Things To Do

CONTENTS

All visitors to the park should tour the main section of the cave, the Big Room self-guided tour. The Natural Entrance self-guided tour is also very impressive, but it is not recommended for visitors with any kind of health problems because it is very steep.

Guided tours of varying difficulties in Carlsbad Cavern and other park caves are available. To reserve tickets for a guided tour, call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov.

While there are a variety of cave tours availableâfrom the self-guided areas of the Big Room to crawling through narrow passageways on the Hall of the White Giant Tour or in Spider Caveâthere are also opportunities for hiking and backcountry camping, attending programs in the visitor center, and watching the incredible exodus of Mexican free-tail bats out of Carlsbad Cavern at dusk in the summer.

Self-Guided Cave Tours
The basic cavern entry is by way of two self-guided routesâthe Big Room Route and the Natural Entrance Route. Tickets are sold at the visitor center each day, except December 25. Entrance fee tickets are good for three days, but do not include guided or other special tours. Summer hours are in effect from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Ranger-Guided Cave Tours
Several guided tours are available. Reservations are highly recommended for all guided tours. For advanced reservations, call 1.877.444.6777 or visit the Recreation.gov website.

Guided tours range in difficulty from walking on paved trails to walking rough dirt trails to crawling through narrow cave passages. Consult the park newspaper, the website, or ask a ranger for more information regarding difficulty and required equipment.

Guided tours are half price for children ages 15 and younger, and Senior and Access Pass holders.

Reservations are highly recommended for all guided cave tours at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Payment: Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express are accepted.

Cancellation: All tour cancellations will be charged $3.00 per ticket. Cancellations made less than 1 hour before the tour will not receive a refund.

The cave climate is cool and varies little from the annual 56°F (13°C) average temperature. A light jacket or sweater, and comfortable shoes with rubber soles for good traction are appropriate year-round.

NOTE: Baby strollers are not permitted in the cave. Bring a baby backpack if you need to carry your child.

Children 3 years of age and under are not permitted on any of the guided tours offered at Carlsbad Caverns.

Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult that is at least 18.

The park reserves the right to alter any tour due to safety and other conditions.

Kings Palace Tour

Reservations are required for the Kings Palace tour. To make reservations call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov.

Duration: 1½ hours

When: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Weekendâ10 and 11 a.m.; 2 and 3 p.m.

Off-season (spring, fall and winter)â10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Where: Tour departs from the underground rest area.

Cost: $8 for adults and $4 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket.

Note: Children under 4 years old are not permitted on the Kings Palace Tour. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Slaughter Canyon Cave Tour

Reservations are required for Slaughter Canyon Cave. Make reservations by calling 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov.

Cost: Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $7.50 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders.

Duration: 2 hours

When: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Weekendâ10 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily

Off-season (fall, winter and spring)â10 a.m. weekends only

Where: DO NOT GO TO THE VISITOR CENTER FOR THIS TOUR! SLAUGHTER CANYON CAVE IS 23 MILES FROM THE VISITOR CENTER. FROM WHITES CITY, TAKE STATE HIGHWAY 62/180 5 MILES SOUTH TO COUNTY ROAD 418. FOLLOW THE SIGNS TO SLAUGHTER CANYON CAVE. THE TOUR MEETS AT THE CAVE ENTRANCEâNOT THE PARKING LOT. PLEASE ARRIVE 15 MINUTES BEFORE THE SCHEDULED TOUR TIME.

There is a strenuous half-mile hike to the cavern entrance, which takes 30 to 45 minutes. The cave trails are narrow, uneven, and very slippery. Everyone must walk single file with their own light source. The cave passages are wide, but there are tall steps to maneuver up and down. Tours depart from the cave entrance at the scheduled time.

Requirements: Sturdy hiking shoes, drinking water, and a strong flashlight with fresh batteries are requiredâpenlights are not sufficient.

All tour participants must be age 6 or older. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Spider Cave Tour

Reservations are required for the Spider Cave tour. To make reservations call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov.

Cost: $20 for adults and $10 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders.

Duration: 4 hours

When: Sunday at 1 p.m.

Where: The tour departs from the visitor center, followed by a short drive and a short hike to the cave.

Requirements: Ages 12 and over. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must be physically and mentally able to safely negotiate cave passages containing fragile formations without harm to the cave, yourself, or others.

Hiking boots or other sturdy shoes, 4 AA batteries, soft knee pads, cotton or leather gloves, long pants and water for the hike are also required. (The park provides hardhats and headlamps.)

Natural Entrance Self-Guided Tour

Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

When: Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend hoursâ8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Early September to late May hoursâ8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Closed December 25.

Cost: Adults - $6; Children 15 and under - Free; Annual Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass and Volunteer Pass - Free for the cardholder plus plus three adults.

All visitors who enter Carlsbad Cavernâfor any tourâare required to purchase an Entrance Fee ticket. This ticket is good for 3 days.

Lower Cave Tour

Reservations are required for the Lower Cave tour. To make reservations call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov.

Cost: $20 for adults and $10 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket.

Duration: 3 hours

When: Monday through Friday at 1 p.m.

