Activities & Programs

RANGER-GUIDED TOURS

Kings Palace

The Kings Palace tour, a 1.5-hour ranger-guided tour through four highly decorated chambers, departs from the underground rest area. You will descend to the deepest portion of the cavern open to the public, 830 feet beneath the desert surface. Although not as difficult as the Natural Entrance route, this 1-mile tour does require descending, and later climbing, an 8-story hill. Look forward to viewing a variety of cave formations including helictites, draperies, columns, and soda straws. Rangers frequently conduct blackouts during this tour, briefly turning off all artificial lights to reveal the natural darkness of the cave.

Reservations are required for the Kings Palace tour. To make reservations call 1-877-444-6777 or visit Recreation.gov. (http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?parkId=77813&agency=NRSO).

This one-hour tour takes place from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Weekend—10 and 11 a.m.; 2 and 3 p.m.

Off-season (spring, fall and winter)—10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The tour departs from the underground rest area and costs $8 for adults and $4 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket.

Note: Children under 4 years old are not permitted on the Kings Palace Tour. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Left Hand Tunnel Tour

The Left Hand Tunnel Tour in Carlsbad Cavern is a lantern tour. On this lantern-lit tour, your guide will highlight Carlsbad Cavern history, formations, cave pools and Permian-age fossils. This is the easiest of the adventure tours on unpaved trails. Be aware that the dirt trail winds over uneven or slippery slopes and careful footing is required to avoid cavern pools and fragile formations. Lanterns are provided. This tour departs daily at 9 a.m. from the visitor center lobby. Cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket

Reservations for this two-hour tour are required. To make reservations call 1-877-444-6777 or visit Recreation.gov. (http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?parkId=77813&agency=NRSO).

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Requirements: Good walking shoes. Ages 6 and over. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Slaughter Canyon Cave

Ranger-guided tours of Slaughter Canyon Cave take you into an underground wilderness without electricity, paved walkways, or modern conveniences. In this wild cave, darkness is broken only by the flashlights and headlamps of rangers and tour members. Highlights of the two-hour one-mile tour may include: the 89-foot high Monarch, one of the world's tallest columns; the Christmas Tree, a sparkling, crystal-decorated column; and the Chinese Wall, a delicate, ankle-high brimstone dam. Old bat guano mining excavations attest to the human history and impact in the cave.

Reservations are required for Slaughter Canyon Cave. To make reservations call 1-877-444-6777 or visit Recreation.gov. (http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?parkId=77813&agency=NRSO).

Tickets are $15.00 for adults and $7.50 for children, Senior and Access  Senior Pass holders. This tour takes place from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day Weekend—10 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily.

Off-season (fall, winter and spring)—10 a.m. weekends only

Please to not go to the visitor center for this tour. Slaughter Canyon cave is 23 miles from the visitor center. From Whites City, Take State Highway 62/180 5 miles south to Country Road 418. Follow the signs to Slaughter Canyon cave. The Tour meets at the Cave Entrance — not the parking lot. Please arrive 15 minutes before scheduled tour time.

There is a strenuous half-mile hike to the cavern entrance, which takes 30 to 45 minutes. The cave trails are narrow, uneven, and very slippery. Everyone must walk single file with his or her own light source. The cave passages are wide, but there are tall steps to maneuver up and down. Tours depart from the cave entrance at the scheduled time.

Requirements: Sturdy hiking shoes, drinking water, and a strong flashlight with fresh batteries are required—penlights are not sufficient.

All tour participants must be age 6 or older. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Lower Cave Tour

The Texas Toothpick is one of many formations you'll see on the Lower Cave Tour in Carlsbad Cavern. In 1924, National Geographic expedition members wrote about the wonders of Lower Cave. Visitors today can see the evidence left behind from these and other explorers. Highlights of this tour include The Rookery, with countless nests of cave pearls, the Colonel Boles Formation, and an incredible diversity of cave formations that compete for your attention almost everywhere you look. Ladders at the entrance to Lower Cave sometimes cause participants to back out. If you have a fear of heights or difficulties with ladders, you may wish to consider visiting Left Hand Tunnel instead.

