SP Campground Review – Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad, NM

View of lake loop trail from campground

A simple, but relaxing stop in SE New Mexico to visit Carlsbad  Caverns.

Link to campground here: Brantley Lake State Park, NM
Link to map location here: Brantley Lake State Park, NM

1. Site Quality = 3.5/5
   A bit of a mix on site quality here. On the positive side all the sites are paved with water/electric (50 or 30Amp) and have decent separation, large (and very nice) shelters, grills and tent sites. Also, almost every site has some kind of lake view (a huge positive!). There are also 3 full hook-up sites which are on smaller side. The biggest ding is levelness and there’s a big mix here. Reservation sites (esp. on the outside of the circle) seem to be more short and sloped than non-reservation sites. Overall I recommend going non-reservation and taking your time to find a good site (we were extremely happy with our pull-though #39 and thought it one of the loveliest, most private sites in the loop). For those looking for more privacy the primitive camping area has lovely dirt sites right by the lake (with enough space for big rigs).
2.  Facilities = 3/5
   The facilities are OK. On plus side they are spacious and kept nicely clean. The negative is they’re rather minimal. So, toilets are all-metal (bit of a cold shock for the backside in the AM), and showers have shared changing area and are on a rather short timer-button.
3. Location = 4/5
   Overall we liked the location of this park. It’s nicely situated by a lake and within a decent drive (~1 hour) of Carlsbad Caverns and ~12 miles from Carlsbad. Only ding is there’s a bit of a long, curvy drive (~6 miles) from the main highway to the campground. The remote feel does make it relaxing and quiet.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Nice park for doggie. There are a few decent hiking trails (a few miles), plus spurs to the lake. If you take the walk down to the primitive camping area you can play and splash in the water too.

Overall Rating = 3.9
BONUS ALERT = Camp in the high desert with full lake views!

Summary: We chose this campground primarily to visit nearby Carlsbad Caverns (~1 hour away) and really ended up enjoying the remote and relaxing feel of the place. The campground is nicely located on a hill-top overlooking Brantley Lake so almost all the sites have some kind of lake view. There are a couple of cute, little hiking trails and direct access to the lake from the primitive area (great for doggie in the afternoon). On the negative side sites are a bit of a mix. All have very electric/water, lovely sitting areas, large shelters, grills, tent sites and nice views, but vary quite a bit in how level they area. Non-reservation sites seem the best bet. For those looking for more privacy the primitive camping area has lovely dirt sites right by the lake (with several areas large enough for big-rigs -> if the weather were cooler that’s where we’d go). Another thing to be aware of is every now and then (especially on a still day) you will get some sulphur smell from the nearby gas fields. Overall however we loved our view, found the campground very relaxing, and would certainly come again.

 Extra Info:  Verizon full signal both for smartphone and aircard. Sites cost $8/night for primitive, $14/night for water/electric (either 50 or 30 Amp) and $18/night for full hook-up (3 sites available). Camping fees can be covered with New Mexico Annual Camping Permit. Approx. half of campground is reservation, other half is first-come-first-serve. On-site dump station.

Typical back-in site view (#22 shown)

View of pull-through site (#44 shown)

View of our lovely (and private) pull-through (#39)

View of our shelter

View of grill and tent pad in front of our site (#39)

View down front end of non-reservation loop (#31, 32 shown on left front back)

View down reservation loop (#24, 26 shown on right front to back)

Overall view of campground from hiking trail (our RV on left in #39)

Into The Deep – CavingIt at Carlsbad Caverns, NM

Welcome to the beauty of the deep!

They say that to understand all that’s without you first have to understand all that’s within. At least I have a feeble memory that something of the sort is said by those who are more eloquent and intelligent than myself. So, in the spirit of delving deep we took a day-trip to the Carlsbad Caverns.

Now, I love caverns mostly because of the bats. I have fond memories of bats flying around munching up my arch-enemy (the mosquito) while backpacking in CA years ago. Carlsbad caverns not only hosts 17 species of bats, but also lots of photographically cool formations. What’s even better is that they allow you to bring in a tripod *and* you can take a self-guided tour to spend as much time as you like enjoying the inner workings. In my mind that makes Carlsbad Caverns a sure winner.

The Guadalupe Mountains sweep off the desert floor

But I’m getting ahead of myself here, so I’ll rewind to start at the beginning. Carlsbad Caverns are a collection of ~117 limestone caves located ~40 miles west of Carlsbad in the folds of the Guadalupe Mountains. As you approach the area, the mountains sweep up dramatically from the high desert, and a twisting 5 miles or so takes you to the main entrance of the caves. The Caverns are all part of fossil reef laid down by an inland sea 250 to 280 million years ago. Pressure and time created limestone rock which was then slowly eroded by sulphuric acid to create the caves. Subsequent years of mineral drips created the fantastic calcite formations we see today. The most popular draw is the largest chamber, the Big Room, the 7th largest in the world at 4,000 feet (about 1,219 m) long, 625 feet (190.5 m) wide, and 350 feet (about 107 m) high.

Massive speleothems in the Big Room

That’s the science of it anyhow. The reality is an outlandish, fairytale walk through towering stalactites, bulbous rocks and echoing caverns. It’s almost an out-of-body experience and I have to agee with Ansel Adams when he described the caverns as “something that should not exist in relation to human beings. Something as remote as the galaxy, as incomprehensible as a nightmare and beautiful in spite of everything“.  That pretty much sums it up, don’t it?

We spent a glorious 3 hours via the Natural Entrance exploring the cave. For those looking for a straight shot you can take the 754 feet elevator down, or for more of crawl and adventure the caverns also offer daily Ranger-led “inner cave” adventures. All this for $6, some footwork and as far as your imagination will take you. Well worth it, indeed!

The Natural Entrance winds 800 feet down into the cavern

The "Whale's Mouth" formation glows in the dark

More stunning formations

Paul casts a shadow in the caves

The winding road to Carlsbad Caverns