The Ultimate Parent’s Guide to Camping and Hiking Carlsbad Caverns National Park with Kids

Stalagmites, Stalactites? Want to get your kids out caving, thinking about making the trip to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, wondering how long to plan your trip? This Carlsbad Caverns Parent’s Guide will answer all your questions and more. Nestled in the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a hidden gem of 119 caves formed mostly by sulfuric acid. We guide you through our favorite family-friendly Carlsbad Caverns National Park caves, routes, and hikes with kids with all the tips of an expert so you can make the most of your trip.

What You Need to Know Before Visiting Carlsbad Caverns

As you prepare for your family vacation to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, there are a few factors to consider. The first is the cave tour times, this national park tends to close a little earlier than other parks in the United States. You’ll also need to consider which items to wear and bring with you into the caverns and for above ground hikes too. But don’t worry, we’ve got the perfect list for you.

Carlsbad Caverns Cave Tours

To enter the caves, you will need to purchase tickets. Tickets can only be purchased from 8am to 2:15pm each day, so do plan to arrive earlier than 2:15pm to ensure you can enter the caves.

There is an entrance fee for the caves. Be sure to check ahead because Carlsbad Caverns National Park does have a few fee free days listed on their website. The America the Beautiful pass for 4th graders is also accepted.

What Should You Bring to Carlsbad Caverns National Park?

It is important to dress for the cave. Remember, the temperature inside the caves is 56 degrees all year round. This means that you may want to wear pants or a light jacket if you are more accustom to warmer weather. You will also want closed toed shoes with good traction. The cave floors may be a little wet from the natural water drips. In addition, some places in the cave are pretty steep and can be a little slippery.

Leave the strollers and high riding, above the shoulder carriers at home. While some of the areas in the cave are handicap accessibly, many have narrow or low areas where you will need to be more careful.

When is the Best Time to Visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park with Kids?

You really can visit at any time of the year, but we definitely prefer the fall or spring. The temperature in the cave is a constant temperature all year, so the cave tours can be quite pleasant in the summer months too. Summer temperatures for outdoor hikes can be rather hot with temperatures reaching 90 degrees.

The spring tends to be rather windy with more mild temperatures, while the fall is a bit more rainy. This allows for more ideal temperatures for hikes outside and around the caves. Winter can bring rather cold temperatures down to 30 degrees and bring in snow and ice. However, the park does boast it’s beautiful blue sky sunny days most of the year.

Animals In Carlsbad Caverns National Park

This national park is teeming with wildlife. While the wildlife is less dangerous in nature than many other national parks, there are always some dangers present when you are near wildlife.

At Carlsbad Caverns National Park, you may just find yourself watching deer, sheep, kit fox, and javelina as you drive within the park or take a short hike above the cave. While inside the caves, you may see cave swallows, cave crickets, and bats.

This national park is home to 300 species of birds and 600 different insects. This is a bird watchers paradise! There are many more animals who have made the park their home.

Expert Advice for Visiting Carlsbad Caverns with Kids

Bring water bottles

Be sure to bring in clear, unflavored bottled water. If you plan to do any above ground hiking, you will need the water. Even though the cave can be a much cooler temperature, the water is a must below ground too.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park prohibits bringing in any food or flavored drinks. This is to protect the animals as much as it is to protect the geology.

Dress in layers with a jacket or sweatshirt

Depending on the outside temperature, you will want to dress in layers. The weather above ground can be rather warm, or even scorching in the summer, while the cave is a constant 56 degrees all year long. The quick drop in temperature, depending when you visit, can make the cave seem much cooler.

Flashlights/headlamps

Caves are naturally dark places. While the Big Room is fairly well lit, you may enjoy have a headlamp or flashlight when you peek down into the bottomless pit or some of the side tunnels. If you plan to go on any other cave tours or range-led tours, you will appreciate having the extra light.

We recommend the headlamps as you can be hands-free while enjoying the sights of the cave.

