I have reservations for my family of 5 to do the Night Bike Ride at White Sands National Monument in late September (8pm on a Saturday night).
Not wanting our kids to miss too much school, my plan had been for us to fly from SoCal to El Paso on a Thursday afternoon, see Carlsbad Caverns on Friday, get up to the Ruidoso/White Sands area on Saturday morning to be there for the evening ride and then return to El Paso to catch an evening flight back to SoCal. Is this crazy? The Bike Ride seems like such a once in a lifetime opportunity that I hate for us to miss it, my boys espcially love caves (have seens a lot in Northern CA) and Carlsbad seems like the ultimate.....but I also want their memories of this long weekend to be good and not just too much numbing driving in the car. Have I missed anything? Any thoughts from the NM experts out there are much appreciated.

I think White Sands will take you only a few hours at the most to see. It is mostly white gypsum of windblown origin.
While interesting, and fun to slide around in late in the date on the shady side, there is not much else there.

I have pictures of my son sliding down the dunes when he was 11. He was having a blast. It was late in the afternoon, and the shadows were long and the sand had cooled.

Carlsbad is more complex. You will need to make a decision on whether or not you walk in through the natural entrance. It is a descent without much to attract except for the fact that it is a long descent into the depths of the cave.

The Big Room tour is a must. And some of the ranger-led tours, like the Left Side Tunnel, are great. They cost a little extra, but the ones I took were unforgettable. Some of the ranger conducted hikes are really tough, and you may want to consider the length and rigor of a couple of them before buying your ticket.

But Carlsbad is fascinating.

Unless you do some of the smaller caves, Carlsbad is a half-day event. You could make it a mid-day event, an early morning event or a late day event but you will not be spending more than five hours in the Caverns. The bat flights at twilight are worth the wait, if only because there is little else to do there.

From El Paso to Carlsbad is a two-half to three hour drive. From Carlsbad to Ruidosa is about the same. And from Ruidosa to El Paso is about the same. Ruidosa is a place they will enjoy relaxing at -- you will need some down time from all the driving.

The only other attraction I'd recommend would be Sitting Bull Falls. September would be a nice time for the falls. But you would need to check into the way to get there that won't take you all over kingdom come. Things are reaaaaaal spread out in this part of the Chihuahua Desert -- be sure to stock up on water and use the bathroom when it's there. There is no privacy in the desert if nature calls.

El Paso Gap on your way to Carlsbad is a beautiful spot to drive through. Be sure to stop and look behind you.

Are you flying back on Sunday or Saturday?
I wasn't sure from your post.

Regarding your day in the Ruidoso/White Sands area, I agree with a previous poster who said you won't want to spend the entire day at White Sands. Your bike ride will probably be just perfect. It's really really really HOT on those sands during the day and not too exciting. You might want to check out Lincoln, which is just outside Ruidoso. It's one of my favorite Billy the Kid sites, with a museum and lots of history and lore. Kids should like it too, especially if you study up on Billy the Kid before you go, or maybe watch Young Guns. The state museum website describes Lincoln and its state monument like this: "Entire one-street town is virtually unchanged from the period of Billy the Kid, Pat Garrett, and the Lincoln County war. Eleven buildings are part of the monument."

I am not convinced that Carlsbad is a half day event. The time depends on how many of the side trips you want to take. There are 6 of the supplemental tours and all of them are worth it.
Some of them, as I said earlier, are rigorous physically. Some are even dirty!

Spider cave is a crawl and a climb and is no place for anyone afraid of heights.

Left Hand Tunnel and Kings Palace are easy enough. Concerning the others, as I suggested, read about them on the web site first.

If you take the natural entrance, then the big room, and then leave, then a half day is an excellent estimate.

But I would hang around for the bat flight.

I whole-heartedly agree that it would be a shame to just set aside half a day for Carlsbad Caverns -- but if that's all you've got, don't miss it. The Big Room hike (rated easy) is great for kids and slow-moving types; and you'll see dozens of amazing formations with whimsical names.

But if can linger, do; a tornado of tiny Mexican free-tailed bats execute the cavern and kick up the breeze, and the Ranger talks are wonderful for kids and adults who haven't lost the wonder.

Make that 'exit' not 'execute', though the little mammals do execute a really interesting spiral shape as they leave; perhaps that's where the ancient Native Americans that lived in this area got that intriguing spiral they liked to reproduce on cave walls, pottery, and petroglyphs.

antigone: Unfortunately, acereid's trip was last month . . . . .

Two years and one month ago, actually...

Lee Ann

Oh - oops - anyway they are back home by now