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Information courtesy of National Park Service

Established to preserve Carlsbad Cavern and numerous other caves within a Permian-age fossil reef, the park contains more than 100 known caves, including Lechuguilla Cave—the nation’s deepest limestone cave at 1,567 feet (478m) and fourth longest. Area Map

Carlsbad Cavern, with one of the world’s largest underground chambers and countless formations, is highly accessible, with a variety of tours offered year-round.

The park’s cultural resources represent a long and varied continuum of human use starting in prehistoric times, and illustrating many adaptations to the Chihuahuan Desert environment. Human activities, including prehistoric and historic American Indian occupations, European exploration and settlement, industrial exploitation, commercial and cavern accessibility development, and tourism have each left reminders of their presence, and each has contributed to the rich and diverse history of the area. The park has two historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places-the Cavern Historic District and the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District. The park museum, including the park archives, contains about 1,000,000 cultural resource specimens that are being preserved and protected for future generations.

All visitors to the park should tour the main section of the cave, the Big Room Self-Guided Route. The Natural Entrance Self-Guided Route is also very impressive, but it is not recommended for visitors with any kind of health problems because it is very steep.

Guided tours of other areas are available at varying difficulties. To reserve guided tours call our reservation service at (800)967-2283.

A visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park is most enjoyable when it is pre-planned. We suggest you begin by deciding which tours are appropriate for you and your family.

Make reservations for guided tours by calling (800) 967-CAVE or make them online at http://reservations.nps.gov. Some tours are limited and fill up quickly, so plan well in advance.

If you don’t like the weather just wait a few minutes…
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. Call (800) 432-4269 for road conditions in New Mexico and (505) 885-1848 for Carlsbad weather.

…of course, the weather in the cave is a mild 56 degrees Fahrenheit (13C) year-round. A light jacket or sweater, and comfortable shoes with rubber soles for good traction are appropriate year-round.

How to get here:
Visitors arrive by way of U.S. Highway 62/180 from either Carlsbad, New Mexico (23 miles to the northeast) or El Paso, Texas (150 miles to the west). A scenic 7-mile (11.3 km) entrance road leads from the park gate at Whites City to the visitor center and cavern entrance.

Carlsbad is served by Greyhound and TNM&O bus lines. Mesa Airlines offers passenger service between Carlsbad and Albuquerque. Major airlines serve Albuquerque, El Paso, Lubbock, and Midland, Texas. Rental cars and taxi service are available from the airport at Carlsbad.

Driving Distances (in miles)
Albuquerque — 304 Lubbock — 206
Amarillo — 329 Midland — 194
Dallas — 500 Odessa — 174
Denver — 626 Phoenix — 581
El Paso — 151 Roswell — 103
Las Cruces — 197 San Antonio — 461

Where to stay”
The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce can provide you with local information including lodging and dining information, call them at (505) 887-6516. Whites City Resort provides the lodging closest to the park. They also have a campground and can be reached at (800)-CAVERNS.

Accessibility:
The visitor center and a large section of the self-guided Big Room tour are accessible to visitors using wheelchairs. An outdoor nature trail, the bat flight amphitheater, and picnic sites near the visitor center and at Rattlesnake Springs are also fully-accessible. NOTE: The park does not provide wheelchairs, you must bring your own.

For Kids:
Kelly Thomas)

Cave Tours
Baby strollers are not permitted in the cave. Use a baby backpack if you need to carry your child.
NOTE: Children 3 years of age and under are not permitted on any of the guided tours offered at Carlsbad Caverns.

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Junior Ranger Program:
Budding junior rangers age 4-13 will be required to complete a booklet of activities.

They will be awarded a certificate and patch upon completion.
Allow 4-6 hours to complete all activities.

If you need more information
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
3225 National Parks Highway
Carlsbad, New Mexico 88220
cave_park_information@nps.gov

By Mail
3225 National Parks Highway
Carlsbad, NM 88220

By Phone
Visitor Information
(505) 785-2232
Headquarters
(505) 885-8884
By Fax
505-785-2302