The Junior Ranger program

Before heading on a cave tour or beginning a hike, be sure to stop by the visitor center. This is easy since this is where you will park. Be sure to grab a pencil or pen. Head on in to the visitor center and stop by the ranger station to pick up your Junior Ranger books.

You children can complete the Carlsbad Caverns Junior Ranger program in less than a day. We love to work on our books as we hike and explore the national park. Plus, a few of the pages go along with specific places in the national park.

Arrive Early or Plan to Stay Late

You will want to plan to arrive early, stay late, or make a full day experience. In the morning, the cave swallows make a mass exit from the cave. While this is not the same as the bat flight program, if you definitely can’t stay to see the bat flight program (or come during the migration period for bats), you can catch the flight of the cave swallows. These birds actually exit the cave very similarly to the bats and it can be much easier to see in the daytime. Plus, you can capture some amazing photos!

Sunset is the best time to see the bats fly from the cave. The bats usually return from migration in mid to late April and leave the Carlsbad Cavern National Park sometime in October or early November. The best time to see large quantities of bats seems to be in August and September when the new baby bats join in on the flight. Sadly, cameras are not allowed at the Bat Flight Program and can actually disturb the bats.

Another option is to arrive before sunrise. Usually between 4 and 6am, the bats will return to the cave. You can catch some spectacular dives as the bats make their descent. On the 3rd Saturday of July, there is a Dawn of the Bats program which is also free.

Cameras all around!

Definitely do bring your camera. While some caves or light and camera free, cameras are more than welcome in the Big Room. You will want to document the many cool geological features that you see in the cave and snap a few family photos too.

The Natural Entrance Or Elevator to the Big Room

Their are two ways to access the Big Room. The Big Room is the most explored cave at Carlsbad Caverns by visitors each day. While there may occasionally be ranger led tours of the Big Room, you are welcome to explore The Big Room on your own. You may also choose an audio ranger led independent tour as well.

If you plan to explore The Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns, you have two options for accessing the cave. There is an elevator located in the Visitor Center that will travel the approximately 750 feet into the Underground Lunchroom in The Big Room. The elevator ride is short, only about 1 minute total. The wait to enter The Big Room is generally shorter earlier and later in the day. However, the wait to exit the cavern can be longer near closing time.

Your other option for accessing The Big Room is to use the Natural Entrance. The Natural Entrance is 1.25 miles and is very steep. The total elevation is about 750 feet. The hike takes about 1 hour to complete. You can choose to take the natural entrance for both entering and exiting The Big Room, or use the natural entrance one time and the elevator the other.

The Natural Entrance with Kids

While 1.25 miles may seem long at first glance, our family successfully hiked the natural entrance with our four children when our youngest was only 2 years old. She even insisted on walking the majority of the descent down into The Big Room. Our 6, 8, and 11 year old enjoyed the hike, especially the twists and turns.

There are rails to hold onto most of the way down, however, sometimes the rails are only on one side of the path. The path is large enough for two adults to walk side by side the entire way down, so you will be able to hold your child’s hand. We did notice little pools of water occasionally on the ground too. So be sure to wear appropriate shoes with a good grip for safety.

What To Do At Carlsbad Caverns National Park with Kids

The Big Room

The Big Room is a self guided exploration of a cave at Carlsbad Cavern National Park. It is a 1.25 mile trail, but it does have a shortcut that can make the trail only 0.6 miles. The entire hike will take about 1.5 hours and the shortcut is around 45 minutes. There is an audio tour available to purchase at the visitor center.

The trail is mostly a flat oval shaped path beginning in the Underground Lunchroom and ending here as well. The Underground Lunchroom includes a gift shop and restaurant and is located near the elevators. A few areas are narrow and you will need to pass one at a time.

You can choose to take an elevator into and out of The Big Room or use the natural entrance for one or both trips. About 2/3 of The Big Room is wheelchair accessible.

Ranger-led tours

The park rangers at Carlsbad Caverns National Park offer a few different ranger led tours for guests. These tours may change depending on the conditions in the caverns and accessibility, it is always best to check the Carlsbad Caverns website. Each range led tour also has a separate fee.

