I'm staying with friends in Albuquerque for ten days in October. We want to see Carlsbad Caverns. What is the driving time? Looks like about 6 hours. If we were to arrive around noon, would that give us enough time to explore? Also, what is the motel situation, are there many places to stay? Thanks for any info!

It is about 5 hrs. from Albuquerque to Carlsbad -- be careful about speeding on the highways because there are lots of troopers looking for speeders. You could do the big room and the major cave in a half-day, then stay for the bat flight at the natural cave entrance (although it's not really natural but it's the original entrance). There are lots of motels in Carlsbad. The Stevens is a good choice, a local favorite, but you can also stay at many more commercial motels, hotels before you reach the Stevens on the outskirts of town. The city of Carlsbad is 20 minutes or so from the caves which are atop the Guadalupe Mountains. Carlsbad is in the valley below (I believe it's Happy Valley).

If you get to the cave itself by noon or 1 PM, you should have time. The last entry to the Big Room is at 5 PM in the summer, but the end of summer hours is not defined on the web site that I can find.

Of the special "for a fee" tours, the Left Hand Tunnel tour and the King's Palace tour are moderate to easy. I found them worth the cost. The problem is that the Left Hand Tunnel tour is at 9 am daily. The time for the King's Palace is listed as "daily", which does not help much to plan your day. I think you might have to call and find out.

The other tours are for more dedicated explorers who don't mind slithering and squeezing and climbing.

I would not do the natural entrance walk again. You might like to go in that way to the Big Room, which was the original way to tour the cave. The first time I visited there, in 1949, everybody went down the natural entrance to the Big Room in a big group, and then exited by the elevator. The natural entrance walk is steeply downhill and I thought there was not much to see when I repeated the trip three years ago.

The options now is to ride the elevator straight to the Big Room, tour it on your own, and then do something else.
There are rangers along the walkway to answer questions.

The Big Room walk is fairly flat and well worth the effort. You can do it in an hour if you don't linger. I think I needed about 90 - 100 minutes to make the loop because I kept stopping and looking at everything.

Plenty of motels in Carlsbad. The motel at White City is, to my thinking, over priced. It is convenient, but the road to the entrance from the town is not bad. Once in the park, the route is uphill and full of curves.

Thanks for the info. I've heard from others not to take the natural entrance to the Big Room. Is there only one daily tour of the Left Hand tunnel, or does it leave every 2hours? It wasn't really clear on the website. Also, what can you tell me about the Gila Cliff Dwellings? Looks pretty cool, but also looks like quite a drive from Carlsbad. Is it worth it?

I've been to the Gila Cliff dwellings outside of Silver City. Although it is a wonderful place, it is a haul to get there from Carlsbad. I think it's about 8 hrs., and the town of Silver City isn't much to talk about. The Gila National Forest has great charm but I think you should save that for another trip, just tooooooo much driving.

I suggest instead that you go to Bandelier north of Albuquerque. They have the same ambiance with staired-accesible adobe multi-stories. Also, there are some ruins (not cliff dwellings) between Albuquerque and Carlsbad just east of Hwy. 25 called Gran Quivira. It's a quick stop, not a lot to look at but gives you an appreciation for the old times.

The only other suggestion I have is to go to Sitting Bull Falls if you will have two days there. And some people have enjoyed spelunking via the smaller caves near the main caverns.

I grew up in that area and to me they are really just big holes (egads, I'm beginning to sound like my grandfather).