Carlsbad

 There isn’t a ton to do in Carlsbad, NM, so we just made it an overnight stop to check Carlsbad Caverns National Park off of our list.

This national park is definitely worth adding to your national parks list - the caverns are an incredible sight to see and it is a really unique national park to visit. We were only here for a day, so we didn’t get to do any above ground hikes, we only entered through the Natural Entrance and hiked the path down to the Big Room. This hike through the main entrance of the cave takes about an hour and a half. It can be steep at times and is quite dark, so plan accordingly with stable shoes and a flashlight. Our 5 year old was able to do the climb down without any problems, but he was tired by the time we got to the bottom, so we took the elevator back up to the top. Once you reach the Big Room, you can either hike back to the top to the Natural Entrance or you can take an elevator back up. This is a very large cave, so unlike Mammoth Cave, we were able to take the 1.5 year old in the large Osprey hiking backpack. As always, your kiddo can earn a Junior Ranger badge here, so don’t forget to get a book at the Visitor Center!

FYI: you do have to have a timed entry to enter Carlsbad Caverns! So before you go, be sure to look online to book.

Where we stayed: Carlsbad RV Park - this was a good stop for a few days to explore the area. It’s not fancy, but it is a safe spot for full hook-ups and is close to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. They had an indoor pool, bathroom/shower facilities and laundry, but we weren’t here long enough to use any of those amenities.