King’s Palace Tour

This is a 1.5 hour, 1.6 mile, tour for anyone 4 years and older. You will travel to the deepest part of the cavern open to the public. While the trail is not quite as steep as the natural entrance into The Big Room, there are multiple descents and a steep hill to walk up at the end of the trail.

Slaughter Canyon Cave Tour

You will meet at the vehicle center with your group. Each person in your party must be at least 8 years old. The ranger will have each family use their own vehicle to travel in a caravan to the trailhead. You will want hiking boots with good tread. This is rated a moderately strenuous adventure tour. The cave is unlit with many narrow and slippery trails.

The total trip takes about 5.5 hours. You will begin with a strenuous 0.5 mile hike to the cave entrance. Once you enter the cave, you will need to leave all personal equipment and only use park issued helmets, headlamps and gloves. This is to protect the bats from White-Nose Syndrome.

*There is a caution that you will need freshly laundered clothes. So plan this tour prior to other tours or on a separate day. If you take a stroll through The Big Room in the morning, you will need to change your clothes prior to going on the Slaughter Canyon Cave Tour for the safety of the bats.

Hall of the White Giant

This trail is not for the faint of heart. The Hall of the White Giant is an adventure trail where you will spend some time crawling through tight passageways and climbing slippery areas in the cave. There is some ladder climbing and even free climbing on this trail.

This tour takes around 4 hours to complete and is only available for people ages 12 and up. You will need good hiking books with tread. On this trail, you may bring a small fanny pack or camera bag as long as they haven’t been in other caves recently. The park will provide a helmet, headlamp, gloves and knee and elbow pads to ensure all gear is cleaned properly for bat safety.

Lower Cave

Lower Cave tour takes approximately 3 hours to complete. You must be at least 12 years old to participate on this tour. The two biggest obstacles include climbing down 60 feet of ladders and using a knotted rope to walk backwards down a slope.

You will need good hiking books with tread. On this trail, you may bring a small fanny pack or camera bag as long as they haven’t been in other caves recently. The park will provide a helmet, headlamp, and gloves.

Left Hand Tunnel Tours

The Left Hand Tunnel Tour is a candle-lit, moderately difficult trail through a section of the caves that are undeveloped. The dirt trails twist and turn through slippery steep slopes and uneven surfaces.

The trail takes about 2 hours to complete and all participants must be at least 6 years old. You will need good hiking books with tread. On this trail, you may bring a small fanny pack or camera bag as long as they haven’t been in other caves recently.

More About the Bat Flight Program

The Bat Flight Program begins Memorial Day weekend in May and runs through October. It takes place each evening in the Bat Flight Amphitheater near the Natural Entrance to Carlsbad Caverns. The start time of the programs varies as the program begins shortly before sunset each day.

A park ranger will lead a talk about bats prior to the bats exiting the caves for the evening. The bats begin to depart the cave around sunset, so stop by the visitor center for the daily time of the bat talk. This program is free and open to all visitors in the park, no reservations required.

Please remember that no photography or electronic devices are allowed during the Bat Flight Program or even in the surrounding area. This is to protect the bats and not disturb their natural environment.

White-Nose Syndrome

White-Nose Syndrome is a disease that is killing bats while they are hibernating. This fungus does not seem to have any effect on humans, but we can carry it from one area to another.

To protect bats from the spread of White-Nose Syndrome, all visitors to Carlsbad Caverns are asked to walk on a bio-cleaning mat when they exit any cave. If you plan to enter more than one cave on any day, you should also plan for a change of clothes between the tours.

Dark Skies Program

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an amazing place to take in the dark sky. While you can come to enjoy the nighttime sky at any time throughout the year, park rangers will lead night sky programs each night after the Bat Flight Program. Do know that this program is weather dependent, so please check in with a ranger if you are planning to attend.

The park rangers will have telescopes set up for nighttime sky viewing. During this time, you can peek through the telescopes while park rangers point out some of interesting features of our universe. For easy viewing, park rangers request that you use only red light for flashlights and headlamps.

