Exploring Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

When did we go to Carlsbad Caverns?

In January of this year after working on Clifford the van for 4-months straight, we headed out for a three National Park road trip test run (that quickly became only two but that’s a story for another time). Our first stop was Big Bend National Park (Blog & YouTube Video). Carlsbad Caverns National Park was our second stop on this trip.

Neither of us had been to Carlsbad Caverns National Park before and had no idea what to expect from this park. After our initial research, we knew we were too early to see the famous bats. Although we were a bit bummed out, we were still very excited to experience such a unique location.

Here’s the gist of it, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. We have visited many National Parks over the years and this one is still Joey’s favorite by far. We spent two full days down in the caverns and could’ve easily spent more. We are actively trying schedule a time to go back this year to see the bats and experience more of the cave.

In this blog post we are going to take you through what to expect, where to stay, and what more you can do when visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Here’s what you need to know!

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in southeast New Mexico, United States right on the border with Texas. It is renowned for its magnificent cave system, featuring over 119 limestone caves.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and attracts visitors from around the world who come to admire its unique geological formations and experience the magic of the underground realm.

The park’s most famous attractions are King’s Palace and the Big Room (We got to experience both! More information on that experience below).

Apart from the caves, the park also boasts scenic hiking trails on the surface, where visitors can enjoy the surrounding desert landscape and spot diverse wildlife such as bats, birds, and reptiles.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is known for its bat population. Each evening from spring through fall, visitors can witness a spectacular bat exodus as thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats emerge from the cave entrance in search of food. This natural phenomenon is a sight to behold. When we went in January 2023 it was too early for the bat population to be there, but when we drove by Carlsbad Caverns in April 2023 there were definitely bats and we completely forgot to even check. We later found out that they were there and we could have seen them. We are still kicking ourselves for this mistake.

The park’s above-ground attractions include Rattlesnake Springs, a desert oasis, and the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, both of which provide an opportunity to explore the diverse ecosystem of the area.

While we were visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park the trail system was under construction due damage caused by a very wet winter. Of all the trails at the park, the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail was the only one open.

The park offers a visitor center with informative exhibits, a bookstore, and facilities for educational programs. It’s recommended to check the park’s website or contact the visitor center for the most up-to-date information on tours, events, and other activities (including this lovely face-in-hole).

Speaking of bookstore, we picked up quite a selection of postcards. We LOVE postcards and have been sending them to our families for as long as we can remember. Do you want a postcard from our travels? Check out our Patreon for that opportunity.

What do you do at Carlsbad Caverns National Park?

First and foremost, you go into the Caverns! Plan to spend a few hours wandering the miles on underground pathways. There are two ways to get down into the caverns- Hiking the Natural Entrance Trail (which is what we did twice) or taking a very convenient elevator down from the visitor center. 

The Natural Entrance Trail

The 1.25 mile (2 km) Natural Entrance Trail is extremely steep. Depending on if you decide to hike up or down, you gain or lose about 750 feet (229 m)—equivalent to walking up or down a 75-story building. The hike takes about one hour (on average) to complete. This trail is not recommended for visitors with heart or respiratory conditions.

There is no restroom until you get to the Big Room in the cave so make sure you use it at the visitor center or at the bat amphitheater before you head down the trail.

This trail allows you the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of early explorers as you see formations like Devil’s Spring, the Whale’s Mouth, and Iceberg Rock. The Natural Entrance is not an accessible trail so be prepared.

The other way into/out of Carlsbad Caverns is the elevator that takes visitors down to the Big Room. The minute long ride descends 750 feet below the surface. We took the elevator out of the caverns each day and did not attempt to hike out through the natural entrance.

The Big Room

Is a remarkable feature of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It is one of the largest cave chambers in North America, covering around 8.2 acres (3.3 hectares) in size.

The Big Room offers a unique 1.25 mile (2km) walking trail that allows visitors to experience the vastness and natural beauty of the underground environment. While it takes the average visitor 1.5 hours to walk the loop, we spent 4+ hours walking through the Big Room because we were so mesmerized by it.

If you are seeking a shorter experience, the Big Room has a shortcut which reduces the walking distance to about 0.6 miles (1 km). The hiking time is about 45 minutes. Parts of the Big Room Trail are wheelchair accessible.

As you explore the trail, you’ll encounter impressive formations like the Rock of Ages, Giant Dome, Bottomless Pit, and more.

