carlsbad caverns national park
New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns National Park is well known for its breathtaking underground tunnels. Located in southeast New Mexico, close to the town of Carlsbad, the park is a portion of the Chihuahuan Desert. The most remarkable of the limestone caverns in Carlsbad Caverns is the Big Room. The cave room is approximately 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 255 feet high, making it one of the largest in North America. Self-guided and ranger-led excursions are available for visitors to explore the caves. The park also has camping areas, stargazing spots, surface hiking routes and bat flight program where visitors can see the bats such as Mexican free-tailed bats, magnificent departure from the cave in quest of food every evening from spring through fall. Something that should make you excited to visit the park!
*BASIC FACTS ON CARLSBAD CAVERNS
LOCATION: New Mexico
SIZE: 46,766 acres (18,925 hectares), including over 33,000 acres (13,354 hectares) designated wilderness.
FOUNDED: May 14, 1930.
BEST TIME TO VISIT:
Spring (March-May) & Fall (September-November)
HOW MANY DAYS: 1 DAY
ROAD TRIP SUGGESTION: NEW MEXICO ROAD TRIP (Coming Soon); TEXAS & NEW MEXICO ROAD TRIP (Coming Soon)
NOTE: Reservations of time entry tickets are required to enter the park, and you might need additional info about the park in order to have a smooth travel. Please RESERVE TICKETS HERE, and VISIT HERE for more latest information about the park.
THINGS TO DO AND SEE
Explore the caves. To explore the caverns, you could either stroll the self-guided paths (Natural Entrance and Big Room Trails) at your own leisure, which is perfect if you are short on time. Or you could take a ranger-led tour if you have more time and want to learn more in depth about the park. The most popular one would be King’s Palace Tour which is a 1.5-hour tour to experience some of the park’s outstanding collections of cave formations by venturing deeper into Carlsbad Caverns. Other tours are Lower Cave Tour, Left Hand Tunnel Tour, Hall of the White Giant Tour, and Slaughter Canyon Cave Tour. VISIT HERE to get more details on what tours are currently offered and what each entails. And, RESERVE YOUR TICKETS HERE.
Experience Bat Flight Program (Late May through October especially in August and September when the babies are present too). Thousands of bats emerge from the cave in quest of food, a sight to see from spring until fall. Before the flight, rangers give educational talks. There is no extra cost for this activity; it is covered by your park admission price. However, since reservations are nor required and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, plan to get early at Bat Flight Amphitheater where the show is taking place. The show takes place every evening and is contingent upon the weather. We’ve never tried this, but we will try the moment we get a chance to!
Go hike the park’s surface trails. There are a number of surface trails for hiking in the park, from short strolls to strenuous hikes with stunning views of the surrounding desert. Popular surface trails in the park include the hard short 1 mile hike of Slaughter Canyon Cave Trail. Honestly, I would rather spend my time in the park exploring underground which is the uniqueness about this park rather than hiking, but in the end, it’s really up to your interests.
Go stargazing. Because of its isolation and dark skies, Carlsbad Caverns is an excellent spot for stargazing. You can take part in a walk led by a ranger on some evenings from May through October, and you may catch a meteor shower if you’re extremely lucky. For information on any special stargazing events, VISIT HERE and check the park’s program.
MORE ON CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK
ONE DAY IN CARLSBAD CAVERNS (Coming Soon)
