Carlsbad Caverns National Park Self-Guided Tours

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a hidden gem in New Mexico that will leave you speechless. More than 120 caves are known to exist in this park; they were all created when sulfuric acid dissolved the limestone in the area, leaving behind caverns of varying sizes.

There are two ways to access this hidden wonder: hiking the steep 1.25-mile Natural Entrance trail or riding the elevator down to the Big Room. You can take self-guided tours of the park and enjoy it through these entrances.

Early in June, we went to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Our adventure across the Southwest’s national parks has just begun. We started from Fort Worth, Texas, and traveled for about 7 hours before reaching Carlsbad Caverns.

We planned to enter the park from The Natural Entrance and exit via the elevator. However, we had to change our original plan because we got to the park a little after 2 o’clock. The last elevator out of the cavern was at 4.45 pm, while the latest hike into the cavern was at 2.30 pm. I believed we wouldn’t have enough time to do Carlsbad Caverns’ self-guided tours. We wanted to take our time and explore the park at our own pace.

As a result, the following is the itinerary we used to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park:

• Enter the cavern by elevator
• Return for the bat flying program
• The next day, enter the cavern via The Natural Entrance

If possible, arrive early and begin your self-guided tour of the cavern from The Natural Entrance. After that, exit via the elevator. Return later in the day for the Bat Flight Program.

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Carlsbad Caverns Self Guided Tours: The Big Room Trail

The Big Room is, without a doubt, the most well-known path in the park and the largest single cave chamber in North America by volume.

Will Rogers, an actor and comedian, described the cavern as “the Grand Canyon with a roof over it.”

To begin your self guided cave tours in The Big Room, rent an audio guide from the WNPA store in the Visitor Center. It costs $5 a day. In addition to English, the park offered an audio guide in Spanish, German, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese. Additionally, there is an English children’s edition.

Fortunately, we didn’t need to rent the audio guide because my husband is a walking geology book.

The Big Room route is the number one tour in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It is one mile long, very level, well lit, and takes an average of 1.5 hours to walk through.

If you have limited time or mobility issues, there is even a shortcut that reduces the trail’s length by about half a mile.

Additionally, wheelchair accessibility is available on two-thirds of the Big Room walk.

Furthermore, there are restrooms and a dining area near the elevators that you can use before or after the tour. Don’t forget to use these underground facilities. It’s unlikely that you’ll find facilities like that elsewhere.

The Big Room Tour

After a one-minute elevator journey, we arrived at the Underground Rest Area, located 750 feet below the Visitor Center. Before beginning the self-guided tour, we had a short stroll around and used the restroom.

Postcards can be written and sent from this location. Even the stamp says “mailed from 750 below ground”!

The most popular trails in Carlsbad Caverns National Park include Big Room Trail, Natural Entrance Trail, and The King’s Palace Tour (guided tour). They are paved, dimly lit, and have railings lining the trails.

We began the tour of the Big Room by following the arrows that led there from the Underground Rest Area.

And what a breathtaking view of the underworld we discovered there! We spotted stalactites and stalagmites of all sizes and shapes. There are witch’s fingers, lace, lion’s tails, soda straws, and more.

We also walked by several numbers of significant landmarks, including the Painted Grotto, Giant Dome, Bottomless Pit, and Rock of Ages.

Of course, we also spotted the rope ladder that the 1924 explorers had used! Don’t forget to bring a flashlight because it’s slightly dark here.

My husband described what type of rocks we could see in the cave. He also told us about the process of rock formations and cave formations. It’s like sitting in a Geology 101 class.

You can read the stories of the cave and formation discoveries on markers placed along the routes.

Carlsbad Caverns Self Guided Tours: The Natural Entrance

The next morning, we returned to the park early. This time, we used the Natural Entrance to enter the cave. I had the impression that I was entering the earth’s enormous mouth as I moved toward that wide aperture. The trail descended about 750 feet, and it was steep.

But it wasn’t as congested as the entry to the Big Room. At that time, we were the only ones to use the Natural Entrance Trail.

The 1.25-mile journey travels along the typical explorer’s path. Over the Main Corridor, a tall and roomy trunk passage, we descended into the ground over steep, winding routes. Once inside, we saw the ground covered in bat droppings and that it smelled awful.

As we descended deeper into the cave, I told my husband that I couldn’t begin to fathom how brave the first explorer must have been to discover it. Trekking into the pitch-black cave with only lanterns for light and not knowing what awaited him below. Aren’t we fortunate to have such explorers so that we can now enter the cave without fear or with less fear?

Among the formations we saw along the way were Bat Cave, Devil’s Spring, Green Lake Overlook, the Boneyard, and the Whale’s Mouth. They were also fantastic! We felt incredibly blessed to be able to explore this hidden marvel.

We used the elevator to return to the visitor center once we reached the Big Room. I wish we had more time to take one of the guided tours.

Carlsbad Caverns NP: the Bat Flight Program

Watching the bats emerge from the Natural Entrance at Carlsbad Caverns is something you shouldn’t miss. That’s what we did the night we arrived.

We returned to the park to join the Bat Flight Program after taking a shower and eating dinner. Typically, it begins about 6:30 pm, but as the summer goes on and the times of sunset change, it can shift. My husband was excited because he couldn’t wait to see the bats emerge from the cave.

