Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad Caverns National Park covers 46,766 acres in New Mexico, with 120 known caves beneath it. Carlsbad Cavern, the one developed for visitors, has over 30 miles of passage, and the park had 410,778 recreation visits in 2025.

Congress made it a national park on 14 May 1930, and it became a World Heritage Site in December 1995. We checked the figures below on 28 October 2026 on the park's own pages and alerts, Recreation.gov, NOAA's normals, the US Naval Observatory and the federal time-zone rules.

Why does Carlsbad Cavern need two tickets, $1 and $15?

Carlsbad Cavern needs two purchases because two different sellers take the money. Recreation.gov sells the $1 timed-entry reservation, which only picks an entry time. The visitor centre sells the $15 entrance ticket on arrival, by cash or card, to every visitor aged 16 or over.

Carlsbad Caverns charges no car fee, and the entrance ticket is good for three days. Children aged 15 and under enter free but still need a $1 reservation, as do holders of an America the Beautiful pass. Recreation.gov gives no refunds on the reservation, and each ticket carries the buyer's name and stays with that person.

Carlsbad Caverns is not one of the eleven parks with a $100 surcharge for non-residents in 2026. Two adults from abroad pay $30 at the counter and $2 for their reservations, $32 in all. The $250 non-resident annual pass covers the holder and three adults here, so it pays off only on a longer park trip.

The fee-free day on 11 November applies to US citizens and residents only, and reservation fees may still apply. Our guide to national park fees for international visitors explains when the annual pass is worth buying.

When do Carlsbad Cavern's timed-entry tickets run out?

Carlsbad Cavern's timed-entry tickets sold out on 9, 10 and 11 October 2026, all 1,550 a day, and nearly sold out on 12 October. From 28 October to 25 November no day was close to full: the highest count was 512, on Monday 23 November. From 1 to 12 November the count sat at 109 to 268 reservations a day.

Tickets go on sale 30 days ahead at 8 a.m. Mountain Time and stay on sale until 7 a.m. on the day. On the morning of 28 October dates up to 26 November were on sale, and 27 November was released at 8 a.m. Recreation.gov showed nothing scheduled for January to March 2027.

Recreation.gov sells five entry times a day: 9:30, 10:30, 11:30 and 12:30, and 1:15 p.m. Each lets you in from the booked time until 2:30 p.m. "The park does not offer stand-by or wait list tickets," Recreation.gov says. Bring the confirmation email, because phone coverage may be missing.

The Park Service's pages disagree on whether the reservation is required. The fees page says one "must be purchased", while the park's alert calls reservations "highly recommended". Treat it as required. The cavern, roads and trails are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day: 26 November, 25 December and 1 January 2027.

Should you take the elevator or the Natural Entrance into Carlsbad Cavern?

The Natural Entrance Trail is the walk into Carlsbad Cavern: 1.25 miles down an "extremely steep" path that drops about 750 feet. The park compares that with walking down a "75-story building", and one of its pages says 79 storeys. The park does not recommend the trail to anyone with heart or breathing conditions, and the trail is not accessible.

The elevator runs from the visitor centre down to the Big Room level, about 750 feet below the surface. The park's hours page, last updated on 6 May 2025, gives these times:

Whether the elevators were running on 28 October 2026 could not be confirmed. No park alert reported them out of service that day, and no page said they were working. The park's home page, updated in January 2026, repeats the 9:30 to 2:30 entry hours and the 2:15 last ticket.

On 26 and 27 August 2026 the Natural Entrance Trail closed for construction, and the elevators were the only way in. The park's alert list still carried that closure on 28 October, after its end date had passed. Recreation.gov warns of long waits for the elevator out, longer on holiday weekends.

How long does the Big Room Trail in Carlsbad Cavern take?

The Big Room Trail in Carlsbad Cavern is a 1.25-mile loop that takes about an hour and a half on average. The route is "relatively flat", and parts of it are wheelchair accessible. A shortcut cuts the walk to about 0.6 miles and 45 minutes.

The distances and times are the park's own. For a one-hour visit, the park's FAQ suggests the elevator down and up, with the Big Room Trail in between.

The Big Room covers 8.2 acres, "the largest, readily accessible cave chamber in North America" in the park's words. The Natural Entrance route passes Devil's Spring, the Whale's Mouth and Iceberg Rock. A rope ladder used by explorers in 1924 is on the Big Room route.

The Underground Lunchroom, at the foot of the elevators, has the cavern's only restrooms and its only food, sold from a limited snack bar. Visitors who use a wheelchair must enter by elevator, and the park provides no wheelchairs.

Which ranger tours go beyond the Big Room in Carlsbad Cavern?

Carlsbad Cavern has two ranger-guided tours on its 2026 schedule: King's Palace and Lower Cave. Both cost extra on top of the $15 entrance ticket. Senior and Access pass holders pay the child price.

The King's Palace Tour runs only "if we have enough staff for the day", the schedule says. It passes through "four highly decorated chambers" to 830 feet below the surface, the deepest point of the cavern open to the public. The ranger briefly turns off all the lights. Children under 6 cannot join, and the group takes at most 12.

The Lower Cave Tour takes only visitors aged 12 and over. It descends 60 feet of ladders and a slope walked backwards on a knotted rope. Hiking boots with an aggressive tread are required, and the park supplies helmets and gloves. On 28 October 2026 Recreation.gov showed every Wednesday from 28 October to 25 November sold out. Recreation.gov had not yet released December's Wednesdays.

Two older Park Service pages, from May and September 2025, still say all tours are suspended. The tour schedule and both tour pages are newer and describe tours that run. The Slaughter Canyon Cave Tour is not on the schedule, and no page we read says whether it is paused or ended.

