While I call these “hikes,” both of the trails listed below are primarily underneath the surface and explore the park’s namesake cavern.

🥾 Natural Entrance Trail (1.25 miles, 750 feet elev. loss): This is the BEST way to experience Carlsbad Caverns. While you can access the cave’s “Big Room” via an elevator, the experience is much more exciting if you descend into the cave using your own two feet. Be prepared for a steep trail! Most people who take this route will return to the visitor center using the elevator.
🥾 Big Room (1.25 miles, mostly flat): This is what most visitors to Carlsbad Caverns come to see. This trail traverses the edges of the cave’s famous Big Room, which features impressive cave formations, intricate cave decorations, and fascinating history. A shortcut shortens this trail to 0.6 miles. Most of the trail is wheelchair accessible.

🦇 Bat Flight Program: During every evening from Memorial Day weekend until October, the national park offers a free ranger talk before one of the greatest spectacles in the country occurs. Hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats emerge from the cave each night in search of water. While I have not witnessed this myself, I desperately want to return to Carlsbad Caverns to view the event. The park also offers opportunities to watch the bats return in the early morning.
🪢 Ranger-Guided Cave Tours: While you can explore the main part of Carlsbad Caverns on your own, you can visit lesser-seen parts of the caverns – as well as other caves in the park – by way of these programs. These are perfect for those seeking greater adventure.
🔭 Stargazing: While not an International Dark Sky Park, Carlsbad Caverns still offers a beautiful night sky and includes ranger-guided night sky programs.

🏞️ Guadalupe Mountains National Park: This park generally gets less traffic than Carlsbad Caverns, but offers a variety of beautiful and rewarding hikes. The park sits west of Carlsbad Caverns, and is about a 30-45 minute drive depending where in the park you go.

📅 When to Visit: Since the caves remain at constant cool temperatures, you can visit the park year-round. However, viewing the bat flights is only possible from May through October, and bat populations peak in August and September.
⌚ How Long to Visit: 1 day is plenty to see and experience the park’s main attractions. If you want to explore its lesser-visited caves, budget an extra day or two.
🚗 How to Visit: El Paso is the closest major population center to Carlsbad Caverns, sitting about 2.5 hours west of the park. Those visiting from afar can fly into El Paso and rent a car. Otherwise, those on long-distance national park road trips can easily pair the park with other nearby or semi-nearby offerings like Guadalupe Mountains, Big Bend, and White Sands.
🛏️ Where to Stay: The park only offers primitive backcountry camping. So, most visitors will likely stay in the nearby Carlsbad, New Mexico, which offers several lodging and camping options. For a more typical national park-style camping experience, the nearby Guadalupe Mountains National Park offers campgrounds with reservable campsites.
🧳 What to Bring: You’ll definitely want sturdy hiking boots or shoes with good traction to enter the park’s namesake cave, and these are absolutely required on rougher ranger-guided programs. Consider bringing a headlamp/flashlight to help you see more of the cave. Don’t forget a jacket, as the park’s caverns are chilly!

✅ DO reserve your timed entrance ticket in advance. Don’t pull up to the visitor center without a pre-reserved ticket, as you might not be able to enter the cave without one.
✅ DO be aware of “white-nose syndrome,” a fungus that is deadly to bats. If you’ve visited other caves recently, you’ll need to clean your boots before entering the cave.
❌ DON’T stray from the designated trails, as this can damage fragile limestone formations.
❌ DON’T bring any food or liquids into the cave aside from plain drinking water.
❌ DON’T bring shoes without traction. Bring sturdy hiking boots or shoes with grippy, textured bottoms, so that you don’t slide around on the cave’s trails.