The Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains 113 of more than 300 known caves beneath the surface of the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas. All caves was formed as sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone. The most famous part of this National Park is the show cave, which is open to the public and tourists can hike by themselves via the natural entrance. National Park was first designated a National Monument on 25 Oct 1923. Carlsbad Caverns was also designated a World Heritage Site on 06 Dec 1995.

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Located at the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert of Southern New Mexico, lies the amazing national treasure known as the White Sands National Monument. The closest major airport is in El Paso, Texas, a two hour drive away. The White Sands covers 275 square miles. About half of those 275 square miles are within the White Sands National Monument. It is also called White Sands Desert but this is not a desert of sand but a desert of gypsum. You will find there the largest concentration of white pristine gypsum sand in the world. The best way to explore the park and taking sunrise and sunset pictures is to camp there.

credit: Ariane Middel