Are the Carlsbad Caverns bats still flying in late October?

The Carlsbad Caverns bats are at the end of their season in late October. The Park Service says the Brazilian free-tailed bats "depart for southern locations in Mexico by late October". Another of its pages says they fly out of the cavern from April to mid-October.

The free Bat Flight Program is a ranger talk before the evening outflight, from April to October. The park's 2026 event listing ran it every day from 30 May to 31 October. The program needs no reservation, and seats go first come, first served.

The listing gives 5:45 p.m. for every date, but the start time moves with sunset. In July the program typically starts around 7:30 p.m., the park says. On 28 October sunset was at 6:11 p.m., and on 1 November, after the clocks went back, it was at 5:08 p.m. Ask at the visitor centre on the day.

The park counts 17 bat species, three of which roost in Carlsbad Cavern. The park estimates its largest colony, of Brazilian free-tailed bats, at about 400,000. The outflight can last up to three hours. The best flights normally come in August and September, when the young join and migrants arrive from the north.

The park bans electronic devices at the program, cameras and phones included. Filming needs a permit applied for at least two weeks ahead. The program may be cancelled for lightning, but the bats fly in rain unless it is a heavy downpour or brings high winds.

What can you carry into Carlsbad Cavern?

Carlsbad Cavern allows only plain water: no food, gum or candy. Visitors may eat and drink only at the Underground Lunchroom snack bar. Flash photography is allowed, but tripods, bipods and monopods are banned.

Strollers, walking sticks and pets are not allowed in the cavern; service dogs are the exception. A kennel at the visitor centre takes pets for a fee, and pets may not be left alone in a car. The bookstore rents audio guides.

The cavern stays at 56°F (13°C) all year, at 90% humidity in Recreation.gov's figure. The park suggests a light jacket or long sleeves. Its alert recommends closed-toe shoes with good traction, because flip-flops and sandals make falls more likely.

The park bans shoes, clothing and gear worn in another cave, to slow white-nose syndrome. Visitors walk across bio-cleaning mats on the way out. The park found the fungus that causes the disease on cave myotis bats in May 2024. The Park Service says the migratory free-tailed colony is "not expected to suffer the same impacts".

How far is Carlsbad Caverns from El Paso and Guadalupe Mountains?

Carlsbad Caverns is about 145 miles by road from El Paso's airport, and the only road into the park leaves US 62/180 at White's City. White's City is 20 miles southwest of the city of Carlsbad. From the gate there, the entrance road runs seven miles to the visitor centre, steep and winding in sections.

The distances are our own routing, without traffic. The park's own figures agree within a mile or two: 304 miles from Albuquerque, 103 from Roswell, 194 from Midland. Its directions page puts White's City 145 miles from El Paso and gives 151 to the visitor centre, and its FAQ says 142.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, across the line in Texas, is 42 miles away by our routing. White's City lies between the two parks and, by a 2021 Park Service page, sells the nearest fuel to both. That page lists a restaurant, groceries, RV hookups and lodging; we found no current room prices.

Carlsbad Caverns has no campground. The information desk issues free backcountry permits on the day, and overnight RV parking and car camping are not allowed. Commercial campgrounds are at White's City and in Carlsbad.

Major airlines serve El Paso, Albuquerque, Roswell, Lubbock and Midland, and Greyhound reaches Carlsbad. The park lists no shuttle, so a car is the practical way in.

Why do phones show the wrong time at Carlsbad Caverns?

Phones at Carlsbad Caverns can jump between Mountain and Central Time, Recreation.gov warns, because the park is close to the Central zone. New Mexico lies wholly in the Mountain zone under the federal rules. Reservation times and park hours are Mountain Time.

Guadalupe Mountains National Park is also on Mountain Time, in its own words: "Your smart devices will probably be wrong." Daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. on 1 November 2026, and Carlsbad Caverns is at UTC−7 until 14 March 2027.

What is still closed at Carlsbad Caverns after the 2022 flood?

Walnut Canyon Desert Drive, the park's nine-mile gravel loop, has been closed since a flood in August 2022. On 28 October 2026 the park's alert said the drive "and some trails remain closed after extensive flood damage". The main road to the visitor centre and the cavern is open.

The Guadalupe Ridge Trail from the visitor centre to the Slaughter Canyon Trail is closed, and so are the Rattlesnake Canyon and Juniper Ridge trails. Old Guano, Slaughter Canyon, Yucca Canyon, Ussery and Double Canyon have reopened after repairs. The western part of the Guadalupe Ridge Trail is open too.

A park update "as of March 2025" planned the road's construction for fiscal year 2027 and warned that "timeframes could be extended". The park's alert said fire restrictions had been lifted, although its conditions page, from May 2025, still lists fires and grills as prohibited.

How hot is the desert above Carlsbad Cavern?

The desert above Carlsbad Cavern reaches 90°F or more on about 83 days a year at NOAA's Carlsbad Caverns station, while the cave stays at 56°F. The station sits at 4,435 feet, about 1,300 feet above the city of Carlsbad. The city reaches 90°F on about 119 days.

The table gives NOAA's 1991 to 2020 average highs and lows. The park station gets 13.79 inches of rain a year, most in September and least in January. It has about 43 freezing nights a year. The Park Service calls March to May windy and expects frequent rain in August and September.

March was the busiest month in 2025, with 54,906 visits, and January the quietest, with 23,733. The Park Service's series shows zero visits for October 2025, against 35,854 in October 2024. The year's total of 410,778 was 10.8% below 2024's 460,474, so 2025 is no guide to a normal year.

Carlsbad Caverns is one of the parks in our guide to New Mexico. White Sands National Park has a guide of its own.