Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Planning Your Visit
Operating Hours & Seasons
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is open every day of the year except for December 25.
EXPANDED (SUMMER) HOURS: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tours are available 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Last entry into cave via natural entrance is 3:30. Last Entry into cave via elevator is 5:00.
REGULAR HOURS: After Labor Day until Memorial Day weekend, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours are available 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Last entry into cave via natural entrance is 2:00. Last entry into cave via elevator is 3:30.
Please note: Beginning on the second Sunday in March, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is on Mountain Daylight Saving Time; Mountain Standard Time begins on the first Sunday in November.
Fees & Reservations
Entrance Fee (Self-Guided Tours)
Adults - $6, Children 15 and under - Free
All visitors who enter Carlsbad Cavernâfor any tourâare required to purchase an Entrance Fee ticket. This ticket is good for 3 days.
With an America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass - Annual Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass and Volunteer Pass: Where a per person entrance fee is charged, the pass admits the cardholder plus plus three adults.
Ranger-Guided Tour Fees
Kings Palace. $8 for adults, $4 for children, under 4 not permitted. Must also purchase Entrance Fee ticket. $4 for Senior and Access Pass holders.
Left Hand Tunnel. $7 for adults, $3.50 for children, under 6 not permitted. Must also purchase Entrance Fee ticket. $3.50 for Senior and Access Pass holders.
Slaughter Canyon Cave. $15 for adults, $7.50 for children, under 6 not permitted. $7.50 for Senior and Access Pass holders.
Lower Cave. $20 for adults, $10 for children, under 12 not permitted. Must also purchase Entrance Fee ticket. $10 for Senior and Access Pass holders.
Hall of the White Giant. $20 for adults, $10 for children, under 12 not permitted. Must also purchase Entrance Fee ticket. $10 for Senior and Access Pass holders.
Spider Cave. $20 for adults, $10 for children, under 12 not permitted. $10 for Senior and Access Pass holders.
Directions
Visitors arrive by way of U.S. Highway 62/180 from either Carlsbad, New Mexico (23 miles to the northeast) or El Paso, Texas (150 miles to the west). A scenic 7-mile (11.3 km) entrance road leads from the park gate at Whites City to the visitor center and cavern entrance.
Carlsbad is served by Greyhound and TNM&O bus lines. Mesa Airlines offers passenger service between Carlsbad and Albuquerque. Major airlines serve Albuquerque, New Mexico; and El Paso, Lubbock and Midland, Texas. Rental cars and taxi service are available from the airport in Carlsbad.
| Driving Distances (in miles) | |
| Albuquerque â 304 | Lubbock â 206 |
| Amarillo â 329 | Midland â 194 |
| Dallas â 500 | Odessa â 174 |
| Denver â 626 | Phoenix â 581 |
| El Paso â 151 | Roswell â 103 |
| Las Cruces â 197 | San Antonio â 461 |
Contact Information
By Mail
Carlsbad Caverns National
3225 National Parks Highway
Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220
By Phone
Visitor Information
505.785.2232
Bat Flight Information
505.785.3012
By Fax
505.785.2133
Weather
Surface Climate
Carlsbad Caverns National Park preserves and protects a portion of the northern Chihuahuan Desert, the largest and the wettest of the North American deserts. The park averages 14.9 inches of annual precipitation with a monsoon season that usually occurs from July through September when massive thunderstorms drop much of the rain for the year. The park has a semiarid climate with generally mild winters and warm to hot summers. The average annual high temperature is 74°F and the average annual low temperature is 50°F with a mean annual temperature of 63°F.
Cave Climate
Caves, in general, have fairly stable climate conditions. Once past the entrance area of most caves, the temperature and humidity levels become fairly stable with little variation. This is mostly due to the lack of influence from the outside environment. The temperature in these caves tends to reflect the average annual temperature for the area at that given elevation, though larger cave systems tend to capture some heat rising from the earthâs core making them a little warmer than they would be otherwise. Caves are usually considered to be closed environments and so when moisture is available, it is usually not released to the outside except around entrances and so relative humidity levels are usually close to 100%.
