We could call this – The Enchanted Land of New Mexico RV Tour Continued
As we recently published Adventurous RVing Amarillo to Roswell which took you from Texas to New Mexico ending up in the famous city of Roswell.
If you haven’t been beamed up by aliens after your visit to Roswell, head down Hwy 70 into Ruidoso.
Ruidoso
This is a charming mountain town, located in the Sierra Blanca Mountains and is surrounded by the Lincoln National Forest.
It has plenty of RV parks to stay at. If you have an itch to fish, check out Riverside RV Park with access to the Rio Ruidoso River for some prime trout fishing.
The Hubbard Museum of the American West is worth the stop. It boasts a Galloping Horses sculpture garden by sculptor, Dave McGarry as well as a wealth of information about New Mexico’s history.
From Ruidoso, you can continue on Hwy 70 into Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Be sure to take in Pistachioland, home of the World’s Largest Pistachio, a mammoth outdoor sculpture.
You will see signs for it miles before you get to it.
The $3 tour of the pistachio grove and vineyards is well worth the price of admission and the pistachio almond ice cream cone is “da bomb.” Get some pistachios to go.
The store offers free samples of the most amazing flavors of nuts. Can’t decide? Grab “The Works” and get a little bit of everything.
Alamogordo is a great place to stay if you are planning on visiting White Sands National Park, and you should definitely plan on visiting it.
White Sands National Park is the perfect New Mexico RV Tour Spot
Driving into the park is one of the most amazing road trips you will ever take. It is the world’s largest gypsum dune field, 275 square miles, and one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. Be sure to allow a few days to explore.
The entrance fee is $25 and is good for 7 consecutive days, unless, of course you have the Lifetime Senior Pass then it is free.
Take those shoes off. The sand is cool and soft and the undulating dunes make it a surreal place to view a sunrise, sunset, or moonrise or to take a sled ride.
There are Park Ranger Programs ranging from the nightly Sunset Strolls to Lake Lucero and Full Moon guided hikes.
Be sure to take a sled to sled down the dunes.
If you stay at the Alamogordo KOA, they furnish sleds for free. This is one place that you will never forget.
After a day in the park, eat some authentic Mexican food at Si Senor, located along the main road. It is delicious.
Carlsbad Caverns is another awesome New Mexico RV Tour location
Next on the Enchanted Land of New Mexico Tour is Carlsbad Caverns, located about 3 hours east from Alamogordo.
You will travel through the Chihuahuan Desert and over some pretty steep mountain passes to get there.
Carlsbad and White’s City offer plenty of RV park options. Make sure to make reservations online for selecting entry times into the caverns.
You can enter Carlsbad Caverns for an additional fee on top of the entry fee into the park.
There are two ways to enter the caverns. The Natural Entrance Trail has a steep grade (15% – 20%) or you can elect to take the elevator that descends 750 feet below the surface.
The trail to the Big Room is one mile and will take you on one of the most spectacular, delight-to-the-senses walk you have ever taken. It is mindboggling.
The Big Room’s ceiling ranges from 50 – 250 ft high. There are about 3 miles of underground trails in the caverns.
Just a note of caution, the trail is wet from dripping water and can be slippery and at times uneven. The trail is wheelchair accessible to the Big Room.
You may take pictures of everything and, though you will never be able to capture the magnificence of the caverns, keep clicking away. The images will delight you long after you leave Carlsbad.
If you do a New Mexico RV Tour – Don't Miss the Bats!
Be sure to allow time to watch the nightly Bat Flight at the Bat Flight Amphitheater. 116,000 plus Brazilian free-tailed bats fluttering out of the natural entrance to the carven, spiraling upwards to gain momentum is a spectacle to behold. A ranger gives a talk beforehand that it is both informative and entertaining.
Put this place on your bucket list. Carlsbad Caverns should be placed on your itinerary if you are within 5- 10 hour driving time. It is a natural wonder not to be missed.
It took a while to become a National Park
When it was being considered as a possible national park in 1923, Robert Halley, a representative of the US Department of Interior, concluded in his report:
“I am wholly conscious of the feebleness of my efforts to convey in words the deeply conflicting emotions, the feeling of fear and awe, and the desire for an inspired understanding of the Divine Creator’s work which presents to the human eye such a complex aggregate of natural wonders.” Carlsbad Caverns became a national park in 1930.
Heading to Las Cruces, New Mexico – another New Mexico RV Tour spot
Leaving the caverns, you will head south along the Chihuahuan Desert heading to Las Cruces.
The sign as you leave White’s City reads “Next Services 130 Miles.” Be sure to gas up as you leave.
You will travel next to the fabulous Guadalupe Mountain Range which rises up on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert.
Eventually, you will cross over into Texas and traverse the Texas Mountain Hwy for about another 20 miles.
The Cornudas New Mexico RV Tour stop
One of the most fun stops along this route is Cornudas, TX. It was originally established in 1929 as the most direct route between and El Paso, TX and Carlsbad, NM.
It still is that, but, what you’ll find along Hwy 62 and 180 now is the self-proclaimed BEST hamburger in Texas at Cornuda’s Café established 1923.
They aren’t just telling tall tales.
Stop for home cooking and a relic of the past almost unchanged. You’ll need to be looking for it, it’s one of those places that if you blink, you’ll miss it.
Maria, the waitress, is one of the sweetest people you’ll meet and she is into giving you great service.
68 miles later you’ll pass through El Paso, TX on your way to Las Cruces, NM but that is a tale for another time in our series “The Enchanted Land of New Mexico Tour.”
Where should you go next?
Look for a continuation of this travel series soon!
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March 21, 2024at2:16 pm, Amy Delpiere said:
Last fall we had an opportunity to sightsee through some of New Mexico. We did not go to any of the places mentioned here, but still thought it was an amazing state! I very much want to go back and spend more time there. We camped in the piney woods one night and had a little walk about. There was evidence of a past fire in the National Forest (Cibola NF I think.) The desert, open expanses, mountains, and pines were enchanting to me. Thanks for giving me ideas for a future trip.
March 22, 2024at12:32 pm, Team RV Lifestyle said:
It is a beautiful state! Thanks for sharing, Amy! Team RV Lifestyle
March 17, 2024at8:22 pm, Jennifer Wedemeyer said:
I’m from NM and it’s actually $16 to enter the Caverns. The $1 is to hold your reservation. It’s great to see people taking an interest in NM!
March 19, 2024at1:36 pm, Team RV Lifestyle said:
OH no! That was a typo – thank you for telling us that so we can get that fixed – team RV Lifestyle
January 01, 2022at12:54 pm, Enchanting New Mexico RV Tour - Pt. 3 | RV Lifestyle said:
[…] places, including the aliens at Area 51. Then we traveled from Roswell to Ruidoso and on through White Sand National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, and then ending in Cornudas, […]
January 01, 2022at12:31 pm, Merry Christmas! | RV Lifestyle said:
[…] 7 Must-See New Mexico RV Tour Spots […]