ranger-guided cave tours do require reservations, and some fill up quickly. All ranger-guided tours can be reserved (on a space available basis) up to two days prior to the date of the tour.
Tour Tickets sold at Facility only:
The Big Room Tour Natural Entrance Self-Guided Tour
You'll finish your Big Room tour at the elevators near the Underground Rest Area, so pick up a sandwich there or take the elevator up to the surface, where you can dine in the restaurant at the visitor center or drive out for a picnic lunch at Rattlesnake Springs.(Rattlesnake Springs is a picnic area with tables, grills, drinking water, and restrooms. It's along the access road to Slaughter Canyon Cave.) After lunch, take the King's Palace Guided Tour (for which you purchased tickets earlier). Then walk the nature trail outside the visitor center and drive the 9 1/2-mile Walnut Canyon Desert Drive. If possible, try to get back to the amphitheater at the cave's Natural Entrance by dusk to see the nightly bat flight (spring through fall), when thousands of bats leave the cave.
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When going into the cave, remember that you can only bring plain water with you (because the cave is home to a delicate ecosystem) and that you might want a jacket or a sweater, since it's cooler underground. There's a snack bar inside, though, in case you get hungry.
There are no restrooms in the cave. The restrooms are located at the top of the Natural Entrance and next to the elevators.
A HALF DAY ITINERARY
Begin the day when you are fresh with the Natural Entrance Route Tour. This begins at the surface level and allows you to duck into the gaping mouth of the massive cave, all while enjoying the cave swallows swooping and diving overhead. The tour winds past the Boneyard where intricate calcified formations and a 200,000 ton boulder are the highlights of the trek. The trail is about 1 ¼ miles, and steeply descends into the cave for about an easy hour walk. At that point, the trail joins the Big Room Route where you have the option to use the restroom or take the elevators back to the Visitor Center for a snack or continue on another 1 ¼ mile walk. The trail here is level and loops around some of the more fantastic formations in the caverns. 1 ½ hours is a good estimate for this loop and it returns to the elevators where a quick ride takes you back to the surface just in time for lunch.
A FULL DAY ITINERARY
Start the day much like the half-day itinerary, but register for a guided tour of the King’s Palace for the afternoon. With the afternoon set, a more leisurely pace can be enjoyed for the Natural Entrance Route and the Big Room Route, and you can still expect to finish in time for lunch. A King’s Palace tour will take you into the deepest point allowed by visitors in the cave and adds about 1 ½ hours to your day. At that point, you could choose to enjoy the desert trails around the Visitors Center or head into town for dinner before the finale courtesy of the millions of bats that call the Caverns home. Each evening around from April/May to October, millions of Mexican Free-tailed bats exit the cave to feast on a smorgasbord of insects, offering visitors a spectacular display to end the day.
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Hike down takes about an hour. The grade is pretty steep.
Once you are at the bottom, there are two other hikes you can do: 1) The Big Room (which is about another 1.2 mile loop); and 2) Down the bat area. Our most recent trip didn't allow for time to do either, but have done the Big Room in the past. There is a short cut big room loop for .2 miles.
Once you are at the bottom, there are two other hikes you can do: 1) The Big Room (which is about another 1.2 mile loop); and 2) Down the bat area. Our most recent trip didn't allow for time to do either, but have done the Big Room in the past. There is a short cut big room loop for .2 miles.
May 2017 only two out of the four elevators were working. On a busy weekend, the elevator wait time at the end of the day can get up to 3 hours. I imagine on a "normal" day it may be 20 to 40 minutes waiting. The hike back up is no joke.
While the walk is strenuous - 800' drop in a mile with many switchbacks - it's something not to rush through or to miss.
HEADS UP: If you plan to take the elevator up, it might take up to 2 hours (waiting in line) to get out. I suggest, if you are physically able to, walk back out….it took us about 30min, but we were hoofing it. If you take your time and rest on the way it may take about an hour.
Once out, I suggest viewing the displays. They are well done and informative.
Once out, I suggest viewing the displays. They are well done and informative.
Ranger Led Tours
Take the opportunity to explore remote areas of Carlsbad Caverns National Park with a ranger led tour. We chose the Left Hand Tunnel tour because you can explore like the early cave explorers, using only hand held candle lit lanterns.
He recommended we do a ranger-guided tour of the King’s Palace. We decided to take his recommendation and were able to secure a spot on the next departing tour. (Note: It’s recommended to book tours in advance because they do fill up!).
- You can’t eat on the cave trails, BUT you can bring food in with you.We were told we couldn’t eat in the cave at all…that was incorrect. They have an area called the Lunchroom where you can eat. You cannot, however, eat anywhere else in the cave. If you plan to spend an entire day below the surface of the earth and don’t want to waste time taking the elevators out of the cave, pack a sack lunch and eat it in the Lunchroom!
You may eat and drink in the underground lunchroom where you will find a snack bar, restrooms, and drinking fountains. The restaurant on the surface in the visitor center has a large menu. Picnic tables are available outdoors at the edges of the parking lots.
Just outside the visitor center are restrooms and drinking fountains. There are restrooms in the cave but only at the bottom in the underground snack area.
- Bring a flashlight with you.
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