Climate conditions in Carlsbad Cavern are an exception to the average cave. With a large entrance and many miles of passages that drop over 1000 feet, climate conditions in the cave are very complex and only remain fairly stable long distances from the entrance. The main portion of the cave is a cold trap. In winter, once the temperature outside has dropped below the temperature in the cave, cold, usually dry, air plunges into the lower part of the entrance. This cold dry air flows down the large Main Corridor and into the Big Room and Lower Cave. As this cold dry air pushes into the cave along the floor, warmer moist air is displaced, forced up to the ceiling and pushed out of the upper part of the entrance. Over a long period of time, this natural process has cooled the Big Room to an average of 56°F, which is 12°F cooler than the ends of the cave and other large cave systems in the area. This influx of cold dry air is a natural drying process that changes the relative humidity in significant parts of the cave as well. Relative humidity drops to as low as 87.5% in the Big Room during winter months and remains at about 100% during the summer months when there is less airflow exchange from the entrance.
The climate at the deepest point in Carlsbad Cavernâat 1,034 feetâis less affected by this process. Because of its depth and distance from the entrance, this lowest point remains a more constant and warmer 68°F and closer to 100% relative humidity.
The climate conditions within Lechuguilla Cave, also within park boundaries, are significantly different than those in Carlsbad Cavern because it is an extremely large and deep cave (over 121 miles long and the deepest limestone cave in the United States at 1,604 feet deep) with only one very small entrance. While the cave itself has a very complex wind system due to barometric pressure changes on the surface, the influence from surface conditions at the entrance to most of the cave is small. Temperature and relative humidity reach fairly stable conditions a short distance into the cave. The average temperature throughout the cave is also 68°F and the relative humidity remains close to a constant 100%. Lechuguilla Cave is such a large cave system and the climate conditions portray some subtle variations that cannot easily be explained. Though more subtle than climate variations in Carlsbad Cavern, these are only now being recognized and studied.
Carlsbad Caverns In Depth
News from the Parks
Rainier Landmark Meets Wrecking Ball
November 18, 2008 - 11:29am
Paradise echoed Monday not with the voices of park visitors, but with the thump and crash of a 4,500-pound wrecking ball smashing through the old visitor center.
November 18, 2008 - 11:29am
Paradise echoed Monday not with the voices of park visitors, but with the thump and crash of a 4,500-pound wrecking ball smashing through the old visitor center.
New River Gorge National River Celebrates 30th Anniversary
November 18, 2008 - 11:24am
The New River Gorge celebrated its 30th year as part of the National Park System last week with the Nov. 10 anniversary of its 1978 designation as a National River.
November 18, 2008 - 11:24am
The New River Gorge celebrated its 30th year as part of the National Park System last week with the Nov. 10 anniversary of its 1978 designation as a National River.
Park to Go with 720 Sleds per Day
November 18, 2008 - 11:22am
Yellowstone National Park officials have opted to allow 720 snowmobiles a day in the park this winter, abandoning a temporary plan they proposed two weeks ago for 318 machines a day.
November 18, 2008 - 11:22am
Yellowstone National Park officials have opted to allow 720 snowmobiles a day in the park this winter, abandoning a temporary plan they proposed two weeks ago for 318 machines a day.
Falling Boulders Endanger Lives at Yosemite
November 18, 2008 - 11:20am
A major rockslide at Yosemite National Park's Curry Village has prompted officials to consider closing part of the lodging area permanently.
November 18, 2008 - 11:20am
A major rockslide at Yosemite National Park's Curry Village has prompted officials to consider closing part of the lodging area permanently.
