The Best Southwest National Parks Road Trip from El Paso!

This week-long road trip to seven southwest National Parks near El Paso, Texas made me a southwesterner at heart. I bet you will be too! 

This post lays out our easy to replicate trip to give you a chance to envision “what could be” on your own southwestern adventure!  You’ll explore several National Park Units in New Mexico and West Texas, all within a few hours drive of El Paso.  You could also treat this as an idea for day trips from El Paso if you’re looking for things to do within 2 hours of El Paso, TX.

What Are the National Parks Near El Paso?

Over the course of one week, we were able to visit the following National Park Units on our southwest road trip:

• Chamizal National Memorial
• White Sands National Park
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park
• Fort Davis National Historic Site
• Big Bend National Park
• Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River

We also tried to work in the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. We couldn’t make it a part of this itinerary.  Even though the site is only 3.5 hours from El Paso, it was too far west for our loop which tended to include points due east of El Paso.

In addition to this post, you might want to check out this great resource for planning your trip to the parks out west.

Our 7 Day Southwest Road Trip Itinerary

Over the course of a week, we explored several National Park Units and places of interest in southern New Mexico and West Texas.  We flew from our Central Ohio home to El Paso, Texas, got our rental car, and were set for this epic southwest road trip!

Flying into the El Paso International Airport was a breeze.  It isn’t super huge, so navigating it was easy and efficient.  It was large enough to have several rental car options though.  We reserved our rental car in advance, and were pleased with the 2020 Nissan Rogue for our trip.  Then we were off to White Sands National Park!

Day 1: El Paso, Texas to Alomagordo, New Mexico – the home of White Sands National Park

The El Paso airport is only about an hour and a half from White Sands National Park.  After you leave the city, the landscape is mostly flat desert which makes getting up the road a breeze.  One thing that surprised us (and was a first for us!) was that we were funneled through a Border Patrol station about 20 miles north of El Paso.  This made us very aware of how close we were to the border of Mexico!

When we were approaching White Sands, we were pleased to see Antelope in the open field beyond the nearby Holloman Airforce Base – score!  We knew that we were in for a treat.

Known for its expansive gypsum sand dunes, White Sands National Park is a true gem!  If you arrive before the Visitor Center closes, grab a sled in the Gift Shop. You can then head out to find a place along the Scenic drive to take in the unparalleled sunset! Check out our post to make the most of your White Sands National Park one day itinerary.

Stay the night in the nearby city of Alomogordo.  We enjoyed the Hampton Inn on the western side of the town located only about 20 minutes from the park.

Day 2: Explore White Sands and drive to Roswell, New Mexico

We returned to White Sands on the second day to put our sleds to use.  Sledding on the sand dunes is a unique experience that we highly recommend.  We exchanged “adulting” for a day of being big kids!  Sled, try a hike, have fun.

If you want to visit Roswell, head out of the park by mid-afternoon to make your journey before dark.  We wanted to explore this town of extraterrestrial history, but this is a stop that could certainly be removed from the itinerary. Doing so allows you to maximize your time in the parks.

If you do end up traveling to Roswell, appreciate the fact that you are traveling through the Mescalaro Apache Reservation.  In this region, you climb in altitude and can run into inclement weather (like we did).  Be safe!

There are a number of neat historical markers along the way as well. One stop includes an historical lesson on Billy the Kid and John Tunstall (think Young Guns (affiliate link)).  We also saw the worlds largest pistachio.

Day 3: Roswell, New Mexico to Carlsbad, New Mexico – visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park

We were soon on our way to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  The road, once again, was mostly flat desert, so we were able to get there with relative ease.

The Guadalupe Mountains were absolutely gorgeous, and there are a lot of trails to hike.  If we cut out Roswell, then we would have had more time in this beautiful place.

We stayed at the Comfort Suites in the city of Carlsbad which was very nice and clean.

One consideration though was that it was on the end of town farthest away from the National Parks, so we did quite a bit of back-tracking.  We recommend it for a nice stay. Even so, travel distance to the parks is minimized if you stay on the south end of Carlsbad.

Day 4: Explore Carlsbad Caverns National Park

One neat feature of the Carlsbad area is that it is very close to both Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad National Park.  We opted to visit Guadalupe on Day 3. This enabled us to schedule a cave tour on Day 4 at Carlsbad. We did this while staying a couple of nights in the neighboring city of Carlsbad.

If you want to do a cave tour, we recommend scheduling this in advance (up to 6 months in advance depending on the time of year that you plan to visit).  We did the King’s Palace tour and were super happy that we did!  We learned that fewer than 1% of the visitors to Carlsbad Caverns take a guided tour.

With just a little bit of planning, you can be in the elite group of folks that get “behind the scenes” access to this magnificent place.

We stayed in the City of Carlsbad a second night.  If we had to do it over again, we would have made our way to Fort Davis after visiting Carlsbad. This adjustment would allow for more time in Terlingua / Big Bend – hindsight, as always, is 20/20.

Day 5: Carlsbad to Fort Davis National Historic Site to Terlingua, Texas

The road between Carlsbad and Fort Davis starts out interestingly uneventful.  There are a lot of oil drilling operations – not a common sight for me in my Central Ohio community.  I must admit that I looked up some of the infrastructure, why there are burning flames, and what the large man-made water pits were that we kept passing.  But after the novelty of a “different landscape” wore off, it was all flat land and bumpy road.

