This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see the Affiliate Disclosure page for further information.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – The Best Things To See and Do
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, located in the southeastern corner of New Mexico near the border with Texas, is one of the world’s greatest cave systems. It’s got more than 100 caves that we know about.
You might think it takes a long time to see Carlsbad Caverns, which is the case in many other national parks. In fact, if you’re pressed for time here, you’re in luck. With some advance planning, you can tour the caves and see the highlights in and around the park in just a day or two.
Once you’re actually inside the caverns, most people see the highlights on the main 1.3-mile path in 1-2 hours. The caverns are also accessible to those who must use wheelchairs or walkers, as long as they avoid the strenuous hike down the Natural Entrance Trail.
IMPORTANT: Make a reservation by clicking here for the time and date of your intended visit to avoid getting turned away at the entrance. Also book a guided tour of King’s Palace with the NPS if it’s available.
If you have a week in the area, it’ll be easy to combine a visit to Carlsbad Caverns with some more sightseeing at Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and Living Desert State Park. In fact, this is one of the best road trips in the southwestern United States.
Keep reading for a great Carlsbad Caverns itinerary detailing what to do on your visit. There’s also a slew of other important and interesting information for visitors here.
Map of Carlsbad Caverns
Follow along with the official Carlsbad Caverns National Park map, courtesy of the National Park Service, to stay oriented. When you arrive, be sure to get a printed copy of the brochure from the visitor center too.
If You Have One Day To See The Best of Carlsbad Caverns
You’ll make the best use of your time and ensure you see everything you want by setting out for the park early. Arrive first thing in the morning (by 8:30 am).
At the turnoff from U.S. Highway 62 at White’s City, drive west past the Carlsbad Caverns National Park sign. From here, it’ll be another 15 minutes or so of driving (7 miles) along a winding road to reach the visitor center.
At the visitor center, you’ll find two large parking lots. Park and enter the visitor center. Consider renting an audio guide at the bookstore inside to get the most out of your visit.
I’d recommend skipping the indoor museum, films, and souvenir shops for the time being and catching them only after you’ve seen the main attractions at the caverns.
Now you’ll decide on one of two entry options. Both open at 8:30 am.
The first one is the faster and less scenic route—take the elevator down 754 feet straight into the caverns. This is a good choice if you don’t have much time to explore.
The second option is slow and scenic, and involves walking along the Natural Entrance Trail. This semi-steep 1.25-mile (2 km) pathway takes you to the Big Room. It should take around an hour. On the way, you’ll pass an amphitheater where people watch swarms of Brazilian bats emerge and feed on insects at dusk during the summer months. There will be plenty of stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, and other formations to be seen on the wet and steep pathway into the darkness.
Regardless of which route you take, eventually you’ll arrive at the Underground Rest Area. Restrooms are available here if you need to go, thankfully. It would be a long way back to the visitor center otherwise.
One of the first things you’ll see is an orientation map entitled “An Adventure Awaits,” with key features of the Big Room. Use this map to plan your route and to make sure you don’t miss anything important. Your self-guided tour begins here.
Here’s a list of the main areas to see when trekking around the Big Room. Sights are listed in the order you’ll see them if you walk the path counterclockwise, starting from the area by the elevators.
- Lion’s Tail
- Hall of Giants
- Fairyland
- Temple of the Sun
- Caveman Junction
- Totem Pole
- National Geographic Ladder
- Jumping Off Place
- Top of the Cross
- Mirror Lake
- Bottomless Pit
- Crystal Spring Dome
- Rock of Ages
- Longfellow’s Bathtub
- Painted Grotto
- Doll’s Theater
- Chinese Theater
By the way, “Big Room” is a vast understatement. It’s larger than six football fields. You could even fit the White House in one corner with plenty of headroom to spare under its 255-foot ceiling.
Take your time walking up and down the seemingly endless dimly lit passageways. You’ll see assorted stalagmites, stalactites, and popcorn formations. But don’t take too much time—if you’re hiking out of the cavern, you MUST depart no later than 3:30 pm. If you’re taking the elevator out, the LAST one departs at 4:45 pm.
Unfortunately, I can’t post all of the spectacular cavern views here without slowing this site down big time. Below are some of my favorite shots to give you a sense of what you’ll see.
If it’s available, consider taking the King’s Palace Guided Tour. It wasn’t running on any of the days when I visited. If it is available, a ranger will take you and others through some additional caves for around 1.5 hours. You’ll hear about the cave’s geology and early explorers. You’ll see rooms like the King’s Palace, Queen’s Chamber, and Green Lake Room.
After you’ve finished trekking through the caverns, you’ll exit to the caverns’ official bookstore. Keep in mind that you have several options for souvenirs. The supply of souvenirs at this store is limited. Spend some time browsing and do some comparison shopping at the main entrance to the visitor center. If you turn left you’ll find a much larger souvenir area along with a restaurant called Carlsbad Caverns Trading Company. The restaurant closes at 4pm on most days.
Just past the bookstore is a fun little museum with a couple of continuously looping films. It’s worth at least a short visit here.
