Carlsbad Caverns National Park - General Park Information

As you pass through the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas--filled with prickly pear, chollas, sotols and agaves--you might never guess there are more than 300 known caves beneath the surface. The park contains 113 of these caves, formed when sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone, creating some of the largest caves in North America.

All visitors to the park should tour the main section of the cave, the Big Room self-guided tour. The 8.2-acre Big Room is partially wheelchair accessible. The Natural Entrance self-guided tour is also very impressive, but it is also more difficult due to the steepness of the trail.

Guided tours of varying difficulties are also available--from the self-guided areas of the Big Room to crawling through narrow passageways in the Hall of the White Giant or in Spider Cave. To reserve tickets for a guided tour, call our reservation service at 1.877.444.6777.

While there are a variety of cave tours available--from the self-guided areas of the Big Room to crawling through narrow passageways in the Hall of the White Giant or in Spider Cave--there are also opportunities for hiking and backcountry camping, attending programs in the visitor center, and watching the incredible exodus of Mexican free-tail bats out of Carlsbad Cavern at dusk in the summer.

The weather in southern New Mexico can change quickly at any time of the year. Winter is often cold and dry with occasional snow and ice storms. Spring is known to be extremely windy. Summer is very hot and violent lightning storms are not uncommon in the evenings. Fall is usually mild and without extremes… of course, the weather in the cave is a mild 56°F (13°C) year-round. A light jacket and comfortable shoes with rubber soles are appropriate year-round.