New Mexico

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

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Carlsbad Caverns National Park

We visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park in early April 2025 while staying at the SKP Ranch RV Park in Lakewood, New Mexico. When we visited, advance reservations were recommended. This was an easy on-line process that we had done some weeks in advance. As it turned out, the day we visited was not busy and we could easily have got in without an advanced reservation.

We had previously visited Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson, Arizona in 2024 which we had thoroughly enjoyed, so we had some idea of the type of “cave decorations” and formations to expect. What we did not expect, however, was the sheer scale of Carlsbad Caverns compared to Kartchner. We read that Will Rogers had described Carlsbad Caverns as “The Grand Canyon with a roof over it,” highlighting the cavern’s immense size and unique geological formations. He also added, “it’s got all the cathedrals of the world in it, with half of ’em hanging upside down,” emphasizing the variety and scale of the cave formations. That certainly captures the majesty of the cave quite eloquently.

There are two options for entering/exiting Carlsbad Cavern. We chose to take the “Natural Entrance Trail” down into the cave, and the elevator to leave once we had completed the self-guided cave tour. The 1.25 mile Natural Entrance Trail was quite steep, and consisted of a series of switchbacks as the natural light soon dwindled and we entered the darkness of the cave with sparse lighting highlighting some of the natural features and formations, and providing just enough light to navigate the trail. Overall, this trail loses 750 feet of elevation — equivalent to walking down a 75-story building. This section took about one hour with frequent photo-stops.

The Entrance Trail took us into the “Big Room”, the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. The trail that loops around the Big Room is is another 1.25 mile trail but this time relatively flat. It took us about another hour or so to walk it.

It’s difficult to describe the extent and variety of cave decorations that you encounter as your walk through the cavern. The magnificent speleothems (cave formations) that continue to grow and decorate Carlsbad Cavern are due to rain and snowmelt soaking through limestone rock, then eventually dripping into a cave below and evaporating. Those water drops have absorbed gases and dissolved minerals from the soil and limestone above. Wherever that water drop evaporates and releases carbon dioxide in an air-filled cave, a small amount of mineral-mostly calcite, is left behind. Thus, drip-by-drip, over the past million years or so, Carlsbad Cavern has slowly been decorating itself.

The slowest drips tend to stay on the ceiling long enough to deposit their mineral there. Common speleothems found on the ceiling may be stalactites, soda straws, draperies, ribbons or curtains. The faster the dripping, the more likely it is to make some type of decoration on the floor. A wide range of decorations on the cave floor include totem poles, flowstone, rim stone dams, lily pads, shelves, cave pools, and of course stalagmites.

A visit to Carlsbad Caverns is highly recommended. It ranks as one of the highlights of the National Parks we have visited to-date. While it’s difficult to capture the scale of the cave in photographs, the gallery below includes some of the many pictures we took that give a glimpse into the cave and its spectacular decorations.

Coronado Village Mobile Home & RV Resort – Albuquerque, NM

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Coronado Village Mobile Home & RV Resort – Albuquerque, NM

Coronado Village Mobile Home & RV Resort is one of our favorite RV parks. Nestled in north Albuquerque, NM, near I-25 and Paseo Del Norte Blvd NE, it’s a surprisingly tranquil spot despite its proximity to the freeway, thanks to its vastness with 350 spaces. We visited twice in May 2023 during spring and again in October 2023 for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

We travel to Albuquerque often due to Martin’s Vedic chanting workshops and prefer to stay at Coronado Village. No amenities are within walking distance unless you’re up for a mile or two trek.

The standout feature of this park is its 7-acre grassy area at the southern end. Google calls it Scallop Park, though it’s entirely within Coronado Village. The greenbelt boasts large cottonwood, fir, cedar, and mulberry trees.

Springtime in the park is delightful. There is a blanket of yellow dandelions and their seedheads, and the mulberry and cottonwood trees are budding with new growth as the temperature starts heating up. October weather can be cool, but it’s not too cold yet.

During our first visit in May 2023, I expressed interest to the office staff that we would like to attend the balloon fiesta in October 2024. Coincidentally, there was a cancellation on our departure day for the October 2023 Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We snagged the reservation immediately, even though the rates spiked during the event. Coronado Village is very close to the fiesta grounds.

October’s visit was spectacular, with balloons landing in the RV park, even right in front of our RV. The weather cooled quickly, requiring a heavy sweater by the end of the month. Early October was mild enough for just a light jacket, even for nighttime fiesta events, to which we rode our e-bikes.