Reservations are required for the Lower Cave tour. To make reservations call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov. (http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?parkId=77813&agency=NRSO).

The cost of the three-hour tour is $20 for adults and $10 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket.

The tour departs from the visitor center lobby Monday through Friday at 1 p.m.

Requirements: Ages 12 and over. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must be physically and mentally able to safely negotiate cave passages containing fragile formations without harm to the cave, yourself, or others.

Good sneakers or hiking boots, 4 AA batteries, and cotton or leather gloves are also required.

Hall of the White Giant Tour

Plan on getting a bit dirty on the Hall of the White Giant Tour in Carlsbad Cavern. If you don't mind getting dirty, crawling through tight passageways, and climbing some slippery flowstone, you might want to try the Hall of the White Giant tour. Ladder climbing, slippery surfaces, and free climbing will be encountered on this trip. Highlights include tight, narrow passages including Matlock's Pinch, and the White Giant formation. The prolonged amount of time spent in narrow cave passages requires a special attention to group communication and safety. This trip is not recommended for anyone afraid of tight spaces or heights.

Reservations are required for the Hall of the White Giant tour. To make reservations call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov. (http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?parkId=77813&agency=NRSO).

This four-hour tour costs $20 for adults and $10 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. Tour participants must also purchase an entrance fee ticket.

The tour departs from the visitor center lobby on Saturdays at 1 p.m.

Requirements: Ages 12 and over. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must be physically and mentally able to safely negotiate cave passages containing fragile formations without harm to the cave, yourself, or others.

Hiking boots or other sturdy shoes, 4 AA batteries, soft kneepads, cotton or leather gloves, and long pants are also required. (The park provides hardhats and headlamps.)

Spider Cave Tour

Like the idea of crawling around in a cave? The Spider Cave Tour might be just what you're looking for. Spider Cave is a three-dimensional maze cave—a caver's paradise. Even veteran cavers will enjoy the adventure of Spider. Participants will hike a half mile down beautiful Garden Grove Canyon to get to the cave, where excessive crawling and climbing will ensue. Highlights of this tour include the Mace Room, Medusa Room, and Cactus Spring, as well as a stunning variety of cave formations and dirty cave crawls. This trip is not recommended for anyone with a fear of enclosed spaces, heights, or getting a little cave dirt in your ears.

Reservations are required for the Spider Cave tour. To make reservations call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov. (http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?parkId=77813&agency=NRSO).

The four-hour tour costs $20 for adults and $10 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders. It departs from the visitor center on Sundays at 1 p.m. and is followed by a short drive and a short hike to the cave.

Requirements: Ages 12 and over. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must be physically and mentally able to safely negotiate cave passages containing fragile formations without harm to the cave, yourself, or others.

Hiking boots or other sturdy shoes, 4 AA batteries, soft knee pads, cotton or leather gloves, long pants and water for the hike are also required. (The park provides hardhats and headlamps.)

SELF-GUIDED CAVE TOURS

The basic cavern entry is by way of two self-guided routes—the Big Room Route and the Natural Entrance Route. Tickets are sold at the visitor center each day, except December 25. Entrance Fee tickets are good for three days, but do not include guided or other special tours. Summer hours are in effect from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Big-Room Self-Guided Tour

The basic tour through Carlsbad Cavern is the Big Room route, a one-mile, self-guided underground walk around the perimeter of the largest room in the cave, the Big Room. An audio guide notably enhances the tour. Taking approximately one hour, this circular route passes many large and famous features including Bottomless Pit, Giant Dome, Rock of Ages, and Painted Grotto. Highly decorated and immense, the Big Room should be seen by all park visitors.

Access to the Big Room is provided by elevators located in the visitor center. The relatively level and well-lit trails make this the ideal tour for visitors with limited time or walking difficulties. Approximately two-thirds of the Big Room is accessible to people using wheelchairs with assistance, an access guide is available at the visitor center information desk. Baby strollers are not permitted in any part of the cave. Bring a baby backpack if you need to carry your child.

