Ready-made plans

Custom planning is temporarily unavailable for this route. Ready-made plans are still available.

Best Time for Southern New Mexico: White Sands & Carlsbad Caverns

Last updated: 2026-09-23

Preferred months for this journey: October, November, December, January, February, March, April. Check the seasonal notes before choosing your dates.

Gypsum dunes cool enough to sled barefoot, cavern temperatures constant, and green chile season roasting through the fall — desert winter at its most generous.
Surface heat pushes past 38°C but the caverns hold 13°C year-round, and the Brazilian free-tailed bats spiral out of the cave mouth every summer dusk.

Month	Low	High	Rain	Daylight
January	−1.4°C	12.1°C	14 mm	10.1 h	❄
February	0.3°C	15.1°C	12 mm	10.8 h
March	4.3°C	20.2°C	12 mm	11.8 h
April	8.3°C	25.1°C	10 mm	12.8 h
May	13.4°C	30.1°C	13 mm	13.7 h
June	19.3°C	35.6°C	18 mm	14.1 h
July	21.2°C	34.5°C	55 mm	13.9 h
August	20.4°C	33.4°C	47 mm	13.2 h
September	16.2°C	29.9°C	45 mm	12.2 h
October	9.8°C	24.5°C	24 mm	11.2 h
November	3.2°C	17.4°C	14 mm	10.3 h
December	−1.1°C	12.0°C	14 mm	9.9 h	❄