USA one-day journeys ↗
TAKE THE ROAD. KEEP THE MEMORIES.

West Texas to the cavern country

Alpine, Texas → Carlsbad, New Mexico

Follow a desert travel day from Alpine toward Carlsbad, with the Guadalupe Mountains providing a possible national-park stop.

One-way travel day

Guadalupe Mountains National Park · NPS/Bieri · Photo credits

Your dayOne-way travel day
Set out fromAlpine, Texas
DiscoverGuadalupe Mountains National Park
A DAY TO REMEMBER

The journey

Follow a desert travel day from Alpine toward Carlsbad, with the Guadalupe Mountains providing a possible national-park stop.

Keep the park visit focused so there is time left for the onward drive.

Make it your day

Set out

Begin in Alpine and choose your route toward Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Along the way

Follow a desert travel day from Alpine toward Carlsbad, with the Guadalupe Mountains providing a possible national-park stop. Keep the park visit focused so there is time left for the onward drive.

Arrive

Finish in Carlsbad, New Mexico. This is a one-way journey; a return drive is not included.

El Capitan with blooming claret cup cacti
Blossoming claret cup cacti add a splash of color to the Chihuahuan desert. · NPS/Bieri
the slat flats become flooded during monsoon months after large rain events.
After the monsoon storms, the salt flats will often become flooded creating a seasonal lake. · NPS/Yates

Choose the exact roads and stops when planning your drive. Check seasonal access, reservations, weather, and opening times before setting out. Photographs show the named destination or an optional stop, not every view along the drive.