We are considering a family trip over Spring Break to all of these with a tentative schedule of:

Guadalupe Mountain - 1 day for the big hike
Carlsbad - 1 day for caverns and maybe indian spring waterfall
Mcdonald/Balmorhea - 1 day for driving to stay near Ft Davis and for swimming then nighttime at the observatory

Any suggestions on things to do, places to eat, or scheduling changes?

Family has done several hiking, wheeling, and outdoors trips so looking forward to it!

We just did this in the summer of 2024. We stayed at the Hotel Capitan in Van Horn and loved the historic vibe and the restaurant there. It was about an hour drive to Guadalupe National Park. We stayed in Ft Davis twice for the state park there and to do Balmorreah and the McDonald Observatory. The first time we stayed at the hotel Limpia and the second time at the Butterfield Inn. Both were decent options in a place without a lot of options. It's a cute little downtown with a coffee shop and a few restaurants but they definitely roll up the sidewalks there so make sure to check hours and days restaurants are open because you may have a hard time finding places to go depending on the day of the week. The star party at the observatory is cool but only if it's a clear night and be prepared to stand in line to look through the telescopes. Balmorreah is great but the water is cold and it is deep. I highly recommend bringing your own floats or tubes to use. We love West Texas and that whole area. I preferred hiking Big Bend National park to Guadalupe but there are some good trails and views at Guadalupe.

I've stayed at Hotel Capitan a few times and like it and the restaurant.

Carlsbad, look at doing one of the guided tours. Looks like they are only doing lower cave right now and tickets hard to get. Not a technical tour.

Last time in Carlsbad, stayed in one of the hotels on the south end of town. Avoid Whites City.

We've done an Airbnb in Carlsbad and Fort Davis before. Had to ask to get waived from the two night requirement.

Star parties are great. Last time had to play it by ear. Rained all day until sunset, then the skies cleared out and the kids loved all the telescopes.

My dad was school superintendent in Balmorhea and then Van Horn so that's home country to me. Balmorhea is cold but fun. Hotel Capitan is a favorite of mine when I travel back to Texas. Hotel is nice and the bar/restaurant is surprisingly good. It's a good stopping point for Guadalupe, FT. Davis and Balmorhea.

Just a suggestion to add white sands national park. Alamogordo has a few things worth doing and tubing at the park in the morning and then visiting in the evening at sunset is pretty memorable. You could also maybe get some snow tubing at Cloudcroft when passing through.

We did this exact trip a year ago!

Day 1 we drove to Carlsbad. Stayed at Trinity Hotel. They have and amazing Italian Restaurant.

Day 2 did Carlsbad. Make sure to get your timed entry a month out, the earliest that you can. Did a picnic lunch. Hit the Guadalupe Mountains Visitor Center on the way to Van Horn. Stayed at Hotel Capitan for 3 nights. Their restaurant is good, but the Van Horn Cattle Co down the road is better. Hotel is awesome!

Days 3-4: Hiked McKittrik Canyon in GMNP on day 3. Hiked to Devils Hall on Day 4. We did not attempt to summit. I am too fat and the winds were really bad.

Day 5: Did Balmorhea SP, and the girls swam a little. The wind was blowing 50+ MPH, so it was cold. Drove to Fort Davis and stayed at Limpia Hotel. I do not recommend Hotel Limpia, but you don't have many options in Fort Davis. However their restaurant is good.

Days 6-7: Do the Star Party at the observatory and get your tickets now. Hiked in the Davis Mountains Preserve one day and hiked to Mt. Livermore. Again, we did not summit but got a good 5 mile hike half way up and back. Winds were still bad and they did not recommend summiting. (We caught an open day at the preserve!). We also did Fort Davis National Historic Site one afternoon as well. It is interesting and worth the visit.

Then drove home. You are late trying to secure accommodations in Fort Davis. I'd try to stay at Indian Lodge in the SP if you can. It wasn't open yet when we were there. If we went back, we'd stay at either the Indian Lodge or the Balmorhea SP Motor Court for this leg of the trip.

