The Great American Road Trip Challenge~4.5 years · 48 states · one loop
← The Desert Southwest

Stop 1 · Days 355–357

Carlsbad Caverns & White Sands

Carlsbad Caverns & White Sands, NM

Two surreal New Mexico landscapes — a vast underground cavern of the bats, and the world's largest field of pure-white gypsum dunes.

Where to stay

  • A Carlsbad, then Alamogordo motel

    Split the stay to cut the drive between the two parks.

    Open in Maps

You gotta eat this

  • New Mexico green chile

    On everything — 'red or green?' is the state question.

The days here

Each day opens its own hour-by-hour page

  1. 355Day 355 — Carlsbad CavernsFull day · 4h planned
  2. 356Day 356 — White SandsFull day · 3h 30m planned
  3. 357Day 357 — North to RoswellDrive day · 2h drive

What this stop is made of

  • National Parks & Forests