4-5 day trip with brother

My brother and I are planning a short trip somewhere in early April. I was thinking of going to Carlsbad Caverns for the day. What is the closest airport? Can you suggest where we could go next with our rental car? Should we explore New Mexico more or maybe go to Texas or Arizona if not too far a drive??

Our options are open but we want to book soon. I read a little about Las Cruces. We need an area with lots to do so we won%26#39;t get bored. Remember, we are brother/sister so nothing romantic or secluded!!!

Thanks

4-5 day trip with brother

I think it%26#39;s great that a brother and sister would be taking a trip together!

Carlsbad Caverns is something special, and the nearest major commerical airport would be either Midland/Odessa, or El Paso. If you%26#39;re in tne area anyway, I%26#39;d recommemd you enjoy some of our mountains in the Cloudcroft, Ruidoso area, and White Sands National Monument, between Alamogordo, and Las Cruces.

The old Territorial town of Mesilla is just south of Las Cruces, and preserves the flavor of 19th Century New Mexico. El Paso is a city of almost a million, so there are many places to see, and things to do in the Sun City. I would not recommend you go across to Juarez however, as there is a major drug war going on all along the border, witn killings, and kidnappings.

Or, if you would prefer, you could fly into Albuquerque, and take a couple of days to visit Southern New Mexico: Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands and Las Cruces, yet also see the diverse sites and scenery of Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and possibly Taos.

How much time would you have for your entire visit? That would determine how much of an area you could take in on one trip.

4-5 day trip with brother

Wow. Lots to do indeed. We were thinking about 4 or 5 nights. We will rent a car but I don%26#39;t want to spend half my vacation driving either. Thanks

What a great adventure for you.

Here%26#39;s a plan....

Day 1 fly into El Paso TX. Drive to Carlsbad that day. Stop at Guadalupe Mountains Nat Park.

Day 2 Visit Carlsbad Caverns. If you are up for hiking, I would hike into the Natural Entrance. Great fun. Also do a tour inside the caverns. Visit www.nps.gov/cave for plenty of info. Stay in Carlsbad again so you can spend a full day in the caverns.

Day 3 Drive to Cloudcroft/Ruidoso area. Stay in that area for the night. Casino, snow, observatories depending on where you go.

Day 4 Drive on to Las Cruces, see Old Mesilla and dine at La Posta. Stay in Las Cruces

Day 5 Drive to El Paso for a flight home.

Do I see the word %26#39;snow%26#39; for day 3??? I am trying to get away from that. I live in Michigan!! Please tell me that was a typo or I was interpreting it wrong.

I am seeing a bunch of different guided tour options on the Carlsbad website. I like the Left Hand Tunnel tour and the Kings Palace tours. Have you been on either? The first one is a lantern tour. Both look great. Or I could do a self guided tour. What do you think?

I think if you are concentrating on the southern part of New Mexico, flying in to El Paso would be your best bet. I agree with a previous post to stay out of Juarez (very dangerous with drug gangs fighting and killing). As for Carlsbad, not knowing your ages, I could suggest the main entrance tour; it is, however an 800 foot drop into the bottom of the caverns, so if you are like us, knees and legs won%26#39;t take that. In that event, take the elevator down and walk the big room. If you want a guided tour, I recommend the Kings-Queens tour; really the most colorful part of the caverns.

It is most unlikely that you will run into snow in Ruidoso in April, but is has happened. Usually not very much.

My suggestion would be to use Albuquerque as your base if you want to visit the northern part of the state. So much to see and do in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos; you could keep busy the whole time you are here. Albuquerque hotels and restaurants are more economical than Santa Fe, and only 50 miles away.

We take the Natural Entrance into the cavern, this is a self guided tour. Once in the cavern you can visit the Big Room as a self guided tour as well. We also took the Kings Palace tour, very fun and my kid loved it when they turned off the lights!!!

If you have the time you may want to do the Left Hand Tunnel tour as well. We hope to do that next time.

Is it possible to do the self guided tour and the Kings tour the same day? By the way, we are healthy and in our early 30s. Thanks

We did the Natural Entrance, Big Room and a tour all in one day! No problem if you get there early. Enjoy.

It sounds like it might be more cost effective to fly into Albuquerque. Is it closer to the caverns? If you do fly into there, should we do the Caverns first, then White Sands, and then Las Cruces? What about Cloudcroft? Would that be possible too or would it be too far? I%26#39;m trying to plan my itinerary since I will need a few different hotel rooms. Maybe you have suggestions for that as well!!! Thank you

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