Interior and Energy Team-up to Make National Parks “Green”
November 18, 2008 - 10:09am
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will help the National Park Service (NPS) showcase sustainable energy practices and fulfill its mission of environmental stewardship. With equal amounts of initial “seed money” from DOI and DOE totaling $1 million for 2009, the Energy SmartPARKS program hopes to eventually draw private sector support to spark a green energy future in the United States. “This partnership will deploy energy efficient and renewable energy technologies throughout the national park system,” said Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. “We have the power to not only improve conditions in the parks, but also demonstrate for the public the impacts and benefits of green energy innovations.” “Our national parks are a showcase of this country's natural beauty and historical significance. With this agreement, we're ensuring that these parks are also models of energy efficiency and clean energy technologies,” said Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. “Our parks have always been an important way for Americans to learn about the environment, now they can learn about energy use as well.” “The Energy SmartPARKS program will make positive, tangible advancements by greening the parks and by reducing energy costs and carbon emissions,” said Mary A. Bomar, Director of the National Park Service. “This is a great way to demonstrate our environmental leadership as we approach the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.” On the ground, parks will use funding from Energy SmartPARKS to deploy cutting-edge technology as well as traditional solutions, including projects that retrofit lighting systems; purchase electric utility vehicles; install solar panel systems; upgrade meters and thermostats; replace windows and furnaces; study the feasibility of wind power; and conduct energy audits. Lessons learned from these projects can be used in other national parks and in the homes of every American. A list of some of the 2009 projects is available. Two recent projects illustrate the exciting possibilities of Energy SmartPARKS in the future: the exterior relighting of both the White House and the Washington Monument. With ground-breaking technology that improved the exterior illumination, these national icons now look beautiful while being energy efficient at the same time. Although the official assessment of the White House relighting project by DOE has not yet been conducted, early estimates anticipate over 50% energy reduction. The Washington Monument relighting project resulted in a 27% energy reduction with a cut of 36 tons per year in carbon emissions according to the official DOE assessment. The Energy SmartPARKS program will also develop new and expand existing partnerships with the private, non-profit, and academic sectors. These partners may help raise funds, identify projects, find technological solutions, and educate the public. The National Park Service is developing an Energy SmartPARKS website, in partnership with DOI and DOE, to showcase its commitment to a green energy future in America. Visit www.nps.gov/energy in the coming weeks.
November 18, 2008 - 10:09am
The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will help the National Park Service (NPS) showcase sustainable energy practices and fulfill its mission of environmental stewardship. With equal amounts of initial “seed money” from DOI and DOE totaling $1 million for 2009, the Energy SmartPARKS program hopes to eventually draw private sector support to spark a green energy future in the United States. “This partnership will deploy energy efficient and renewable energy technologies throughout the national park system,” said Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne. “We have the power to not only improve conditions in the parks, but also demonstrate for the public the impacts and benefits of green energy innovations.” “Our national parks are a showcase of this country's natural beauty and historical significance. With this agreement, we're ensuring that these parks are also models of energy efficiency and clean energy technologies,” said Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. “Our parks have always been an important way for Americans to learn about the environment, now they can learn about energy use as well.” “The Energy SmartPARKS program will make positive, tangible advancements by greening the parks and by reducing energy costs and carbon emissions,” said Mary A. Bomar, Director of the National Park Service. “This is a great way to demonstrate our environmental leadership as we approach the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016.” On the ground, parks will use funding from Energy SmartPARKS to deploy cutting-edge technology as well as traditional solutions, including projects that retrofit lighting systems; purchase electric utility vehicles; install solar panel systems; upgrade meters and thermostats; replace windows and furnaces; study the feasibility of wind power; and conduct energy audits. Lessons learned from these projects can be used in other national parks and in the homes of every American. A list of some of the 2009 projects is available. Two recent projects illustrate the exciting possibilities of Energy SmartPARKS in the future: the exterior relighting of both the White House and the Washington Monument. With ground-breaking technology that improved the exterior illumination, these national icons now look beautiful while being energy efficient at the same time. Although the official assessment of the White House relighting project by DOE has not yet been conducted, early estimates anticipate over 50% energy reduction. The Washington Monument relighting project resulted in a 27% energy reduction with a cut of 36 tons per year in carbon emissions according to the official DOE assessment. The Energy SmartPARKS program will also develop new and expand existing partnerships with the private, non-profit, and academic sectors. These partners may help raise funds, identify projects, find technological solutions, and educate the public. The National Park Service is developing an Energy SmartPARKS website, in partnership with DOI and DOE, to showcase its commitment to a green energy future in America. Visit www.nps.gov/energy in the coming weeks.
