Oh, caves… They are all so similar, and yet very different! After visiting the Mammoth Cave, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, and Russel Cave units of the National Park Service we have been in some dark underground places! Someday we will cross off the last two park units named after caves – Oregon and Timpanogos Caves! Carlsbad Caverns is its’ own adventure and one we were glad to be able to visit!
Our top tips for visiting Carlsbad Caverns are as follows…
Tip #1: Reserve your entry time early!
Before COVID, there were no capacity limits on visiting Carlsbad Caverns unless you wanted to do a Ranger led tour. Now in a COVID world, and for what I expect will be some time after, there are capacity constraints and you have to plan ahead. Recreation.gov is where you can reserve your tour time. They charge a tiny amount to hold your spot and then you pay the actual entry fee once you get to the Park. The registration currently has to be made more than 2 days prior to the tour date, so plan, plan, plan ahead!
Tip #2: Check the NPS website often
While we were there, literally the day we arrived to tour the park, they went from a first come, first served program to online reservations. No warning, no heads up, no social media notice. Some people saw it on Recreation.gov and got lucky. We nearly missed out on the chance to tour Carlsbad Caverns but thanks to a helpful park ranger, we were able to find a spot with enough cell coverage to book a tour for 2 days later while at the park. The rules may change, so check the park website often as that is your only way to keep up!
Tip #3: Walk the Natural Entrance
Walking in through the Natural Entrance is a must do. It adds some time and walking distance to your trip but it is so beautiful and unique to go from daylight into darkness. The formations in this beginning part of the Cavern are neat and it makes the whole experience a lot more special. If you are ambitious you can walk out — be prepared for some lung burning and breathing hard behind that mask (our masks got soaked from breathing in the humidity of the cave, gross)! Also, you may want a flashlight. It is not that well lit and while yes your eyes adjust there were a few spots where I was glad I had a flashlight.
Tip #4: Dress in Layers
We read the signs – it is a constant temperature in the Cavern and runs solidly in the low 50s. Honestly, we all shed layers once we got into the Cavern because it is surprisingly humid and warm. We were all stuffing our jackets into our backpacks and trying to find the right clothing level to be comfortable!
Tip #5: Plan your time well
Walking the Natural Entrance and through the Big Room will take you a few hours. Yes, you can rush through it, but plan for 2 hours as a good mindset to be in when you book your tour. There is a restroom down by the elevators and snack bar but no food service was active when we were there. They don’t allow food in the cave either (except in the snack bar), so keep that in mind. Bring a water bottle!
The Junior Ranger book had optional activities of watching the park video and doing a hike on the nature trail, both of which we did and enjoyed. The nature trail also has a side trail that goes to an old guano mine, so if you wonder what a lot of bat poop smells like be sure to take that short side trip to the fenced area!
If we returned, we would try to do so during the active bat season (usually mid-to-late April-October) so we could watch the bat flight in the evening, but don’t feel bad if the dates you could visit don’t align as it is still worth going. Also, don’t miss Guadalupe Mountains National Park next door! We recommend renting a home in Carlsbad, NM so that you aren’t far from either park.
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