Just how big is the Big Room? The Atlas of Great Caves of the World by Courbon, Chabert, Bosted & Lindsley published in 1989 states that the floor area of the Big Room in Carlsbad Cavern is 33,210 square meters. 33,210 sq. meters equals approximately 357,480 sq. ft. A football field is 360 feet long (including the end zones) by 160 feet wide or equal to 57,600 sq. ft. By dividing 57,600 sq. ft. into 357,480 sq. ft., you roughly get that 6.2 football fields would fit into the Big Room. In acres, one acre is equal to 4,840 sq. yards or 43,560 sq. feet. Divide 43,560 sq. ft into 357,480 sq. ft. and we find that the Big Room is 8.2 acres in size (more or less).

Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., while early September to late May hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Big Room is closed December 25.

Cost of admission is $6 for adults, and children 15 and under are admitted for free. Annual, Senior, Access and Volunteer Passes grant free admission for the cardholder plus three adults. 

All visitors who enter Carlsbad Cavern—for any tour—are required to purchase an Entrance Fee ticket. This ticket is good for 3 days. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Natural Entrance Self-Guided Tour

The Natural Entrance route is a self-guided tour available to visitors with plenty of time and in good physical condition. This one-mile tour follows the traditional explorer's route, entering the cavern through the large historic natural entrance. The Natural Entrance route descends more than 750 feet into the earth following steep and narrow trails through a tall and spacious trunk passage called the Main Corridor. The route culminates in the underground rest area, near the elevators and Big Room route starting point. Visitors in good health who plan to take both self-guided tours may enjoy starting with the Natural Entrance Route. Highlights along this route include Bat Cave, Devil's Spring, Green Lake Overlook and the Boneyard, a complex maze of highly-dissolved limestone rock reminiscent of Swiss cheese. Visitors should watch for Iceberg Rock, a single 200,000-ton boulder that fell from the cave ceiling thousands of years ago.

Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., while early September to late May hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed December 25.

Cost of admission is $6 for adults, and children 15 and under are admitted for free. Annual, Senior, Access and Volunteer Passes grant free admission for the cardholder plus three adults.

All visitors who enter Carlsbad Cavern—for any tour—are required to purchase an Entrance Fee ticket. This ticket is good for 3 days. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

BAT FLIGHT PROGRAM

Each evening in summer, nearly 400,000 Brazilian (Mexican) free-tail bats exit Carlsbad Cavern in search of a smorgasbord of insects for dinner.

Prior to the evening bat flight, a program is given at the cavern entrance by a park ranger. The starting time of the talk varies with sunset—it is best to call the park at 505.785.3012 or check at the visitor center for the exact time. Programs may be canceled in the event of inclement weather. Bat flight programs are scheduled from Memorial Day weekend through mid-October. There is no charge for the bat flight program. In late October or early November, the bats migrate to Mexico for the winter; they return in April or May, depending on the weather.

Best Flights

The best bat flights normally occur in July and August. At this time baby bats, born in early summer, join the flight along with migrating bats from colonies further north.

Return Flights

The daily pre-dawn return of the bats is different from the evening exit flights; however, they are just as impressive. Early risers can see the bats as they re-enter Carlsbad Cavern with spectacular dives from heights of hundreds of feet. Individual bats diving in from every direction may reach speeds of 40 km/h (25 mph) or more.

The 51^st annual Bat Flight Breakfast (http://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvisit/50th_bat_flight_breakfast_2007.htm)

Is Saturday, July 19, from 5 to 7 a.m. Park employees sponsor this breakfast once each year. A reasonable fee is charged for the breakfast ($7 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under). The self-guided tour fees are waived for all Bat Flight Breakfast participants.

For Your Comfort and Safety

Cameras, including video cameras, are not permitted at the bat flight program. Several scientific studies, along with the observations of many bat researchers from around the world, have documented the disturbance caused to bats by lights, especially white light such as that in flash photography.

Besides the risks to the bats, it is very difficult to get good quality photos of a bat flight under any circumstances, and the risks simply aren't worth the results that most visitors get. Photos of the bat flight will be available for sale at a nominal fee at a sales station behind the amphitheater seating area.

Spaces to accommodate people using wheelchairs are located at the entrance to the amphitheater. Restrooms are available and fully accessible.

Pets are not allowed in the amphitheater area.

Notice: Cameras, including video cameras, are NOT permitted at the bat flight program.