West Texas and southern New Mexico: dunes, caves and Big Bend

Route description

From Las Cruces, US-70 crosses the San Andres Mountains to White Sands National Park, where the gypsum dunes stay cool underfoot and you can buy a sled at the visitor center. The highway passes the White Sands Missile Range and is occasionally closed for short periods during tests. Beyond Alamogordo, the route climbs through the Sacramento Mountains and then descends onto the plains around Roswell.

In Roswell, the International UFO Museum covers the 1947 incident with newspaper clippings and dioramas, and even the streetlights are shaped like alien heads. US-285 then runs south to Carlsbad, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park lies a short drive beyond. Walk down the natural entrance into the Big Room, one of the largest cave chambers in North America, and in summer stay for the evening bat flight; timed-entry reservations are usually needed.

From the caverns, US-62/180 crosses into Texas past Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and TX-54 runs south through empty ranch country to Van Horn and US-90. Prada Marfa, a sculpture of a luxury boutique whose door never opens, stands alone beside US-90 near Valentine. Marfa itself is a small ranching town known for its art galleries and big open skies.

From Marfa, follow US-90 to Alpine and TX-118 south into Big Bend National Park, where desert, mountains and the Rio Grande meet. Santa Elena Canyon is the easiest walk into the gorge, and Chisos Basin Campground looks out on the Window at sunset, but the road into the basin is steep and trailers over 20 feet are not recommended. Fill the tank and stock up in Alpine, since services are sparse, and plan the trip for the cooler months from fall to spring.