Where: Tour departs from the visitor center lobby.

Good sneakers or hiking boots, 4 AA batteries, and cotton or leather gloves are also required.

Hall of the White Giant Tour

Reservations are required for the Hall of the White Giant tour. To make reservations call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov.

Cost: $20 for adults and $10 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket.

Duration: 4 hours

When: Saturday, 1 p.m.

Where: Tour departs from the visitor center lobby.

Hiking boots or other sturdy shoes, 4 AA batteries, soft knee pads, cotton or leather gloves, and long pants are also required. (The park provides hardhats and headlamps.)

Bat Flight Program

Prior to the evening bat flight, a program is given at the cavern entrance by a park ranger. The starting time of the talk varies with sunsetâit is best to call the park at 505.785.3012 or check at the visitor center for the exact time. Programs may be canceled in the event of inclement weather. Bat flight programs are scheduled from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October. There is no charge for the bat flight program. In late October or early November, the bats migrate to Mexico for the winter; they return in April or May, depending on the weather.

Best Flights
The best bat flights normally occur in July and August. At this time baby bats, born in early summer, join the flight along with migrating bats from colonies further north.

Return Flights
The daily pre-dawn return of the bats is different from the evening exit flights but are just as impressive. Early risers can see the bats as they re-enter Carlsbad Cavern with spectacular dives from heights of hundreds of feet. Individual bats diving in from every direction may reach speeds of 40 km/h (25 mph) or more.

Bat Flight Breakfast
The 51st annual Bat Flight Breakfast is Saturday, July 19, from 5 to 7 a.m. Park employees sponsor this breakfast once each year. A reasonable fee is charged for the breakfast ($7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under). The self-guided tour fees are waived for all Bat Flight Breakfast participants.

For Your Comfort and Safety
Cameras, including video cameras, are not permitted at the bat flight program. Several scientific studies, along with the observations of many bat researchers from around the world, have documented the disturbance caused to bats by lights, especially white light such as that in flash photography.

Besides the risks to the bats, it is very difficult to get good quality photos of a bat flight under any circumstances, and the risks simply arenât worth the results that most visitors get. Photos of the bat flight will be available for sale at a nominal fee at a sales station behind the amphitheater seating area. Photography or other filming at bat flight may be done under a special use permit obtained from the park at least two weeks in advance.

Spaces to accommodate people using wheelchairs are located at the entrance to the amphitheater. Restrooms are available and fully accessible.

Pets are not allowed in the amphitheater area.

Notice: Cameras, including video cameras, are NOT permitted at the bat flight program.

Left Hand Tunnel Tour

On this lantern-lit tour, your guide will highlight Carlsbad Cavern history, formations, cave pools and Permian-age fossils. This is the easiest of the adventure tours on unpaved trails. Be aware that the dirt trail winds over uneven or slippery slopes and careful footing is required to avoid cavern pools and fragile formations. Lanterns are provided.

Reservations are required for the Left Hand Tunnel tour. To make reservations call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov.

Duration: 2 hours

When: Daily at 9 a.m.

Where: Tour departs from the visitor center lobby.

Cost: $7 for adults and $3.50 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket.

Requirements: Good walking shoes. Ages 6 and over. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Big Room Self-Guided Tour

The basic tour through Carlsbad Cavern is the Big Room route, a one-mile, self-guided underground walk around the perimeter of the largest room in the cave, the Big Room. An audio guide notably enhances the tour. Taking approximately 1½ hours, this circular route passes many large and famous features including Bottomless Pit, Giant Dome, Rock of Ages, and Painted Grotto. Highly decorated and immense, the Big Room should be seen by all park visitors.

Access to the Big Room is provided by elevators located in the visitor center. The relatively level and well-lit trails make this the ideal tour for visitors with limited time or walking difficulties. Approximately two-thirds of the Big Room is accessible to people using wheelchairs with assistance, an access guide is available at the visitor center information desk. Baby strollers are not permitted in any part of the cave. Bring a baby backpack if you need to carry your child.

Just how BIG is the Big Room? The Atlas of Great Caves of the World by Courbon, Chabert, Bosted & Lindsley published in 1989 states that the floor area of the Big Room in Carlsbad Cavern is 33,210 square meters. 33,210 sq. meters equals approximately 357,480 sq. ft. A football field is 360 feet long (including the end zones) by 160 feet wide or equal to 57,600 sq. ft. By dividing 57,600 sq. ft. into 357,480 sq. ft., you roughly get that 6.2 football fields would fit into the Big Room. In acres, one acre is equal to 4,840 sq. yards or 43,560 sq. feet. Divide 43,560 sq. ft into 357,480 sq. ft. and we find that the Big Room is 8.2 acres in size (more or less).

Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

When: Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend hoursâ8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Early September to late May hoursâ8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Closed December 25.

Cost: Adults - $6; Children 15 and under - Free; Annual Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass and Volunteer Pass - Free for the cardholder plus plus three adults.

All visitors who enter Carlsbad Cavernâfor any tourâare required to purchase an Entrance Fee ticket. This ticket is good for 3 days.

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