Camping near Carlsbad Caverns?

[chriscowles]

Suggestions? We'll be visiting Carlsbad and need a place to stay that's within a practical distance for a day trip. We generally prefer government-operated camps but commercial is fine for our purpose here. Boondocking on public lands is also okay (we're fully prepared) but I have no experience and can't begin to guess if or where that's allowed in the vicinity.

Thanks for your help.

[Kf4mnc]

It has been a few years, but last time we visited we stayed at the following location. It was probably 20 minutes from the Caverns, but it was an easy drive.

Brantley Lake State Park
33 East Brantley Lake Rd.
Carlsbad, NM 88221

[jbflag21ds]

The KOA between Carlsbad and Roswell was nice. Bit further of a drive to get to but wasn't bad. It comes up quick right off the highway on a long curve but other than that I'd stay there again.

Definitely not cheap but reasonable when I was there last year.

There were some RV pieces in White's City but they looked very basic and cramped right off the road. I didn't really investigate them though, just noticed when driving by to the caverns.

[NMWildcat]

Wherever you decide to stay in Carlsbad NM, call ahead with plenty of time. Hotel rooms and RV spots are scarce due to the oil field demand. Prices are currently ridiculous.
We have stayed at the Whites City RV park and it was a no frills campground but had what we needed and was close to the caverns.

[PoppySteve]

x2 on Brantley Lake State Park.

We also visited White Sands NP. We enjoyed the first trails/boardwalk just as you enter the park. We were disappointed with the day-use crowd that would speed down the park road to the end.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by jbflag21ds

The KOA between Carlsbad and Roswell was nice. Bit further of a drive to get to but wasn't bad. It comes up quick right off the highway on a long curve but other than that I'd stay there again.

Definitely not cheap but reasonable when I was there last year.

There were some RV pieces in White's City but they looked very basic and cramped right off the road. I didn't really investigate them though, just noticed when driving by to the caverns.

Thanks for the info on the RV parks. They're not what we usually look for and we'll probably avoid those, in particular. KOA may be a good choice if we're at a point where we need laundry and other amenities.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Wherever you decide to stay in Carlsbad NM, call ahead with plenty of time. Hotel rooms and RV spots are scarce due to the oil field demand. Prices are currently ridiculous.
We have stayed at the Whites City RV park and it was a no frills campground but had what we needed and was close to the caverns.

Thanks, NMWildcat. Your local knowledge of the area is helpful.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by PoppySteve

x2 on Brantley Lake State Park.

We also visited White Sands NP. We enjoyed the first trails/boardwalk just as you enter the park. We were disappointed with the day-use crowd that would speed down the park road to the end.

Thanks. I visited White Sands decades ago on a trip to Philmont and have considered taking DW there.

[moose074]

Depending on size of your rig or distance willing to travel you have a few options. Guadalupe national park, but trl is limited by size and is basically the parking lot. A few places you can pull off onto outside of Queen City. I want to say small private tv spot on way to sitting bull falls or dog canyon campground. If you don’t mind a longer drive I would stay around cloudcroft nm .

[clintbonnie73]

Check for the following for boondocking near the caverns :

http://www.treksw.com/rv-boondocking...ad-caverns-nm/

&

https://boundingaround.com/our-first...d-carlsbad-np/

[Dirt Sifter]

Hey, Chris, take a look at RV Trip Wizard. Takes a little time to learn to work it, but they currently have loads of parks all over and most have some reviews to give you an idea of what you're looking at. We use that, and downloaded Google Earth to check things out from space. This forum gets you good info; the trip wizard can help with the whole trip, IMHO.

[scottrubarb]

In April 2018 stayed at Carlsbad RV park just outside of the town of Carlsbad. Full hookups. Was a better than average park. Some long term occupants. About 25-30 minutes to the visitors center

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by Dirt Sifter

Hey, Chris, take a look at RV Trip Wizard. Takes a little time to learn to work it, but they currently have loads of parks all over and most have some reviews to give you an idea of what you're looking at. We use that, and downloaded Google Earth to check things out from space. This forum gets you good info; the trip wizard can help with the whole trip, IMHO.

I'm using it. I was looking for personal experience.

[360true]

We stayed at Carlsbad RV Park. Was all we needed. www.carlsbadrvpark.com

[Cyote61]

Layer up if you're going in the next couple of months. The wind chill can get brutal around that area.

[chriscowles]

Originally Posted by Cyote61

Layer up if you're going in the next couple of months. The wind chill can get brutal around that area.

We're trying to balance not freezing in NM on our way out or CO on the way back with being able to see spring flowers blooming in Arizona or thereabouts. Go too early, freeze; go to late, miss flowers.

[clintbonnie73]

Here is handy climate website for the US for monthly averages .. You can plug in the state and select a listed city..

https://www.usclimatedata.com/climat...tates/usnm0292

[Jakieboy]

We stayed at the KOA just north of the town of Carlsbad while visiting the caverns, and found it to be one of the nicest KOA''s we have visited. The facilities there, including showers, laundry, gift shop, etc. are as good as you can find. About a 40-minute drive to the caverns, as I recall. We would stay there again.

Overnight temps dipped into the low teens, and the staff dropped by each camp site to help to make sure we were properly prepared to weather the freezing temperatures.

[BMullins46]

X2 what NMWildcat said. If you are not familar with camp grounds out in the southwest, they are different from those back east. The soutwest is a desert area so don't expect the lush grass and large shade trees, The campground owners have done the best with what they have to work with, expect gravel on most sites. SE New Mexico is a hot bed of energy exploration and construction as NMWildcat said the campgrounds near Carlsbad, Roswell, and Hobbs are likely to be nearly full of workers rigs.

[retiredintexas]

Boondocking site just a few miles from the front gate of Carlsbad. Just an open gravel field, worked well for us in 2020