If You Have a Second Day…
Come back for a second look at the caverns. Like rewatching a fun movie or rereading a good book, you’re likely to pick up on important details you missed the first time.
Or see the following in the immediate vicinity of Carlsbad Caverns:
- Rattlesnake Springs
- Sitting Bull Falls
Best Time To Visit Carlsbad Caverns
The only days the caverns are closed are Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
The caverns get crowded during the summer and on weekends. The ventilation isn’t great inside the caves either. Think carefully about whether it’s worth the risk if infections from COVID-19 or any other airborne diseases are surging during your intended visit. On that note, you will need to use the handrails as well when you descend some of the semi-slippery walkways. You’ll have less company and avoid the worst of the crowds if you visit at off-peak times, such as weekdays in early to mid-December or in January.
Bat flights can be seen in the fall before the end of October. They head south to Mexico as the weather cools. If you visit Carlsbad Caverns in September you can catch the bats while avoiding the worst of the crowds.
Remember: most of the time, you’ll need to make reservations in advance to see the caves. All is not lost if you haven’t made reservations though. During the low season, some visitors have been able to walk in a few minutes before they stopped selling tickets at 2:30pm without reservations (there are no lines at this time either) and still be able to see much of the caverns. This is one good way to approach sightseeing at Carlsbad Caverns—get a preview on the first day, then return the next day for a more thorough look.
How Much Does it Cost?
As of July 2022, an entry ticket for the day is $15 per person for those ages 16 and older. Entry is free for those who are age 15 and under. It’s also free if you have a special pass like the America the Beautiful pass.
Carlsbad Caverns Weather
Beneath the surface inside the caverns, the temperature is mild and stays constant at roughly 56 degrees year-round. You may wish to consider wearing a light jacket or coat as well as long pants. If you’re looking for a warm place to visit in the US in December, you’ve found it.
Above the surface, the temperatures are far more extreme. It’s the desert, so temperatures can climb into the 90s and low 100s Fahrenheit during the summer. Winters get cold and are occasionally snowy and icy. There’s a great deal of rain in August and September.
Plants and Animals In and Around Carlsbad Caverns
One of the most remarkable animals found inside Carlsbad Caverns is the ringtail cat, seen below. You probably won’t see one during your visit, though. They’re most active at night after the caverns have closed for the day.
These are some of the other plants and animals you might see in the vicinity of Carlsbad Caverns:
- Turkey vulture
- Northern harrier
- Hackberry
- Scott’s oriole
- Banded gecko
- Lechuguilla agave
- Coyote
- Torrey yucca
- Ocotillo
- Greater roadrunner
- Prickly pear cactus
- Diamondback rattlesnake
- Harvester ant
- Kangaroo rat
- Desert willow
- Brazilian free-tailed bat
- Sotol
- Gray fox
- Spadefoot toad
- Javelina
- Tarantula
- Ringtail
- Pinchot juniper
- Great horned owl
Fun Facts About Carlsbad Caverns
- You’ll descend 754 feet (230 meters) from the Visitor Center to the caves, down an elevator shaft that is 1.5 times the height of the Washington Monument and nearly the height of the Empire State Building.
- Early explorers at the beginning of the 20th century discovered that the caverns were filled with bat guano, an excellent fertilizer. They spent 20 years removing 100,000 tons of it at up to $90 per ton, which helped to fertilize orange trees on the West Coast.
- The caverns contain giant blocks of gypsum, the same material found in your home’s drywall.
- Inside are strange-looking but naturally occurring stone lily pads called coke table shelfstone.
- Inside the caverns you’ll also see slimy stringy things called snotites, which are microbes dripping sulfuric acid.
- These caves began to form about 250 million years ago.
Best Attractions Nearby
Nearby are the Living Desert State Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
If you’d like to venture a little further afield, Big Bend National Park is a highly recommended destination.
Nearest Airports and Distance to Major Cities
The closest major airport is El Paso International, located in Texas about 140 miles to the west of the park. Lubbock Texas International is 178 miles to the north of the park. Albuquerque International Airport is 275 miles north of the park. The small Cavern City Air Terminal is in the southern part of the city of Carlsbad.
Carlsbad Caverns is located about 300 miles from Albuquerque, New Mexico and 150 miles from El Paso, Texas.
Recommended Carlsbad Caverns Resources
(including a few of the best books about national parks in the USA)
- Carlsbad Caverns (official National Park Service site)
- Frommer’s National Parks of the American West
- Fodor’s The Complete Guide To The National Parks of the West
Where to Stay and Eat Near Carlsbad Caverns
You can’t stay overnight at Carlsbad Caverns, but there are lodging and dining options nearby.
The town of Carlsbad is located about 20 miles (20-25 minutes of driving) to the north of Carlsbad Caverns, and is full of hotel, campground, and dining options. It’s an easy drive straight up US-180 E/US-62 E, but cellphone service can be spotty. You can download an offline Google Map of the vicinity to your phone before arrival to help with navigation to your intended destinations.
If you have an RV, the RV park closest to Carlsbad Caverns is in White’s City, just seven miles to the east of the Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center. Alternatively, you can choose from campgrounds in Carlsbad or at Guadalupe Mountains National Park.