jsklsk

long weekend with my boys (11 and 3) - trying to decide which trip to do in march. i realize that mt rushmore is probably the "easier" trip in such a short time, but my older son has an obsession with new mexico (and this would be a quasi-birthday trip). i started out thinking new mexico, but turned to mt rushmore b/c of season (are the caverns worth the trip without the bat experience?). and are the white sands worth the drive in march? so ignorant about weather in this neck of the woods (live in nyc). thanks for any and all insight!

WhereAreWe

"but turned to mt rushmore b/c of season"

That's exactly why I would NOT go to Mt Rushmore in March. You stand a decent chance of cold/wet weather, possibly snow. Most likely there will still be snow on the ground, and if a big storm blows in you will be stuck for a day or so. New Mexico would be much more pleasant in terms of weather.

Having seen the bat flight at Carlsbad, I would say it's OK but not spectacular. I guess I was expecting a huge swarm of bats all at once, and in reality it was spread out over 45 minutes or longer so it wasn't as impressive as I imagined it to be. You will be limited to just the self-guided cave tours. Only one ranger guided tour allows 4 year olds.

March is a decent time to visit a desert area as it'll be warm but not too hot, snakes probably won't be out yet, and the wildflowers will be starting to bloom. I'd definitely vote for the New Mexico trip over Mt. Rushmore in March.

logandog

Mt. Rushmore would be five amazing minutes for kids that age. Carlsbad would offer hours of excitement. education and exercise.

PaulRabe

I've been to the Black Hills several times, and have visited dozens of sites there. It would be wonderful for a three-year old -- but NOT in March. This is far too early in the season to go to the hill country of the Upper Midwest; even April is iffy. You're almost guaranteed to have cold, miserable weather; if not snow while driving on narrow, curvey roads. The whole attraction of the Black Hills is its accessibility to outdoor events; which would be severely limited or unavailable in a March trip.

longhorn55

I did a trip to Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands a number of years ago in late March. The weather was cool, but dry and we had a great time in the outdoors. (Also, the caverns are definitely worth a visit without the bats!) Your kids would love sledding downs the dunes at White Sands. Check out the National Park Service website for details: http://www.nps.gov/whsa/forkids/parkfun.htm
On the other hand, I've been in the Black Hills in mid-June when it snowed. I wouldn't want to be there in March!

kywood1955

Ditto Carlsbad and New Mexico for March. Weather at Mt. Rushmore would be wet and cool. Carlsbad is fun and educational; it has a snack bar at the very bottom; fun to have lunch way under ground (sorry, don't remember the exact depth). The Carlsbad web site does say no guide tours for those 3 and under -- will he be 4 by that time? Also, having seen the bats, no, you won't be missing much. The town of Carlsbad has some old-timey western cafes that your boys might enjoy. And the White Sands are such fun; they will love sledding the dunes. Enjoy.

dockruins

I think you're about 770 feet below ground where you can eat.

Went to Carlsbad & White Sands in March. Weather was fine, actually quite pleasant.

jsklsk

thanks for all the great feedback. Obviously, the answer is New Mexico. The only question now is whether I should wait until the little one is four so he can do a guided tour. Oh, and whether Carlsbad and the white sands are doable in a long weekend. Thanks again!

WhereAreWe

I think it's unlikely your youngest will get much out of the guided tour(s) until he's older, so I would just go now. The self-guided tour will be enough for him. There are no strollers allowed though, so he'll have to walk the whole thing.

I'd say Carlsbad and White Sands are very doable in a long weekend.

spirobulldog

You will be missing a huge attraction (the bats) at Carlsbad.
Don't miss the Bats. As a matter of fact see them when they arrrive into the cave in the morning as well as their departure in the eveing. Not very many people see the arrival, you may have the place to yourself. It is just as spectacular, but very very different. They dive in from high up individually. They leave together as a group in the evening and it looks like a giant tornado. Morning arrival lasts longer than an hour. Departure lasts about 20 minutes.

Take a wild cave tour in Carlsbad. Hall of the White Giants is the most exciting and your 3 year old would not be allowed on that one. They take only 10 people on that tour once per week. BOOK NOW! Spider Cave would be my 2nd choice for the wild caving. don't worry no spiders in the cave, just the name.

The very best time to go to Carlsbad is when the annual Bat Breakfast is held. Usually the last week of July.

You might want to check out the Guadalope Mountains when you do Carlsbad.

Keith

I also did Carlsbad and White Sands at the end of March, first of April. Had a great weekend!

Here are photos from my trip: http://www.mightymac.org/06nm05.htm

Keith

logandog

I don't think a "bat breakfast" sounds too appetizing. How do they prepare them?

spirobulldog

The night of the Bat Breakfast the park service has a lot of professional and amateur stargazers with their equipment set up for the public to enjoy. We went two years ago and Mr. Hale (Hale-Bop Comet) was there with a telescope that we looked through. This lasts the entire night, and this is the one night they allow camping at Carlsbad. At 4:00 AM they take 50 guests on a special lantern tour of the caverns. Around 5:00 they serve breakfast buffet. Eggs, fruit, cereal, milk, juice, bacon, sausage $5. Around 5:30 until about 6:30 you watch the bats come in. They do this only one day each year. We had a skunk that was very near us and the rest of the crowd the entire morning, we never smelled him, and he never really paid any attention to anyone.

Unfortunately, we didn't get to taste the bats. LOL.

spirobulldog

http://www.nps.gov/cave/parknews/200...star_party.htm




Some years they allow camping, some years they don't allow it.

spirobulldog

http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisi...kfast_2007.htm