us an idea of the vast distance between us and the trail going up the side of the mountain.

These are the top ten places we have enjoyed visiting the most. I hope you check them all out and put them on your list of places to see if you ever decide to visit Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Thank you for reading. If you want to read more about each of these places, I have written about them individually. You can find them by looking through my list of travel articles in the following link.