Carlsbad Caverns are jaw-droppingly spectacular. We’d seen pictures of course and knew that it was a big hole in the ground but I was still shocked by the scope of the Big Room and the otherworldly rock formations. I couldn’t stop shaking my head in amazement. It was also amazing that there is a gift shop, snack bar, restrooms, and an elevator in the Big Room. We chose to hike in and out on the natural entrance path, which according to my Garmin was about 1,000 feet of descent and ascent (it is 75 stories down to the Big Room from the entrance and there is some climbing from the cavern entrance to the visitor center as well. It was crazy windy so it was a good day to be in a hole in the ground.
Dogs have to be kenneled on National Park Service (NPS) property (and it is $15 per day per dog) and they can’t be left in vehicles in the parking lot. Sanni was the only dog in the kennels and we heard other dogs barking in unattended vehicles. This caused me to complain to the NPS personnel that I shouldn’t be the only person following the rules. I challenged that if they were truly doing their job they’d be out walking the parking lot and making good on the threats of fines for not following the “no dogs left in vehicles” rule.
There are also no dog friendly trails in the park except for the ¼ mile nature trail near the parking lot. I can’t work out in my head why they’d allow dogs on a watchable wildlife trail. Of all places to allow dogs, that seems the stupidest place to pick.
My bottom line is that Carlsbad Caverns is an absolute must see, bucket list place. However, it is not dog friendly so don’t expect to spend the day there with your dog, because you won’t. The kennel can accommodate your dog for a few hours while you tour the caverns, and you need to be OK with it. You’ll also have to produce current vaccination records for your dog, or you’ll be driving back towards Whites City disappointed you didn’t get to enter the cavern.
There’s a cool gift shop and grocery in Whites City. It is worth a stop and there are some excellent selfie opportunities inside as well as a Pressed Penny machine. This is also where you’d check in to stay at the RV park which is just a few hundred feet away. The White’s City Post Office is also here for you to send home all the souvenirs you buy. After stopping here upon leaving Carlsbad National Park, we continued on to Carlsbad, NM for lunch.
https://whitescitynm.com/ or check them out on Instagram @whitescity2017
Guadalupe Mountain Brewery in Carlsbad was a nice lunch stop. The service was quick, and the food was better than your average restaurant. They have pizza, subs, paninis, and salads. The prices were reasonable as well. The beer was decent and I did a sampler.
https://www.facebook.com/guadalupemountainbrewing/
We stayed at the Carlsbad KOA, which is adequate, but there could be better focus on shower and restroom cleanliness. For as many sites as this KOA has, I also felt like restroom resources could quickly become strained during peak season. In addition, they advertised an onsite BBQ and snack bar, but it was closed. Not surprisingly the Koi Pond was also drained and the pool was closed. On the positive side, they sell propane and have a large rec room, and laundry facilities. This KOA is about an hour from the caverns and about an hour from Roswell, so it is a bit in the middle of nowhere. That said, plan your meals because the KOA BBQ might not be open and there isn’t anything for 20+ miles in either direction.
https://koa.com/campgrounds/carlsbad/
