Carlsbad Caverns National Park
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1. Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitor Center
Visitor CenterWithin this user-friendly facility at the top of an escarpment, a 75-seat theater offers engrossing films and ranger programs about the different types of caves. Exhibits offer a primer on bats, geology, wildlife, and the early tribes and settlers that once lived in and passed through the Carlsbad Caverns area. Friendly rangers staff an information desk, where maps are distributed and tickets are sold. A gift shop, café, and bookstore also are on the premises.
727 Carlsbad Cavern Hwy., Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, 88220-5354, USA575-785–2232Sight Details
Free admission to the visitor center, from $12 for tours (Natural Entrance and Big Room) -
2. Evening Bat Flight Program
CaveIn the amphitheater at the Natural Entrance (off a short trail from the main parking lot) a ranger discusses the park's batty residents before the creatures begin their sundown exodus. The bats aren't on any predictable schedule, so times are a little iffy. Ideally, viewers will first hear the bats preparing to exit, followed by a vortex of black specks swirling out of the cave mouth in search of dinner against the darkening sky. When conditions are favorable, hundreds of thousands of bats will soar off over the span of half an hour or longer.
727 Carlsbad Cavern Hwy., Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, 88220-5354, USA575-785–3012 -
3. Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park
More preserve than traditional zoo, this park contains an impressive collection of plants and animals native to the Chihuahuan Desert. The Desert Arboretum has hundreds of exotic cacti and succulents, and the Living Desert Zoo is home to mountain lions, javelinas, deer, elk, bobcats, bison, and a black bear. Nocturnal exhibits let you view the area's nighttime wildlife, a walk-through aviary houses birds of prey, and there's a reptile exhibit. The park also sponsors some great educational events. Though there are shaded rest areas, restrooms, and water fountains, in summer it's more comfortable to visit in the morning before the desert oven heats up. The expansive view from here is the best in town.
1504 Miehls Dr. N, Carlsbad, New Mexico, 88220, USA575-887–5516Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5, Memorial Day weekend–Labor Day, daily 8–5; Labor Day weekend–Memorial Day, daily 9--5; last entry into zoo 3:30 year-round -
4. Natural Entrance
As natural daylight recedes, a self-guided, paved trail twists and turns downward from the yawning mouth of the main cavern, about 100 yards east of the visitor center. The route is winding and sometimes slick from water seepage aboveground. A steep descent of about 750 feet, much of it secured by hand rails, takes you about a mile through the main corridor and past dramatic features such as the Bat Cave and the Boneyard. (Despite its eerie name, the formations here don't look much like femurs and fibulae; they're more like spongy bone insides.) Iceberg Rock is a massive boulder that dropped from the cave ceiling millennia ago. After about a mile, you'll link up underground with the Big Room Trail and can return to the surface via elevator or by hiking back out. Footware with a good grip is recommended.
727 Carlsbad Cavern Hwy., Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, 88220, USASight Details
Rate Includes: $15, Late May–early Sept., daily 8:30–3:30; early Sept.–late May, daily 9–2 -
5. Rattlesnake Canyon Trail
Small cairns guide you along this picturesque trail, which winds 600 feet into the canyon—it's especially lush with greenery from spring through fall. Allow half a day to trek down into the canyon and make the somewhat strenuous climb out; the total trip is about 6 miles. For a look into the canyon, you can make the ¼-mile stroll to an overlook. Moderate.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, 88220, USA -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Rattlesnake Springs
Park (National/State/Provincial)Of the several places to picnic in the park, this is the prettiest by far. There are about a dozen picnic tables and grills, many of them tree-shaded, and drinking water and restrooms are available. The seclusion of the site and the oasis-like draw add to the tranquility. Be alert to the presence of wildlife.
Hwy. 418, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, 88220-5354, USA -
7. The Big Room
CaveWith a floor space equal to about 14 football fields, this subterranean focal point of Carlsbad Cavern clues visitors in to just how large the cavern really is. The White House could fit in one corner of the Big Room, and wouldn't come close to grazing the 230-foot ceiling. Entrance can be accessed by elevator or through the Natural Entrance and a 1.25-mile descending trail. Either way, at 750 feet below the surface you will connect with the self-guided 1.25-mile Big Room loop, a relatively level (it has some steps), paved pathway through the almost hallucinatory wonders of various formations and decorations. You also get a layman's lesson on how the cavern was carved. This self-guided tour costs $12; kids under 15 are admitted for free but must be accompanied by an adult. Reservations are not necessary. An audio guide is available from the visitor center bookstore for $5. Even in summer, long pants and long-sleeved shirts are advised for cave temperatures in the mid-50s.
Visitor center, 727 Carlsbad Cavern Hwy., Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, 88220-5354, USASight Details
Rate Includes: $12 -
8. Yucca Canyon Trail
Sweeping views of the Guadalupe Mountains and El Capitan give allure to this challenging but beautiful trail. Drive past Rattlesnake Springs and stop at the park boundary before reaching the Slaughter Canyon Cave parking lot (four-wheel-drive or high-clearance vehicles are recommended; check with visitor center for road conditions before setting out). Turn west along the boundary fence line to the trailhead. The 7½-mile round-trip begins at the mouth of Yucca Canyon and climbs nearly 1,500 feet up to the top of the escarpment for a panoramic view. Difficult.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, 88220, USA
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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