Sports & Outdoors
Brantley Lake State Park
Check pricesA desert reservoir park north of Carlsbad offering boating, fishing, camping, and birdwatching.
Photo: J Dykstra, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Attractions
Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park
A native wildlife zoo and garden park showing Chihuahuan Desert animals and plants near Carlsbad.
1504 Skyline Dr. Carlsbad, NM 88220 · Carlsbad, NM
About Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park
This New Mexico state park on a ridge in the Ocotillo Hills houses a zoo with more than 40 animal species and hundreds of desert plant species from the Chihuahuan Desert. Visitors can take a 1.3-mile round-trip walking route with benches, shade, restrooms, and views of the Pecos River valley. The park also offers seasonal interpretive programs for families, picnic areas, a greenhouse, and group facilities. Camping is not offered, and pets are not allowed.
- #zoo
- #desert
- #wildlife
- #hiking
- #gardens
What's around here?
The closest stops to Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park, ordered by straight-line distance.
9.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
- Sports & Outdoors
Bat Flight Amphitheater
No admission feeFree evening ranger talk, then watch Brazilian free-tailed bats leave Carlsbad Cavern at dusk.
21 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
- Sports & OutdoorsIconic
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Under $25Descend by trail or elevator into Carlsbad Cavern and walk the Big Room, then watch bats fly out at dusk in summer.
21 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
- Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor Adventure
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Under $25Hike to Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas, and explore canyons cut into an ancient Permian fossil reef.
49 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