The Bat Flight Program is at the Bat Flight Amphitheater, located at the Natural Entrance of Carlsbad Cavern. The Visitor Center is roughly five minutes away, and there is no cost. At the entrance to the theater, there are wheelchair-accessible spaces.

We sat with the other park visitors, listening to the ranger talk about the program and the bats. Unfortunately, just as she was finishing up, a siren signaled that we needed to evacuate the area. The storm was on its way. Agh.

We were upset that we didn’t get to view the bats at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. (A few years later, we witnessed bat emergence from the Texas Hill Country’s Old Tunnel State Park.)

The Bat Flight Program runs from late May to October. The best flight usually occurs in August and September, when early summer offspring join the flight along with migratory bats from northern colonies.

The program and its immediate surroundings are off-limits to electronic devices. Light and music both frighten bats, which can alter their behavior. All types of cameras, laptop computers, cell phones, iPads, iPods, tablets, and MP3 players are among the electronic devices.

Important Information About Carlsbad Caverns NP:

– Surprisingly, the distance from North Texas is about 7 hours. Plan your next vacation here, North Texans.

– Try to come at midday or in the morning. Start at the Natural Entrance, explore the Big Room, then exit via the elevator.

– There is no accessible trail at The Natural Entrance. Before starting this strenuous walk, make sure your health is excellent.

– Strollers are not allowed, but baby backpacks are recommended.

– The cave’s average year-round temperature is 56°F (13°C). You might want to bring a sweater or a light jacket. However, the atmosphere is humid.

– You should wear comfortable shoes, rubber-soled, and have decent tread.

– If you have worn the same shoes or brought the same equipment into Carlsbad Caverns within the last ten years, they will ask you to clean your items to prevent the spread of a deadly and contagious bat fungus.

– Flash photography is allowed within the cave. Tripods are also allowed on the Big Room and Natural Entrance routes. Bring your camera, then!

– No flavored water, beverages, or all kind of food, including gum, mints, or sweets.

– No tobacco products, including chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes/vaping.

– Bring your inner voice, please.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park Hours & Seasons

–  The park is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Days. This includes the visitor center, cavern, roads, and trails.

–  Visitor Center hours are 8 am to 5 pm.

– Last cavern entrance ticket is sold at 2.15 pm.

– Last cavern entrance 2.30 pm.

– Elevator into the cavern 8.30 am – 2.30 pm.

– Last elevator out of the cavern 4.45 pm.

– Hike into the cavern 8.30 am – 2.30 pm.

– Last time to hike out of the cavern 2.30 pm (complete hike out by 3.30 pm.)

Carlsbad Caverns Ticket Prices:

– Adults (16 and older) $15 per individual

– Free for children under 15

– Entrance tickets must be purchased in advance and are valid for three days.

– You can always enter for free using your America the Beautiful National Park pass.

– Families with 4th Grade Passes are admitted free of charge.

– Veterans of the U.S. military are admitted free with proper identification.

– Gold Star families with a voucher are admitted free.

– Fee-free days in 2022 will be observed on January 17 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, April 16 for the start of National Park Week, August 4 for the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act, September 24 for National Public Lands Day, and November 11 for Veterans Day.

As of now, you must reserve a ticket by calling 877-444-6777 or making an online purchase order to access Carlsbad Cavern. You can’t make a reservation at the park. All tickets must be purchased upon arrival at the visitor center.

Best time to visit Carlsbad Cavern

Any time of year is fine because the temperature within the cavern is roughly 56F all year. The park recommends bringing a light jacket or sweater, although it’s humid in the cavern. During our summertime visit, shorts and t-shirts were suitable.

The main issue with visiting in the winter is that you’ll need to carry a sweater or coat on your journey inside the cavern. I don’t think it’s comfy, in my opinion.

Accommodations & Meals:

We stayed at the Rodeway Inn and ate dinner at the Velvet Garter Saloon and Restaurant near the entrance. Both were pretty poor, but we came for the caves and traveling another 30 minutes for better hotels and restaurants was not an option after a long day.

Bring your room scent and breakfast if you decide staying at that hotel. They didn’t provide enough breakfast for everyone, and all they offered were individually wrapped muffins and donuts. No coffee and juice. It was barely 8 a.m., and everything had vanished.

The restaurant’s service was so slow. When a family who arrived after us left, we hadn’t yet received our food. Finally, they served the food, but they gave me the wrong order, and our son’s grilled cheese was the last to arrive. They didn’t taste great. You might try the eatery across the street; they might be better.

Dogs at Carlsbad Caverns

Unfortunately, dogs are not permitted within the cavern, at the visitor center, during the Bat Flight program, on unpaved park trails outside of the park, or off-road.

However, Carlsbad Caverns Trading Company, the park’s concessionaire, operates a kennel service there. It is only available for daytime use and is first-come, first-served.

While you tour the caves, your dog will be kept in a controlled environment. It costs $10 each day.

For more detailed information, call the Carlsbad Caverns Trading Company at 575-785-2281.

Overall, we were satisfied with our experience in this hidden world though we missed the Bats Flight Program. On your upcoming holiday, I highly recommend you tour Carlsbad Caverns and take the self-guided tours.

Address for GPS: 727 Caverns Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220

Nearby National Parks

Salt Flat, Texas, is home to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, about 30 minutes drive to the southwest. Location: Salt Flat, Texas 79847.

Despite being quite distant to the west, White Sands National Park is well worth the three hours and thirty minutes it takes to get there. Address: 19955 US-70, Alamogordo, New Mexico 88310.