Carlsbad Caverns National Park was the first national park that we visited and definitely set the bar high for us. AJ was super excited about this one as it’s right up his alley, but I wasn’t sure what to expect. In our opinion, it is completely underrated and remains on almost everyone’s favorites so far. We made our visit at the end of May and we loved it.
A trip to Carlsbad could be done in a day, but we spent three days at the park so we could experience all of it. We never felt rushed and got to experience nearly all of the programs they offered. If all you have is a day, I would definitely still say “GO” and be awed, but I would recommend multiple days, especially if you have kids.
All About Carlsbad Caverns
Carlsbad Caverns is located in Carlsbad, New Mexico. There are more than 100 caves in all of Carlsbad, but the most well-known feature is the Big Room. The Big Room alone is over 8.2 acres and the path around it is 1.25 miles. It is the largest room cave in North America. The Big Room is in the heart of the caverns and there are two entrances for visitors to go at their own pace. Both do require reservations which can be made online or by calling in. You will also have to have either a National Park Pass or pay the entrance fee of $15 per person 16 and older. Ok, back to how to get in now! The first is an elevator ride down. The elevators take you 750 feet down into the caves right at the start of the Big Room trail. The other way is to hike in on the Natural Entrance. The natural entrance is another 1.25 miles and pretty steep. I definitely recommend good, grippy shoes because it can also be slick in some places. We did, and loved, both!
Other Kinds Of Tours
On our first day, we did the self-guided tour. We opted to hike in the natural entrance, walk through the big room, and take the elevator out. We were awed constantly, both on the natural entrance trail and when we made it to the big room trail. Our legs and feet were definitely feeling tired at the end and we loved that the elevator was an option for us to get out. While on our self-guided tour, we learned they also offered guided tours. Due to Covid, they shut them all down but had just brought back the King’s Palace tour days before. (At the time of this writing, the King’s Palace tour remains the only ranger-guided tour available still.) We were so excited to see more and opted to join. We made sure we got our reservations on Recreation.gov and went the next day. These are very limited so make sure you plan in advance if you would like to go.
Ranger Guided Tour
We got lucky and got a ticket to the King’s Palace tour and were so excited to see more of the caverns. It’s recommended to get there 30-45 minutes early so you have time to get to the bottom where the tour starts. We got there about 45 minutes early and took the elevator down. With time to spare, we got to look around the cafeteria and read up on more facts and talk with a ranger. On the tour, we walked another 1 mile, but it was much less strenuous than the natural entrance trail and similar to the big room trail. The ranger leading the tour gave us many facts and pointed out many things we wouldn’t have otherwise noticed. We also got to experience the cave in blackout conditions. Overall, we really like the additional tour and would absolutely recommend it.
More Things To Do At Carlsbad Caverns
Bat Flight
One of the coolest things we got to do was the bat flight program. Even better, it’s a completely free program! It was once estimated that about a million bats lived in the caverns, but that number has decreased significantly. Still, if you visit from May to October, the bats can put on quite the show. At about dusk, thousands of bats all exit the cave together in a swirling tornado. A ranger is there beforehand, giving facts about bats which is awesome for both kids and adults alike. We visited this on two evenings. On our first evening, we were underwhelmed because only a small amount of bats came out together. We revisited the next night and were so glad we did because it was spectacular. If you visit in August or September, you will see the most bats because that’s when all the baby bats are born! If you do join, please abide by the no electronics rule they have.
Night Sky Program
After our second bat flight program watching, we got to participate in the night sky program. We got to join in the first night sky program they brought back since Covid. A park ranger educated us on many constellations and we even got to point out our own that we found. This is also a completely free program.
Hiking
Besides inside the cavern hiking, there is a ton of hiking outside as well. Our visit didn’t include much hiking because many trails were closed due to fire danger and it was just plain hot. They now also offer free night hikes after the bat flight program on certain days for guests over 8. We definitely want to check this out next time we visit!
All in all, we loved our visit to Carlsbad Caverns and think it’s a completely underrated park. Was this helpful? Let me know in the comments!