Carlsbad Caverns National Park guides
12 in-depth guides to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, in reading order: what to see, how to get around, and what to know before you go. Back to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park overview.
Chihuahuan Desert Heat and Monsoon Season
The park sits in the Chihuahuan Desert in southeast New Mexico, and most days the sky is a clear, deep blue with very few clouds.
Walking the Big Room Trail
The Big Room Trail is a 1.25-mile self-guided route through the Big Room, a chamber inside Carlsbad Cavern.
Descending Through the Natural Entrance
The Natural Entrance Trail covers 1.25 miles and drops about 750 feet in elevation, so the grade is extremely steep.
Mexican Free-Tailed Bat Flights at Dusk
Mexican free-tailed bats, also known as Brazilian free-tailed bats, leave Carlsbad Cavern each evening during the warmer months in search of food.
King's Palace and Ranger-Guided Cave Tours
Ranger-guided cave tours take you into parts of Carlsbad Caverns that you cannot reach on your own, beyond the Big Room and Natural Entrance trails.
Rattlesnake Canyon and Desert Backcountry Trails
The Upper Rattlesnake Canyon Loop Trail covers six miles and is rated moderately difficult, so most hikers should allow about four hours.
Star Walks and Moon Walks, May–October
From May through October, rangers lead Star Walks and Moon Walks on select nights. You join a park ranger on these guided walks rather than heading out on your own.
Sulfuric Acid and the Birth of Carlsbad
Speleogenesis is the term for how the caves here formed, and it started with sulfuric acid eating into limestone.
Cave Crickets, Ringtails and Thorny Desert Plants
Large animals are few in the Chihuahuan Desert that surrounds the caverns, so the plants have adjusted to a dry life.
From 1923 Monument to World Heritage Site
People around Carlsbad knew about the caves in the local limestone well before the federal government took notice.
Timed Entry Reservations and Cavern Fees
Carlsbad Caverns requires a timed entry reservation before you can go underground. A reservation only fixes the time you go in, so you will still need an entrance ticket once you arrive.
Slaughter Canyon, Spider and Lechuguilla Caves
Sulfuric acid dissolving limestone created more than 119 caves beneath the Chihuahuan Desert near Carlsbad, New Mexico.
