Best trails in Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the Chihuahuan Desert near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Above ground, the desert landscape is home to lots of wildlife, plants, interesting day hikes, and a great scenic drive! Below ground, there are more than 100 caves, formed 4 to 6 million years ago by sulfuric acid that dissolved the limestone. In 1898, Jim White discovered the caverns when he was only a teenager! Many of the rooms and cave formations were named by him, including Big Room, Witch's Finger, Bottomless Pit, and Rock of Ages.

Most visitors recommend going down to the caverns through the Natural Entrance and coming back up via the elevator. If you choose to hike down the Natural Entrance, it typically takes about 1 hour to follow the %{1.25-mile} switchback trail. On the way, you get to see some huge formations that you miss if you take the elevator down. Look for Devil's Spring, Taffy Hill, Whale's Mouth, and Witch's Fingers.

Either way you enter the caverns, you'll be able to visit Big Room Trail. Big Room Trail is %{1.25_miles} and a fairly gentle grade, so hikers of all ages and abilities can experience the wonder of the caverns. Big Room is the largest cave chamber in North America, covering about %{8_acres}! There are tons of features here, including Mirror Lake and Bottomless Pit. We recommend budgeting about 1 or 2 hours at a leisurely pace, because there's so much to explore.

Throughout the caverns, you'll see countless cave formations created by water that soaks through the limestone and drips into the cave. On the ceiling you'll see stalactites, soda straws, draperies, and more, while on the floor are stalagmites, shelves, and cave pools. You may want to rent an audio guide at the park store to learn more about the formations and history of the cave.

From April through mid-October, Brazilian free-tail bats live in the caverns. Every night, they fly out of the cavern looking for food! You can attend a ranger talk in the evening at the outdoor Bat Flight Amphitheater (at the Natural Entrance to the caverns) to learn more about them before they take flight. You don't need reservations for this program, which runs from late May through October.

The best time to visit Carlsbad Caverns depends on what you want to do! If you're there to visit the caverns, you can visit any time — the temperature inside stays steady at around %{56_Fahrenheit}. If you don't want to miss the bats, visit in late May through October. If you're looking to add some day hikes to your visit, spring, fall, or winter would be best to avoid extreme heat. We recommend spending at least half a day exploring the caverns!

If you're visiting the caverns, reserve your entry time online up to 1 month in advance. Timed entry reservations are available online only. During your one-hour entry window, stop by the visitor center to pay the entrance fee before proceeding to the caves. If you're feeling adventurous and want to explore deeper chambers in the caverns, you can book a ticket for several ranger-led tours, including the King's Palace Tour.