Photo: National Park Service Digital Image Archives, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
On top, Carlsbad Caverns is quiet Chihuahuan Desert. Underneath is one of the largest cave chambers on the continent, filled with stalactites, columns and draperies that took hundreds of thousands of years to grow. One full day covers the highlights: walk down through the Natural Entrance, loop the Big Room, and if you can, join a ranger tour. The cave stays cool all year, which makes it a good summer escape when the desert is baking. From late spring into October, stay for dusk, when hundreds of thousands of bats pour out of the entrance.
TRAILS
1 OF 4
Natural Entrance Trail
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
1.25 mi one way
Elevation gain
750 ft descent
Cavern · visitor center — Walk into the cave the way the bats leave it. Steep, paved switchbacks drop from daylight through the huge mouth into darkness, past Devil's Den, the Whale's Mouth and the boulder called Iceberg Rock. It's all downhill, about the height of a 75-story building, and it ends at the Big Room. Wear shoes with good grip and plan on about an hour.
⚠︎ Timed-entry reservation required. The Natural Entrance closes to new hikers earlier in the day than the elevators.
Photo: CarlsbadCavernsNPS, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
2 OF 4
Big Room
Difficulty
Easy
Length
1.25 mi loop
Elevation gain
Mostly flat
Cavern · Big Room (elevator or Natural Entrance) — The largest single cave chamber by volume in North America, and the reason the park exists. A level path loops past the Bottomless Pit, the Hall of Giants and the Rock of Ages, with formations in every direction. A shortcut cuts it to about 0.6 mile, and parts of the loop work for wheelchairs. Take your time; most people need an hour and a half.
⚠︎ Timed-entry reservation required. Stay on the trail and do not touch the formations.
Photo: CarlsbadCavernsNPS, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
3 OF 4
King's Palace Tour
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
1 mi
Elevation gain
80 ft
Cavern · ranger-guided from the Big Room — A ranger leads you through four of the most decorated rooms in the cave, down to the deepest point open to the public, about 830 feet below the desert. The formations here are delicate and dense, and the ranger fills in the history of the early explorers. It takes about an hour and a half. Kids need to be at least 4.
⚠︎ Ranger-guided only. Reserve on recreation.gov.
Photo: CarlsbadCavernsNPS, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
4 OF 4
Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail
Difficulty
Easy
Length
0.5 mi loop
Elevation gain
Mostly flat
Surface · visitor center — A short, mostly paved loop next to the visitor center, with signs naming the yuccas, agaves and cacti of the desert above the cave. Wide views look out over the plains and down Walnut Canyon. It's a good way to fill time before your cave entry, or to stretch your legs before the evening bat flight.
Photo: Daniel Mayer, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Plan your Carlsbad Caverns trip
The Nova Bound app builds the whole trip around these trails: where to stay, where to charge, and what to see each day. Coming soon to the App Store.
Distances are round trip unless noted, from NPS.gov and rounded. Trails, permits and road openings change; always check nps.gov before you go. Trail write-ups by Nova Bound.