The Happiness Function

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is home to unique and awe-inspiring geological formations, including one of North America’s largest underground cave systems.

You can explore these caverns on your own or take a guided tour, which will give you an even more in-depth understanding of the area’s history and geology. The park offers other activities like hiking, camping, and wildlife watching.

Plan to spend at least a day at Carlsbad Caverns.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Did you know Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site?

It is home to one of the most well-preserved and accessible Karst systems in the world, which is part of the reason it is listed as a World Heritage site. Karst systems have multiple caves, sinkholes, and springs.

Lechuguilla is the largest cave in the area and the fourth-largest in the USA. Over 145 miles have been mapped to date.

Carlsbad Karst System Geology

The caves were formed over millions of years – but not because of the typical erosive action of water on limestone bedrock. The Carlsbad karst system was formed by hydrogen sulfide-rich water mixing with rainwater, forming sulfuric acid. The acid dissolved the Capitan limestone.

The caverns are home to various mineral formations and speleothems (cave formations), including stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, popcorn, and draperies. The caves also provide a habitat for bats.

Carlsbad Caverns Itinerary

The itinerary below can help give you an idea of planning a lovely day at the park.

• Reserve a cave tour time slot ahead of time at recreation.gov.

• Purchase cave tour tickets (or use an America the Beautiful pass) for your reserved tour time.

• If it’s summer, hike the surface trails early in the day to beat the summer heat. For the rest of the year, you can hike at any time of day.

• Do a self-guided cave tour mid-morning or early afternoon.

• If it’s summer, watch the bat flight program at dusk. The program is seasonal.

• Stay after dark for the night sky program.

• Head back to Carlsbad to sleep and eat – or head to Guadalupe National Park to camp and explore.

Things To Do at Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The caves are a popular destination for spelunkers and cavers from all over the world. In addition to touring the cave system, there are miles of surface hiking trails, a bat flight program, and a night sky program.

Explore the Caverns

Reservations

Reservations are required to enter the cave and cannot be made at the park. The reservation system only reserves your time slot and does not include the entry ticket fee purchased at the visitor center.

Make tour time slot reservations online at recreation.gov before your trip.

Fees & Passes

Driving into Carlsbad Caverns to park and walk around does not require a park entrance fee (like other national parks).

To do the self-guided cave tours, there are fees:

• Adults (16 and over): $15 per person
• Children (15 and under): FREE

The cave entrance fees are covered if you have the annual America the Beautiful National Park Pass.

For more questions on fees, visit the Carlsbad Caverns National Park website.

Self-Guided Tours

One of the best parts about exploring Carlsbad Caverns is that there are options for self-guided tours so you can explore at your own pace.

Why We Love Visiting: The self-guided tours stood out for us – we have been to other national park caves that only offered guided tours.

The Natural Entrance Trail

The Natural Entrance Trail self-guided tour is awesome. The trail starts on the surface and leads you 750 feet down a path into the cave. Once you enter the cave, the path has lighting, so there is no need to bring a headlamp. It takes a while for the eyes to adjust, so take your time.

Be sure to read the signs along the route to see landmarks inside the cave, such as Devil’s Spring, Iceberg Rock, and the Whale’s Mouth.

If you hike from the surface down into the cave, you’ll take the elevator out at the end. The trail ends at the Big Room Trail. More on the Big Room Trail next – you can walk both trails on the same day.

• Distance: 1.25 mile
• Tour timing: about 1 hour
• Things to consider: Wear hiking shoes; the descent is steep and not recommended for people with trouble going downhill.
• Best way to view: Hike from the surface down into the cave, so you’ll be walking downhill. If you go the opposite way, you’ll be hiking uphill from the elevator, which will be more strenuous.

The Big Room Trail

The Big Room Trail is one of the most popular self-guided tours. It was called “The Grand Canyon with a roof over it” by actor Will Rogers.

• Distance: 1.25 miles, or you can take a shorter route and enjoy a 0.6-mile walk.
• Tour timing: About 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Things to consider: Wear hiking shoes. Some of the route is handicap accessible.
• Best way to view: Take the elevators down into the cave if you’re not hiking in from the surface and Natural Entrance Trail.

Bat Flight Program

Another great thing to do at Carlsbad Caverns is to watch the bats emerge from the cave at dusk in the summer.

Thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats fly out of the cave to search for food, and you can watch them fly out the mouth of the cave. There is seating at the amphitheater located near the Natural Entrance.

The bats migrate, so this is a seasonal event typically occurring from May to October. The best time to see the bats is in August and September, after all the summer bat pups are born, and the colony is at its largest.

No reservations are required to watch the bats. To protect them, electronic devices are not allowed.

