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Carlsbad Caverns National Park, photo 1 of 5

Photo: National Park Service / Public domain · source

Caves

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Carlsbad, NM · Guadalupe Mountains, Chihuahuan Desert$$15 per person ages 16 and up, plus $1 timed-entry reservation

About

There's an elevator into Carlsbad Caverns, south of Carlsbad, New Mexico, but walk down through the Natural Entrance if you can. The trail drops about 750 feet in 1.25 miles and takes about an hour, and the park advises against it for anyone with a heart or breathing condition. The Big Room trail is another 1.25 miles, or about 0.6 with the shortcut, and parts of it are wheelchair accessible. You need a timed-entry reservation to go in, and the cave admits people only from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Bat Flight Program at the Natural Entrance is free and bans phones and cameras, and from April through October the Brazilian free-tailed bats fly out around sunset, with the strongest flights usually in August and September.

Highlights

Big Room Trail, 1.25 milesBat flights at sunset, April to OctoberNatural Entrance Trail, 750 feet downLechuguilla Cave, over 140 miles long56 degrees underground all year

Getting there

727 Carlsbad Caverns Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220

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