It's all about the caves here at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. So, what should you do and see and how should you prepare? This Traveler's Checklist with tips for first-timers provides a good start for your park exploration, above and below ground.
The paved trail down from the Natural Entrance, Carlsbad Caverns National Park / Rebecca Latson
2. Explore the Caverns at your own pace: the Big Room and Natural Entrance trails are available for visitors to explore on their own. The Big Room Trail is the most popular of the park and is the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. The Natural Entrance trail is a steep trail equivalent to walking down a 75-story building. Along the way you can see the Devil’s Spring, Whale’s Mouth, and Iceberg Rock cave formations.
3. Ranger-Guided Tours: Get a unique guided experience through the Slaughter Canyon Cave Tour, Hall of the White Giant, and lower and left hand tunnel tours. These experiences are so unique that special equipment and protection is used to avoid a fungus known as “White-nose Syndrome,” which is harmful to bats. For more information, click here. Traveler's Note: All ranger-guided tours are currently cancelled until further notice.
4. Surface hiking trails: Come out from the dark caverns and get some sunlight with 11 surface hiking trails available. Ask a park ranger at the visitors center for more information on hiking, including the Guadalupe Ridge Trail.
5. Bat Flight Program: Take a seat at the Bat Flight Amphitheater and look into the sky in awe as bats fly out of the cavern into the sunset in search of their next meal.
6. Night Sky Programs: After experiencing the bats of Carlsbad take flight, enjoy star walks, moon hikes, meteor shower viewings, telescope programs, or spot the International Space Station. *These are not everyday events, so be sure to check the park’s calendar!*
7. Dawn of the Bats: Every third Saturday of July join the park at dawn to welcome home hundreds of thousands of bats that call the caverns home April through October.
First-Time Visitor Tips
1. While the weather outside may be hitting 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 C), always bring a light jacket with you into the caverns, where it is chilly year-round with an average temperature of 56 degrees F (13 C).
2. For safety purposes, wear closed-toed shoes with good traction to avoid slipping on wet or damp portions of the Big Room and Natural Entrance trails.
3. Do not bring food, snacks, chewing gum, or flavored drinks (sodas, flavored water) of any kind into the caverns to avoid damaging the cavern formations and bringing harm to wildlife. You are allowed to carry water.
4. Keep your voice down, as noises travel up to a quarter-mile (0.4 kilometer) inside the cavern.
5. Remember your camera, flash photography is permitted within the caverns, but monopods, tripods, bipods, canes and walking sticks are not. Traveler's Note: there may still be an odd park page indicating tripods/monopods/bipods are allowed, but they are not allowed in the caverns at all.
6. For surface trail explorations, wear sturdy shoes and stay on the trail. Be on the lookout for rattlesnakes.