A useful tip we’ve learned for saving money while traveling is to stay for a month when possible, as it often costs about the same as a two-week stay. This usually requires paying for electricity, but staying longer allows us to slow down and truly enjoy the area.

White Sands National Park

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White Sands National Park

Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world’s great natural wonders – the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world’s largest gypsum dune field. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dune field, along with the plants and animals that live here.

We visited the White Sands National Park in early April 2024 while staying at the Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruces, New Mexico about a one-hour drive away.

We stopped at the visitor center at the park entrance and learned about the unique gypsum dunes. Approximately 12,000 years ago, the land within the Tularosa Basin featured large lakes, streams, grasslands, and Ice Age mammals. As the climate warmed, rain and snowmelt dissolved gypsum from the surrounding mountains and carried it into the basin. Further warming and drying caused the lakes to evaporate and form selenite crystals. Strong winds then broke up crystals and transported them eastward. A similar process continues to produce gypsum sand today.

From the visitor center we took the Dunes Drive, an eight-mile out-and-back scenic drive that leads from the visitor center into the heart of the gypsum dune field. Along the road, there were outdoor exhibits, hiking trails, and picnic areas. Our first stop was the Dune Life Nature Trail. This was an easy one mile loop trail that was a great way to experience the dune field, and its typical landscape of sparse shrubs, cacti, and trees. There were informational signs along the loop.

We also visited the Interdune Boardwalk, an elevated boardwalk that leads you through the fragile interdune area to a scenic view of the dune field and the Sacramento mountains. There were extensive information displays along the boardwalk with information on the geology, plants, and animal life of the area.

We tried our hand at sand sledding, one of the most unique things to do in White Sands National Park. We met with little success and came to the conclusion that if you weigh more than the average 12-year-old, the physics of sand sledding are not in your favor!

Visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park was a unique experience. Some areas of the park had very little plant life and the bright white gypsum dunes looked just like snow drifts. Interestingly, the dunes always stay fairly cool even on bright sunny days due to the high water table and reflective sand.

Photos of our visit are provided below. Click on the thumbnails to view the photos.

 

Coronado Village RV Park – Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Coronado Village is one of our favorite RV parks. It is located in north Albuquerque, NM, close to I-25 and Paseo Del Norte Blvd NE. Although the park is very close to the freeway, it is so large (350 spaces) that you might not hear any freeway noise.

Our favorite feature of Coronado Village is its 7-acre grassy park in the southeast corner of the RV park. Depending on the season and weather, you may encounter a carpet of beautiful yellow dandelion blooms, a snow-dusted winter wonderland, or a treed greenbelt.

We stayed there twice: once in May 2023, when spring had just sprung, and again in October 2023 for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Spring is such a lovely time in the park. The greenbelt is covered with gorgeous yellow dandelion flowers and their seed heads, and the mulberry trees are sprouting new growth and dropping pollen everywhere. The weather is just beginning to get hot, but it’s not too hot yet.  The weather in October can be pretty cool, but it hasn’t turned bitter cold yet.

There isn’t anything within walking distance unless you want to walk a mile or two, but our two dogs love their walks on the greenbelt.  I’ll post drone footage of the dogs and us exploring the greenbelt as soon as possible.

Have You Ever?

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Have you ever been to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta?

If not, you should book your tickets right now for the next one. You’ve got to see it at least once in your life. It’s nine days in October and is guaranteed to mesmerize, assuming it’s not too windy.

We love Albuquerque and have been many times, but last year was the first time we attended the Balloon Fiesta. When we visit Albuquerque, we usually stay in Our Favorite RV Park, Coronado Village Mobile Home & RV Park.

The Balloon Fiesta grounds are about a mile from Coronado Village, and dozens of balloons touched down or landed throughout the RV park. Martin even filmed one landing in front of our RV.

There are morning and evening sessions at the Fiesta. We went to a morning session, but all flights were canceled due to high winds, so we walked around the balloon fiesta grounds and booths. The other session we attended was an evening glow, where balloons light their burners while attached to the ground.

At the beginning of each session, when the balloons are being inflated, you can walk right up to them and even help hold them open while air is blown into them before the burner ignites.

Below are photos of balloons in and around Coronado Village and the afternoon/evening we attended the Evening Glow session.

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