Best time to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park
The short answer
Best months to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park: March–May and September–October. Daily highs run about 65–80°F, and we have no crowd data for this park.
Hardest months: January, mostly because of cold weather.
How we picked these months: each month is scored on daily highs (65–82°F is ideal), rain, snow and seasonal closures, with no crowd adjustment, because we have no visit counts for this park. We list the months within 15% of the top score (at most 5).
Weather and crowds by month
Carlsbad Caverns National Park month by month
Park-wide averages. We have no visitor counts for this park, so crowds are not shown.
| Month | Rating | High / low | Rain | Snow | Closures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Poor | 51° / 33°F | 0.3 in | 2.4 in | – |
| February | Fair | 57° / 36°F | 0.3 in | 1.8 in | – |
| March | Best | 64° / 43°F | 0.6 in | 0.8 in | – |
| April | Best | 71° / 49°F | 0.7 in | – | – |
| May | Best | 79° / 57°F | 0.9 in | – | – |
| June | Fair | 88° / 66°F | 1.2 in | – | – |
| July | Fair | 87° / 69°F | 1.6 in | – | – |
| August | Good | 84° / 68°F | 2.7 in | – | – |
| September | Best | 79° / 62°F | 2.6 in | – | – |
| October | Best | 70° / 52°F | 1.4 in | – | – |
| November | Good | 60° / 42°F | 0.7 in | 1.2 in | – |
| December | Fair | 54° / 36°F | 0.4 in | 2.2 in | – |
Carlsbad Caverns National Park by season
Spring (March–May)
Spring (March–May) is among the best times to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Daily highs average 64–79°F and lows 43–57°F. Expect about 0.7 in of rain a month and little or no snow. There is no crowd data for this park.
Summer (June–August)
Summer (June–August) is a good time to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Daily highs average 84–88°F and lows 66–69°F. Expect about 1.8 in of rain a month and little or no snow. There is no crowd data for this park.
Fall (September–November)
Fall (September–November) is among the best times to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Daily highs average 60–79°F and lows 42–62°F. Expect about 1.6 in of rain a month and little or no snow. There is no crowd data for this park.
Winter (December–February)
Winter (December–February) is a mixed time to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Daily highs average 51–57°F and lows 33–36°F. Expect about 0.3 in of rain a month and 2.1 in of snow, with up to 0 in on the ground. There is no crowd data for this park.
For what to do in each season, see our guides to trip planning, fees and hours and trails, where the planning page also has our written advice on when to go. In-depth topic guides cover individual places and hikes.
What the National Park Service says about the weather
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the Chihuahuan Desert in southeast New Mexico. Summers are hot with temperatures between 90°F (32°C) and low 100s °F (38°C). Windy conditions and mild temperatures are common in early spring (March-May) with frequent rain in early fall (August-September). This part of the country also sees cold temperatures in the winter with occasional snow and icy conditions. Most days, the park is enveloped by a gorgeous blue sky with very few clouds, 278 sunny days a year!
Weather: modeled monthly averages for 2014-2023 (Open-Meteo Archive API), averaged over 1 location. Modeled grid cells can read cooler than weather stations in deep canyons and deserts, and warmer or colder at high elevation. Visits: not available for this park.