The landscape changes a bit when you approach the Davis Mountains that are adjacent to Fort Davis National Historic Site.  The mountains were very beautiful to drive through.  While not sky-high, the gentle slopes and well-planned route of the road makes for a low-intensity mountain drive (by this I mean that at no point were we hanging off the side of a cliff on our drive)!

Fort Davis NHS was a neat site where troops were stationed in the later part of the 1800s.  I particularly enjoyed learning about some of the history of the Buffalo Soldiers there (including Henry Flippa, the first African-American graduate of West Point).

Spend some time here, then depart for Terlingua, Big Bend country!  You will drive through Fort Davis which is a neat small town adjacent to the park, and then through Alpine, Texas which is a much larger college town en route to Terlingua.  Fill up your gas tank before you leave Alpine because you won’t have anywhere to stop until you approach Terlingua Ghost Town, a small town that leaves a HUGE impression, only miles from the Mexican border.

We stayed in Terlingua at a neat property called Casa Piedra, a casita in the portfolio of Basecamp Terlingua and highly recommend it!

Day 6: Explore Big Bend National Park and Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River

This is a day dedicated to exploring Big Bend National Park!  This park is stunningly magnificent.  I didn’t really know what to expect as it is one of the lesser visited national parks receiving under 500,000 visits per year – given its size, that means that you feel as though you have the entire park more-or-less to yourself.

The park is in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert, and features park-contained mountain ranges, desert landscapes, a portion of the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, fossil digging sites, and lots of solitude.

You will want to have your car as some of the park’s features are spread out.  We spent the entire day taking scenic rides and short hikes, and still didn’t get to see everything!  That being said, if you have more time, I highly recommend staying longer in this park.

Day 7: Big Bend to El Paso – visit Chamizal National Memorial

The road between Big Bend and El Paso was neat.  To start, we drove back to the City of Alpine which we had already seen.  After this, we traveled for a bit on a portion of US Route 90 which takes you through a number of small towns (like the mysterious town of Marfa).  As we got closer to El Paso, border patrol activity was very present as you travel along I-10 West.  I suppose that we got used to seeing Border Patrol agents while on this southwest National Parks road trip.

We saved our last stop, Chamizal National Memorial, for our return trip to El Paso.  Chamizal was an unexpected treat!  Here you will learn about the negotiation of the border which changed over time due to flooding of the Rio Grande.  The site of the National Monument is actually located on a portion of the land that was ultimately gifted to the U.S. by Mexico.  Outside, you can enjoy the beautiful plaza, and look up only yards away to the border.

This site has the friendliest park Volunteers that I have encountered to date!  They were enormously generous with sharing information and stories, and made both Jason and I feel like we were at home.

As a final stop on the trip, we visited the scenic overlook in El Paso.  This is a drive that takes you to a high point in the city where you can look over the cities of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas.  While nerve-wrecking for me (I know that I was a safe distance from the edge, but I kind of felt like I was going to fall off of the overlook), the views were well-worth any pang of discomfort that I felt.

Begin and End in El Paso!

That’s all she wrote!  Simply put, I loved this trip – it was perhaps one of my favorites to date!  The variety of experiences that you can have with this itinerary, the relatively little amount of driving that you have to do to experience so many places over the course of a single week, and the pure beauty of the magnificent history and places that you get to see make this a trip worth taking soon.     

Turn This National Parks Road Trip into Distinct Day Trips from El Paso

If you don’t have a week to travel, but still want to make a meaningful visit to one of these parks while you’re in the El Paso area, turn one of these jaunts into a day trip of its own.

Here are a couple of day trip ideas, a few of which are within 2 hours of El Paso!

Visit Chamizal National Memorial

If you’re in El Paso, don’t miss out on the awesome cultural experience available at Chamizal National Memorial.  Chamizal is in the heart of El Paso, only about 15 minutes from the El Paso International Airport.  There is ample parking, and beautiful areas to walk around the cultural center.  This is a hidden gem for sure and would make for a rich day trip experience!

El Paso to White Sands National Park

Since White Sands National Park is only about 1.5 hours from El Paso, it’s also a not-to-miss day trip when you’re in the area.  I’d get up early and head to the park so that you can make the most of your day hiking the dunes and sledding!  

El Paso to Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is easily accessible from El Paso as well.  Only a 1 hour and 40 minutes drive keeps you from experiencing the highest elevations in Texas (Guadalupe Peak at 8,571 feet above sea level).  This park boasts gorgeous hiking and views of the Guadalupe Mountains.  If you travel about 40 minutes more, you can reach Carlsbad Caverns National Park as well.  Just be conscious of the time as you will be jumping time zones.

Conclusion – Your Southwest National Parks Road Trip Adventure Awaits!

Start planning your southwest National Parks road trip today – you won’t regret it!  As you see, it’s completely possible to visit seven different National Parks in a week or to turn one of these adventures into a day trip when you’re in the El Paso area!

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If you want more great southwest National Parks road trip ideas, check out our National Parks road trip from Las Vegas.  In it, we showcase 6-days visiting National Parks in Nevada, Utah, Arizona and California that are all accessible from Las Vegas.

We also highy recommend this awesome travel guide for planning your own Southwest road trip! It features several different road trip routes that you can explore through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. It also has beautiful photography. Click here to purchase it from our affiliate.