>>291243Carlsbad is a real treat, OP. I'm not sure how the camping is, but the view up top from the cavern entrance is aces. Everyone stays for the bats leaving the cave in the evening, which is groovy. I went there one summer on a road trip to Roswell (Which was also a treat. It's about an hour and a half away if you're into alium quirkiness.) At the base of the cavern mountain there's this little hotel town called White City. You can stop on the way up, go into the main gift shop/building/museum whatever and buy some damn good chocolate truffles.
Once you get to the actual cave there are two options: Take the elevator down to the caverns (gay) or walk down the main entrance, which takes about thirty minutes. It's dark as fug and smells like Petco, but you see all the stalactites and shit nigga, it's fun. It's huge down there, brah, and they have some killer light displays and crystal formations. I'd really like to go back some day and explore the surrounding area some more (which might be difficult 'cus of all the damn cactus.)
