Carlsbad Caverns National Park guide · 1 min read
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.
Booking early is wise. Pick up your tour ticket at the visitor center at least half an hour before departure, and you will also need a cavern entrance ticket.
The King's Palace Tour is one of the most popular options. It covers one mile in 90 minutes and moves through four chambers filled with decoration, including the Queen's Chamber. The route reaches the deepest section open to visitors, 830 feet down. Expect extra downhill walking along the way and a steep climb at the end.
Formations along the route include helictites, draperies, columns, and soda straws, plus stalactites and stalagmites. Partway through, rangers often switch off every artificial light so you can sit in the cave's natural darkness. The pause is short, but it shows how dark the cave is without any lights.
The King's Palace Photo Tour covers the same four chambers and deep section in about one and a half hours, but it centers on photography. Tripods are usually banned in this part of the cave, yet this tour allows them, and its theme echoes the work of photographers such as Ray V. Davis and Ansel Adams. Photographers should already know how to use their own cameras, and reservations are required.
The Lower Cave Tour heads into undeveloped sections of the Big Cave, away from the main path most visitors follow. Good health and a willingness to work hard matter, since the route can include crawling through tight spaces, so dress in clothes you do not mind ruining. When crawling is needed, the park provides gloves, knee pads, and elbow pads.