King’s Palace tour

Is a 1.5-hour ranger-guided tour through four highly decorated chambers will take you into the deepest portion of the cavern open to the public, 830 feet (253 m) beneath the desert surface. This tour is available for an additional cost and reservations are required. Although not as difficult as the Natural Entrance Trail, this one mile (1.6 km) tour does require additional descending, and at the end, walking up a very steep hill. Look forward to viewing a variety of cave formations including helictites, draperies, columns and soda straws. Rangers frequently conduct black-outs during this tour, briefly turning off all artificial lights to reveal the natural darkness of the cave.

Also note, some of the lights may flicker and/or be slow to turn on when coming out of the black-out. They will settle down once they have a few minutes to warm up. Random light changes like these (Flickering, etc.) can also occur during the tour. Consider if this is within your comfort level or tolerance.

We love ranger guided programs and this one was particularly exceptional. Our guide was extremely knowledgable and passionate about the caverns. There is a maximum group size of 12 people which makes for a nice, intimate experience.

• Reservations are required for the King’s Palace Tour. To make reservations call 877-444-6777 or visit Recreation.gov.
• Cost: $8 for adults and $4 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket.
• Age Limit: Children under 4 years old are not permitted on the King’s Palace Tour. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Watch the bats take flight:

The most famous of the park’s mammals are the bats. Every evening from spring through fall Carlsbad Caverns National Park hosts bad flight viewing where visitors can watch the outfight of hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats.

Carlsbad Caverns is actually host to 17 different bat species.

There is a free Bat Flight Program (late May through October), where a Park Ranger talks about bats prior to their flight. No reservations are required for this program, but seats are first come-first served. The program takes place at the Bat Flight Amphitheater, located at the Natural Entrance to Carlsbad Cavern. The start time for the program changes as the summer progresses and sunset times change.

Best hikes at Carlsbad Caverns

While we were visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park in January the trail system was under construction due to a very wet winter. It is important to check NPS.gov before visiting to see what (if any) alerts and closures are in effect.

• Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center and Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail
• Walnut Canyon Trail
• Old Guano Trail to White’s City

How to get to Carlsbad Caverns?

Getting to Carlsbad Caverns is an adventure within itself as it’s in a pretty remote part of New Mexico. The park entrance (727 Carlsbad Cavern Hwy, Carlsbad, NM 88220) is located on US Highway 62/180, approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico.

If you want to fly to Carlsbad Caverns National Park there are a few ways in doing it but they all require driving. El Paso International Airport-ELP is roughly 140-miles west in El Paso, Texas, and Albuquerque International Sunport in Albuquerque, New Mexico is roughly 300-miles north.

You’ll need to rent a car to make the journey (we like to use RentalCars.Com) because of the great customer service we’ve experienced.

Where to stay while visiting Carlsbad Caverns?

We stayed on BLM land a few minutes east of Carlsbad Caverns. It was close to the highway but the convenient location in proximity to the National Park was worth dealing with some road noise. If we had a vehicle with more ground clearance we could have taken the road up higher to escape the road noise completely. Location is here.

If hotels are more your style, here are a few hotels nearby in Carlsbad, New Mexico:

• National Parks Inn
• Comfort Suites Carlsbad
• TownPlace Suites by Marriott
• All hotels nearby

What else do you need to know about Carlsbad Caverns?

Reservations

You must have a reservation to enter the caverns. Timed Entry Tickets are available at recreation.gov or at the visitor center. It is strongly recommended to purchase reservations ahead of time as same day entry tickets are not guaranteed especially in busier seasons. You can only enter during your entry time, but you may stay in the caverns as long as you’d like.

Kennel Service

This is the first National Park that’ we’ve visited that has a kennel service (Fee: $15/day) where you may leave your pet in a temperature controlled environment while you tour the cavern. The kennel is for day use only—no overnight stays. Rabies Vaccine Requirement: Owners are required to show a copy of the pet’s rabies vaccination record with the expiration date when boarding a pet. Rabies tags don’t meet this requirement and won’t be accepted.

Parking

We were in off-season, but there was ample parking on both sides of the visitor center plus a plethora of RV/Trailer spots.

Bathrooms

Tons of bathrooms at the visitor center even 750 feet underground there was clean bathrooms to use.

What to do near Carlsbad Caverns?

• Guadalupe Mountain National Park is 42 miles south east of Carlsbad Caverns (If you need more information, we’ve been!)
• Roswell, New Mexico is 103 miles north of Carlsbad Caverns (If you need more information, we’ve been!)
• White Sands National Park (If you need more information, we’ve been!)

Thanks for reading!

If you’ve made it this far, we really appreciate your support and interest in our blog. We’d love for you to stick around and follow us across our journey to all US National Parks and beyond!