How to Visit 4 Underrated & Beautiful US National Parks in One Week
This itinerary is the perfect guide for visiting the following US National Parks over the course of seven days including: White Sands National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and Big Bend National Park. Honestly, it blew our minds just how beautiful these parks were in New Mexico & Texas. The parks range from desert to mountain to underground and they are all so vastly unique in their own ways. We did this road trip in February and it went very smoothly, but honestly anytime between Fall, Winter, and Spring would be perfect. It is best to avoid the summertime as a few of these parks have unrelenting heat this time of year. Here are our recommendations for the ultimate road trip:
Day 0:
Fly into El Paso, Texas and drive to stay near White Sands National Park (Alamogordo is a great option).
Day 1:
Start your day early and head to White Sands National Park right as the gate opens at 7am. The sun is very intense in the afternoon so it's best to make the most of your morning and late afternoon time while in the park. Make sure to bring plenty of water & sun protection for your day on the dunes.
Stop 1: Alkali Flat Trail
Start your time in the park with a walk along the Alkali Flat Trail. If you follow along the dunes, it is possible to find pristine undisturbed ones without footprints. Just make sure not to get lost as the “trails” in the park can be difficult at times to follow. We highly recommend using AllTrails in order to not get lost. Just having fun on the dunes is an incredible experience.
Stops 2 & 3: Interdune Boardwalk & Dune Life Nature Trail
After your morning walk, head to a few of the shorter trails in the park including Interdune Boardwalk and Dune Life Nature Trail. Although not as exciting as the larger white gypsum dunes of Backcountry Camping Trail/Alkali Flat Trail, these shorter options give you a look at more of the vegetation and wildlife of the park.
Stop 4: Visitor Center
Next stop by the visitor center to pick up a sled and wax for one of the most thrilling experience the park has to offer! Insider tip: oftentimes the visitor center has used discs that you can buy for cheaper than a new disc so make sure to ask. You can also return your disc later in the day for a $5 voucher to be used inside the visitor center if you so choose.
Stop 5: Sand Sledding
Navigate your way to the back of the park and find a dune to sand sled. It’s the perfect way to feel like a kid again. Make sure to use the wax for the best traction when sand sledding.
Stop 5: Backcountry Camping Trail
End your day with a sunset on the dunes. Honestly, catching the sunset in White Sands National Park is a photographer's dream! Keep in mind that the gate out of the park closes about 30 minutes to an hour after sunset so make sure to be aware of your time and try not to stick around long after sunset in order to make it out in time. We recommend staying the night near White Sands if possible.
Day 2:
Wake up early and make the 3 hour 15 minute drive to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
Stop 1: McKittrick Road
Although most of Guadalupe Mountains National Park is only explored by foot, the views along McKittrick Road are beautiful. We stopped by the park sign and took the opportunity for a photo op in the middle of the road. One of the greatest things that we found with Guadalupe Mountains National Park was the sheer isolation that you feel in comparison to other United States National Parks. The limited people we encountered in our time here made the experience even better.
Stop 2: Pratt Cabin to McKittrick Canyon Trail
We recommend parking by the McKittrick Canyon Visitor Center and taking a lovely hike along the McKittrick Canyon Trail to Pratt Cabin. The hike is 5 miles round trip and is considered moderate on All Trails. However, we found the trail well maintained and overall easier than expected. Although we did not personally experience this, we’ve seen in research that the fall foliage along this trail is magnificent. McKittrick Canyon lies between the desert and the highlands, so it has an incredible mixture of life here that is part desert, part canyon woodland, and part highland forest.
Keep in mind that the gate in and out of this section of the park does close at 5pm Mountain Time so plan accordingly. Your phone will most likely display Central Time, but Guadalupe Mountains National Park runs on Mountain Time. It is a little confusing, but there are clocks by the visitor centers in the park to help keep you on track.
Stop 3: Viewpoints of El Capitan
El Capitan is an iconic landmark in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, so make sure to stop along US Highway 62 in order to best admire the incredible rock formation. Golden hour along this road is beautiful.
Stop 4: Carlsbad, New Mexico
Due to its remote location, the closest and most central area to stay in when visiting both Guadalupe Mountains National Park & Carlsbad Caverns National Park is Carlsbad, New Mexico. The authentic Mexican cuisine in Carlsbad was absolutely delicious too.
Day 3:
Stop 1: Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitor Center
When you get to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, you will have to first go into the visitor center and check in up front. When we visited Carlsbad Caverns in February 2024, we did have to buy a timed entry ticket from recreation.gov in advance. The caves are 56 degrees Fahrenheit year round with over 80% humidity so make sure to layer up a little bit but also don’t be surprised by all the moisture underground.
Stop 2: Natural entrance Trail
There are two ways to enter the caverns including either the elevator or the Natural Entrance Trail. We cannot recommend enough choosing the 1.25 mile Natural Entrance Trail. This trail descends over 750 feet into the earth following steep winding passages along the traditional explorers’ route.
Stop 3: Big Room Self Guided Tour
Once you make your way into the caverns, take the 1.25 mile self guided stroll around the cave’s largest room. Check out a world of intrigue with incredible stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, draperies, flowstone, columns, cave pools, cave pearls, cave popcorn, and helictites.
Stop 4: Kings Palace Guided Tour
This ranger led program does require a reservation in advance but we found the experience 100% worth it. It takes about 1.5 hours and descends to the deepest portion of the cavern with paved trails 830 feet beneath the desert surface.
