Carlsbad cavern and environs question (Albuquerque, Alamogordo: buy, shop, suite)

[henrysmom]

We are planning a trip to southern New Mexico in early April. We have two sons, ages 9 and 10 and will be driving after spending a night in Albuquerque. (We've been to Abq and north, now it's time for the south of NM). Two must sees for us is Carlsbad Caverns and also the White Sands Monument. I remember visting the caverns 40 years ago and can't wait to return. Anyways, I have a few questions. The first one..is the walk down into the cave via the natural entrance too difficult for the kids and for me (fairly fit but arthritic hip giving me a bit of a time right now)? How should I plan our day there? We will be staying a night in Carlsbad. Should we do two tours or arrive the night before in hopes of seeing some bats and then visit the next day?

Also, I have seen a place called Sitting Bull Falls. My kids love outdoor water places..would this be a nice place to visit in April? Would it be warm enough to go in the water? How long would the drive be from Carlsbad to Alamogordo to see the White Sands?

Thank you for any info. We love NM and cant wait to return again...(and again...) Kim

[Sarahsez]

The kids should be fine walking down the Natural Entrance. My kids did it when they were younger. I'm not sure about you. My mom's knees stared trying to give out on her walking down. There are swichbacks, but it is still a steady decline.

I would do the bat flight and cave tours all in one day. I'm assuming you are doing the Natural Entrance and Big Room tours. The Big Room is a fairly easy tour. My kids could walk it even when they were todlers. Bat Flight is interesting. Most of the time is spent in a question and answer session. It goes pretty quick once the bats start coming out. Personally, I'd just make a long day of it.

Sitting Bull Falls is neat. IMO, the water is still a bit cold in April. The temperature is about 10 degrees cooler than Carlsbad in summer.

Carlsbad to Alamogordo/White Sands is about 2.5 hours. White Sands is lots of fun. Make sure to drink plenty of water and bring sunscreen. Sunglasses aren't a bad idea either. Last time I went, you could buy round sleds in the gift shop. We (including the adults) really enjoyed sledding down the dunes.

Have fun and enjoy your trip.

[joqua]

As someone who suffers arthritic problems, I would consider taking the elevator down rather than attempting the long downhill walk from the natural entrance. There is plenty to see in the Big Room section accessed by the elevator, but there is really nothing to compare the feeling one gets walking in. As for the bat flight, it may be asking a bit much to stick around until dusk after tiring out walking the cave so the idea of doing the bat flight the night before might be the better alternative. I suspect the bats do not put on the same show (density) that they do in mid-summer, so researching that would be worthwhile before deciding.

Sitting Bull Falls is not that predictable since the amount of water depends on the recent rain/snow falls. At it's most vigorous, it's not that large of a volume. As for swimming, again the volume of water does form pools both above and below the falls, but more suited to soaking and cooling off in warm weather than actually doing much swimming - relatively shallow pools in both instances. It's a long way from anywhere to the falls, and should be considered an all day trip. The narrow road is paved all the way.

White Sands can be a half-day experience, depending on personal interests in rolling/sliding down the dunes. In April, with an early dusk, that would be a great time to visit if photo ops are important. Sunsets are almost always magical. And if possible to schedule on one of the "Full Moon" nights-that is truly a magical experience.