Carlsbad Caverns National Park guide · 1 min read
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.
They stream out of the Natural Entrance as a tight cluster, then rise in a spiral that winds counterclockwise. The departure usually begins around sunset and lasts roughly three hours.
The Bat Flight Program is a ranger talk about bats held every evening before the flight. You do not need a reservation, but seats in the Bat Flight Amphitheater go to whoever arrives first. The amphitheater sits at the Natural Entrance and has spaces for wheelchairs at its entrance. Electronic devices are not allowed at either program to protect the bats, including cameras of any kind, cell phones, laptops and tablets.
The Natural Entrance Trail is one and a quarter miles long and usually takes 45 minutes to an hour. The paved route slopes downhill going in, so the climb back out is steep. Your eyes gradually adjust to the dimmer light as you go farther in, and the trail ends at the Big Room Trail. Carlsbad Cavern, known as the Big Cave, is best known for its Big Room, one of the largest cave rooms in the world.
The bats are migratory, so they are here only several months of the year. The best time to see them is in August and September, when baby bats join the flights. Dawn of the Bats is an annual event where visitors gather in the amphitheater at first light to watch the bats return.
White-Nose Syndrome is a disease spreading through bat populations across the country. People cannot catch it, but visitors step across medicated mats to slow its spread. Guests are also asked not to wear clothing or shoes that have been worn in another cave.