Optional Stop 5: Salt Basin Dunes
If you are feeling up for it and want to find a location to watch the sunset, head to the Salt Basin Dunes in the remote western region of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It is quite a drive to get there and a 4x4 vehicle is recommended as it requires driving along a very bumpy dirt road. But we found it entirely worth it for an incredible sunset all to ourselves. You do have to walk about 1.5 miles out to get to the dunes from the parking lot and the dunes themselves were more rugged than we originally anticipated. But we always love the time we spend admiring sunsets. After sunset, head back to stay in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Day 4:
Stop 1: Guadalupe Mountains National Park Pine Springs Visitor Center
In the morning, head back to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We always make a point of going to the visitor center of any national park we ever visit.
Stop 2: Hike either the Guadalupe Peak Trail or Devil’s Hall Trail
Next, park at the Pine Springs Trailhead and you have an option to what adventure awaits you. We had originally planned on hiking to Guadalupe Peak, the highest mountain peak in Texas, however due to wildfire smoke, windy conditions, and incoming rain showers, we had to alter our plans. We chose Devil’s Hall Trail as our alternative and we are so glad we did because it was uniquely beautiful.
Devil’s Hall is a 4.5 mile moderate trail that requires bouldering and rock scrambling to navigate up a wash of rocks. If you do attempt this hike, make sure to wear supportive shoes and consider trekking poles due to the rocky terrain. Even though the mileage isn’t too bad, expect for the trail to take 3-4 hours due to all the scrambling which significantly slows you down.
If you want more of a challenging adventure, Guadalupe Peak Trail at 8.1 miles and 3000 feet of elevation gain is the choice for you to reach the highest point in Texas. We hope to go back to Guadalupe Mountains National Park someday to achieve this feat.
After your hike, drive 4 hours south to Big Bend National Park. Check in to your accommodations and relax for the evening until nightfall. We highly recommend staying in Terlingua due to its proximity to the park.
Stop 3: Stargazing in Big Bend National Park
Due to its remote location, stargazing at Big Bend National Park is absolutely unreal! Big Bend National Park is an International Dark Sky Park making for stunning nighttime views. In fact, it has the least light pollution of any other national park in the lower 48 states. We were blown away by the sheer abundance of stars visible. It was so much more beautiful than even pictures can justify.
Day 5:
We were told that when visiting Big Bend National Park, you need to spend time in all three of the main ecosystems in the park including: river, mountain, and desert. We were able to accomplish all of this within 2 days in the park. Due to its array of habitats, Big Bend National Park is known for its large diversity of wildlife and plant life. It was incredible being able to see such a spectrum of landscapes and wildlife within the bounds of one US National Park.
Stop 1: Big Bend River Tours & Santa Elena Canyon
If you have time for one adventure in Big Bend National Park, make sure to book the full day Santa Elena Canyon out & back canoe tour. The canyon along the Rio Grande is huge and absolutely stunning. When exploring by canoe, we were able to enjoy the scenery with absolutely nobody else around us outside of our small tour group. We have no affiliation with Big Bend River Tours, but we cannot recommend the experience enough.
Stop 2: Sotol Vista Overlook
If you are feeling up for sunset chasing, we recommend making the drive out to Sotol Vista Overlook. The sunset we viewed while we were here was a bit hazy due to wildfire smoke, but as mentioned before, we cannot resist the temptation to watch the sunset somewhere beautiful.
Day 6:
Stop 1: Lost Mine Trail
In order to see what the mountains are like in the park, we headed to the Chisos Mountains and hiked the 5 mile round trip moderate Lost Mine Trail. Parking is extremely limited for this trail, so you will need to arrive before 7:30am if you want to park at the trailhead. This was probably the most crowded trail we encountered in our entire New Mexico and Texas trip. It was a steady incline the entire way up the mountain with a lot of switchbacks. Once we got to the top, however, the views were breathtaking!
As an aside, keep in mind that this trail is in both black bear and mountain lion territory so just be aware. Follow the signs on what to do should you encounter these animals along the trail. Try not to let younger children wander, never feed the animals, and make sure to follow the leave no trace principles. It is not a frequent occurrence to encounter such animals, but just something to be aware of!
Stop 2: Balanced Rock
To get a taste of desert life in Big Bend National Park, we decided to explore around the Grapevine Hills area of the park. Grapevine Hills Road is a dirt road that requires a high clearance 4x4 vehicle to navigate. We parked by the Grapevine Hills Trailhead and hiked the moderate 2 mile round trip trail to Balanced Rock. Big Bend National Park is known to have the largest variety of cacti of any US National Park and you can find many different types along this trail. Make sure to rock scramble your way up to Balanced Rock and you will be rewarded with a super cool rock formation that gives all the southwest vibes. It’s hard to believe the variety of ecosystems and wildlife that thrives inside one National Park.
Stop 3: Prada Marfa
After your Balanced Rock hike, get ready for a long 5.5 hour drive back to El Paso. We also recommend making a quick stop at Prada Marfa on the way to El Paso. Prada Marfa is a really unique art installation in the middle of nowhere between Marfa and Van Horn, Texas.
Day 7:
Fly out from El Paso, Tx.
So there you have it! Four entirely unique and underrated US National Parks in New Mexico & Texas that can be easily visited over one week. The sheer variety of landscapes and ecosystems that can be visited in these various national parks make for such a crazy whirlwind of memories that we still admire to this day. There is still so much we did not see and would love to return to these National Parks in order to experience.