Y'all are going to have fun!

Notes:
* Going from Van Horn to GMNP includes a significant increase in altitude if your goal is Guadalupe Peak. If any in your party typically take time to adjust to altitude, bear this in mind.
* Star parties are great. Take a jacket and something warm for your head.
* There will be an increase in the number of people out there during Spring Break. Be patient.

Agreed. And the drive from Van Horn to GMNP is beautiful! It's about an hour drive, and the park is in Mountain time, Van Horn is Central. You get to watch the sun come up (you need to beat the crowds.) and it is amazing!

The Chicken Ranch said:

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We did this exact trip a year ago!

Day 1 we drove to Carlsbad. Stayed at Trinity Hotel. They have and amazing Italian Restaurant.

Day 2 did Carlsbad. Make sure to get your timed entry a month out, the earliest that you can. Did a picnic lunch. Hit the Guadalupe Mountains Visitor Center on the way to Van Horn. Stayed at Hotel Capitan for 3 nights. Their restaurant is good, but the Van Horn Cattle Co down the road is better. Hotel is awesome!

Days 3-4: Hiked McKittrik Canyon in GMNP on day 3. Hiked to Devils Hall on Day 4. We did not attempt to summit. I am too fat and the winds were really bad.

Day 5: Did Balmorhea SP, and the girls swam a little. The wind was blowing 50+ MPH, so it was cold. Drove to Fort Davis and stayed at Limpia Hotel. I do not recommend Hotel Limpia, but you don't have many options in Fort Davis. However their restaurant is good.

Days 6-7: Do the Star Party at the observatory and get your tickets now. Hiked in the Davis Mountains Preserve one day and hiked to Mt. Livermore. Again, we did not summit but god a good 5 mile hike half way up and back. Winds were still bad and they did not recommend summiting. (We caught an open day at the preserve!). We also did Fort Davis National Historic Site one afternoon as well. It is interesting and worth the visit.

Then drove home. You are late trying to secure accommodations in Fort Davis. I'd try to stay at Indian Lodge in the SP if you can. It wasn't open yet when we were there. If we went back, we'd stay at either the Indian Lodge or the Balmorhea SP Motor Court for this leg of the trip.

Y'all are going to have fun!

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Awesome! Is the Davis Mountain Preserve open access now?

Thanks to all

No. Check their website for open dates. Last year they had an open weekend in March that was during our spring break.

I would check reservations for lodging for Guadalupe Mountains and Fort Davis, and then McDonalds Observatory for the Star Party.....spring break is VERY busy and there are not tons of options of places to stay

I did a very similar itinerary a couple of years ago for spring break. We rented an RV for the week (El Monte) and it's one of the most memorable family vacations to date. My kids still talk about it and want to do another RV road trip.

You'll be surprised how early you need campsite reservations. Start ASAP. We had to do the Carlsbad "Big Loop" and summit Guadalupe Peak in the same day due to weather. Stay flexible and fit!

ETA: Star Party was a bit disappointing. Too crowded and the looks we got through their demo equipment was frankly underwhelming. If you can't get tickets, don't let it dissuade you from visiting Fort Davis. We stayed at the Davis Mountains State Park. Very nice area.

The hike to El Capitan in Guadalupe is a tough hike, the first 1/3 of it being the hardest.

McDonald Observatory is great, star party is OK but your kids will love it. It will be VERY COLD so plan accordingly.

No matter the temps you can swim in Balmorhea as the water is always a constant slightly warm ish spring fed temp. FYI there are small fish in the pool, so just don't freak out.

Fort Davis National Historic Site is very cool, even if they still have the very dated intro. video with Kareem

Carlsbad is good.

You really need to plan your travel and activity times so there isn't too much driving and you can still get your activities in.

There is really NOTHING close to GMNP and they have very limited facilities there compared to Big Bend or other national parks. I won't try to dissuade you from this trip but IMHO a trip to Fort Davis and Big Bend would be better.