Carlsbad Caverns National Park Travel Guide
When we first got to Carlsbad, the whole state was shut down.
So we quickly changed plans and explored throughout Texas and New Mexico, hitting up Guadalupe Mountains National Park and White Sands National Park.
By the time we had explored those areas, Carlsbad had opened back up! We decided that as long as we were nearby, we might as well check it out.
As you can tell by the name, the national park includes caverns and caves that stay a balmy 50 degrees all year long, which in a New Mexico summer can be a welcome relief. Check it out for yourself in our travel video of Carlsbad Caverns here.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park Quick Stats
Size: 46,766 acres
Location: Southeastern New Mexico
National Park Status Establish in: 1930
Best For: caving, hiking, backpacking, accessible trails
What We Did: Natural Entrance Trail to view all the caverns
What to Do:
Mini Adventure:
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is home to North America’s largest single cave chamber (by volume). If you want to check out this huge chamber, called Big Room, you just have to purchase a general admission ticket for $15.
You’ll then have access to a self-guided tour accessible through either the elevator or the Natural Entrance Trail. About half of this 1.25 mile trail to Big Room is wheelchair accessible.
I love this tour for families. Since it’s self-guided, you never have to worry whether you’re moving too slowly, and you can spend as much time as you want wherever you want.
Just keep in mind that the cave closes at 4:45 PM or 6:45 PM in the summer. Make sure you stick around to see the sunset in the summer, where hundreds of thousands of bats leave their caves and head out into the night.
Mega Adventure:
There are two ranger-led tours that are more like intense hikes underground.
You can go for either the Slaughter Canyon Cave Tour ($15, five and a half hours) or the Hall of the White Giant Tour ($20, four hours).
For either, you’ll throw on a headlamp and do whatever it takes to explore the caves, including crawling, hiking, squeezing, shimmying, and more.
If you want more ideas of things to do in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, check out this helpful list.
What We Did:
We chose to walk down the Natural Entrance Trail and view all the caverns, then take the elevator up when we were done. This gave us the freedom we needed with three young kids.
If you want to check out a large collection of reviews and feedback about the trails, click here.
When to Go:
The caverns are wonderful year-round. The temperature in the caverns remains a steady and humid 56 degrees in every season. Although we are in New Mexico, so in the summer months, surface temperatures can hit over 100 degrees.
And if you want to see the bats during sunset, you’ll have to wait for summer.
Where to Stay:
There’s no camping allowed in the park, but there are nearby tent sites and an RV park in Whites City. Just prepare for it to be crowded!
If you’d prefer to stay in a hotel, Carlsbad itself has a ton of affordable hotel options, some even offer free breakfast, wifi, and pools. You know how my kids love hotel pools!
Where Did We Stay?
We stayed nearby at Carlsbad KOA
Where to Eat:
Since we were staying in our Airstream nearby, we didn’t need to eat out. When we’re exploring a national park near where our Airstream is camped, we typically pack lunches and plenty of snacks.
The kids carry their own food and water in their backpacks.
We take the same seven things on every adventure. Check them out here.
Fun Fact:
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is only 27 miles from another great National Park Guadalupe Mountains National Park!
White Sands National Park is just a little over a three hour drive from Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Annual Park Pass
If you plan on traveling to two national parks in one year, it is worth it to purchase the Annual Pass. We purchased ours in our home state at the Hot Springs National Park, but you can buy them at any National Park.
Kid Friendly?
Yes, especially if you do the self-guided tour!
The more intense spelunking might not be a good fit for your kids depending on their age.
Jr. Ranger Program:
This is such a great way to get the kids involved and really get excited about the park. You can go on the park website and download all the information and resources and print it beforehand so you can learn about it with your kids before you go. Then you’d turn your booklet into a ranger at the visitors center and receive your Jr. Ranger pins, or you can wait until you get to the National Park (that’s what we do), and receive a beautifully colorful workbook, do the activities while at the National Park, then head back to the visitors center (before they close) and receive the pins.
Either is great! We love the workbook the parks provide, and it means we don’t have to figure out where to get the content printed.
HERE’S WHAT I BOUGHT TO MAKE THIS EVEN MORE FUN FOR THE KIDS
CARLSBAD CAVERNS NATIONAL PARK PASSPORT STAMP LOCATIONs:
Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center Information Center
727 Carlsbad Cavern Hwy, Carlsbad, NM 88220
Ok - here’s the truth. I’m kind of a nerd about this. I think it dates back to when I was twenty-five and had never been anywhere, and I flew to Europe and received my first passport stamp.
To this day, that old passport is one of my most treasured possessions. Each stamp burns a memory and I love to think back on the time away whenever I see those stamps.
So naturally, I’m all about the fact that you can get a passport stamp at each and every National Park. Just walk into the visitors center; there is usually the stamp and ink sitting out for self-use. I have passports for each member of the family.
Purchase yours here.
While Carlsbad might not have turned out exactly as we had hoped, we had a blast exploring the caverns!
Catch up on all our airstream adventures here.
