While here, we made a stop at the Living Desert Zoo & Gardens. Like the javelinas in Tucson, prairie dogs have eluded us, until now.
Living Desert was on top of a ridge with nice views of Carlsbad. We took a pleasant walk through nicely landscaped areas representing various desert ecosystems. There was a small collection of wildlife in addition to the prairie dogs, including a bobcat and a mountain lion with a young cub.
The campground at Brantley Lake SP is less than a mile from the highway as the crow flies but it’s seven miles around the dam and into the middle of the lake. It’s very quiet and there’s a relatively dark sky. Like the KOA up the road, it is dusty.