Surface Hiking Trails

There are miles and miles of surface trails inside the park boundaries. Hiking is one of the best ways to see the Chihuahuan Desert and parts of the Guadalupe Mountains.

The trails leading to and from the visitor center close temporarily for the bat flight program every evening.

If hiking in the summer, be mindful of the harsh desert heat. It is best to walk early in the summer and not very far. There is no shade in this area.

Do you need help thinking about what type of hiking clothes to pack? Find out exactly what to wear hiking all year long.

Rattlesnake Springs

If you have time to burn, waiting for your tour to start, check out Rattlesnake Springs. It is a riparian oasis in the middle of the desert.

The springs are located on the southwest side of the park. A homestead ranch with some of the original irrigation systems is nearby, where you can see how they collected spring water. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, you can’t go swimming here.

To visit this part of the park, you’ll have to drive away from the visitor center.

Night Sky Programs

The park offers a spectacular night sky program. Once it gets dark, visitors can take a guided tour with a park ranger. Depending on the time of year, there are scheduled night sky walks.

The night sky programs are first-come, first-serve.

How To Get To Carlsbad Caverns

Driving to the cave feels like you’re going to the middle of nowhere (literally). Carlsbad Caverns is 25-30 minutes southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Take US-180 W out of town to White’s City. Turn off the highway and follow a 7-mile drive to the visitor center.

Since it is a national park, the roads are well-marked.

Google Maps did get us there easily.

Park Hours

Visitor Center: The visitor center is open from 8 am to 5 pm.

Cave Tickets: The last cavern entrance tickets are sold at 2:15 pm.

Cave Entrance: Is permitted from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm, and you have to be out by 4:30 pm.

Are Dogs Allowed?

Although dogs are not allowed on the unpaved trails, inside the cave, inside the visitor center, or to watch the bats, there is a kennel service to leave your pet while you tour the cave.

It costs $15 per day (per pet) and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you’re traveling with your fur baby, check out the Carlsbad Caverns kennel service for more information. We love how this creates a safe and inclusive experience for people and their pets.

Best Time of Year To Visit

The park is open year-round.

We visited in February, and there were no crowds, and the weather was perfect for hiking.

Spring is the best time to see all the desert flowers.

Summers get super-hot (dry heat), so consider the heat if planning to camp and hike.

Camping Near Carlsbad Caverns

If you plan to camp here, keep in mind that Carlsbad Caverns National Park does not have a campground. Overnight RV parking is also not allowed in the parking lot.

There are some options for primitive camping on BLM Land nearby. You’ll want to do a little research ahead of time. Get more information from the Carlsbad BLM Field Office.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is 30-45 minutes away across the Texas border, and there is some camping there as well.

Are you new to camping on BLM land? We’ve got you covered! Check out our article about camping on BLM land and learn more about backcountry camping etiquette.

Lodging Near Carlsbad Caverns

The hotels closest to Carlsbad Caverns will be in the town of Carlsbad. There is no lodging within the park.

There is a good selection of chain hotels in Carlsbad. If you like quaint and cozy boutique hotels, check out:

The Trinity Hotel: A luxury boutique hotel with a restaurant inside. The hotel is within a renovated building from the 1800s. They also have good food, and the hotel has a classy ambiance.

Fiddler’s Inn: A country chic boutique with bed and breakfast and outstanding reviews. It has a cute courtyard, and breakfast is included.

Where To Eat

There are some decent local places to eat in Carlsbad, especially if you like TexMex. We love TexMex.

If you don’t like to eat in restaurants, there are a few large chain grocery stores like Walmart and Albertsons where you can buy groceries and prepare your own food, get ice for the cooler, and stock up on water.

Other Things To Consider

Carlsbad, New Mexico, is an oilfield boom town, meaning there is a lot of truck traffic. Be mindful when driving the highways and back roads. Once you leave town, the area is remote and rural, and cell phone reception can be spotty.

Sometimes, it can be hard to find camping and places to stay because there is such a large influx of transient people working there, so consider potential crowds when planning accommodations.

Summers can be triple-digit hot — 100+ degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to plan for that kind of weather.

As we said earlier, the area is rural. So, find the nearest grocery store, get groceries for a picnic, and bring snacks for a hike. Also, get fuel.

If you’re on a road trip to multiple national parks, the America the Beautiful pass pays for itself quickly. We highly recommend purchasing one.

Final Thoughts

Visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park pairs well with a trip to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas or Roswell, New Mexico.

The International UFO Museum and Research Center is fun to check out in Roswell. I love all things aliens and UFOs, so I thought a visit to the UFO Museum was a great detour. Roswell is an hour and 40 minutes away. It is a quirky small town, and seeing all the little green alien signs everywhere is fun.

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