Mountains and Caverns

Sitting on opposite sides of the Texas-New Mexico border, these to national parks are located conveniently side-by-side and offer a range of above and below-ground wonders. This section of the Chihuahuan Desert is beautiful and geographically diverse. Here is a short summary of what you will find:

Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park preserves a diverse section of the Chihuahuan Desert near El Paso, Texas. The parks geology ranges from desert to alpine and offers a relatively mild climate. The park offers opportunities for camping, hiking, horseback riding and stargazing.

Humans have inhabited the region for over 10,000 years and signs of early habitation are on display. Numerous historical artifacts from early European and then American settlers can also be seen throughout the park. 

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The park was once the coastline of an ancient inland sea. Today it is largely high desert.

In 1898 a teenager, Jim White, explored the cave and gave many of the rooms their present names. Until the early 1930s, visitors to the caverns undertook strenuous descents and ascents on foot. In 1932 the park service installed an elevator making the caverns more accessible.