On occasion, the park rangers will host special star parties for specific astronomical events like meteor showers, planet viewing, and other astronomical events. In addition to the star parties, they also plan a few special star walks and moon hikes. Star walks are about 0.5 miles, whereas moon hikes are 1.5 miles in length.

Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center

We love to start our trip with a visit to the visitor center. Our first stop is to grab junior ranger books for our children. Once you have your books, you will want to explore a bit. So many of the answers are located in the exhibits and park film found within the visitor center.

There is also a gift shop, book store, and restaurant available. Plus, you can buy your cave tour tickets or Big Room tickets here. Try to arrive early whenever possible.

Hikes at Carlsbad Caverns National Park for Kids

There are plenty of hikes available at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We have included the hikes that most families can attempt. There are other longer hikes within the park that you may enjoy with older children.

Walnut Canyon Overlook

This is a short 5-minute walk from the parking lot to the overlook. Here you will have a spectacular view of Walnut Canyon.

Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail

This is a 0.5 mile circular trail that will take approximately 30 minutes to complete. Along the trail, you will discover multiple signs describing that local plants of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Slaughter Canyon Cave Trail

This is a more difficult 0.5 mile trail to the cave entrance. Plan for 45 minutes to 1 hour to make this hike. This is a hike we suggest trying with older or more experienced children due to the rapid elevation gains.

Old Guano Trail

This is a 3.7 mile easy hike that will take approximately 2 hours one way. The hike begins near the natural entrance of the cavern, follows the historic road used to haul guano from the caverns, and ends at the White City Campground. Perfect if you happen to be camping there.

Juniper Ridge

This is a 3.5 mile easy hike, averaging 2.5 hours one way.

Camping near Carlsbad Caverns

Backcountry camping is allowed at Carlsbad Caverns National Park with the right permits. However, there is no car or camper campgrounds available. You will need to obtain a permit from the Visitor Center.

White’s City RV Park

We elected for a campground just outside the park at White’s City Cavern Inn RV Park in New Mexico. White’s City Cavern Inn RV Park was located just outside of Carlsbad Caverns and a short drive to Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

The campground provided full hooks ups for RVs directly off Carlsbad Caverns Highway. Our campground was little more than a parking spot located along the highway. The website states all RV sites are pull-through, but we received a back-in site.

We happened to receive an easy in and out camping spot right on Carlsbad Cavern Hwy. We basically camped in a gravel parking lot off the main road. There was no divider between the campground and the highway, so be sure to keep a good eye on your children. While it wasn’t much, the campground did continue off the highway as well, but these spaces were similar just farther from the highway.

A Different World

White’s City RV Park Playground

Once you make your reservation, you will check in to a true small business. Once you confirm your reservation, don’t expect an email confirmation. We called to confirm and everything was in the system!

After arriving in White’s City, stop by the Information Center right along the highways. There is a small parking lot here, but we had no problem pulling in with our RV for a few minutes. Head on in to check in and receive your slip. Super easy and quick.

Even though we were located on Carlsbad Caverns Highway, we rarely saw any traffic. We were within walking distance of an old school playground, restrooms and showers. Our children didn’t mind the older playground, but do be careful with the metal slide and the hot sun. Plus there was a nice sized field to throw a ball around or play a sport or two.

Carlsbad KOA Holiday

If you are looking for something a little more family friendly, you could try the Carlsbad KOA. They offer 30 and 50 amp pull through sites mostly plus free WIFI. You can expect the same KOA experience here that you receive at other wonderful KOA campgrounds around the country include a pool and playground.

The main drawback to this location is the distance. The drive to Carlsbad Caverns National Park is 55 minutes and 45 miles. Much further than the 5 minute drive from White’s City. It’s also about an hour and a half to Guadalupe Mountains National Park instead of the 30 minutes from White’s City.

We’d Love to Connect with You

Have you traveled to Carlsbad Caverns National Park? If so, drop us a comment below and let us know what you loved about the park and any recommendations you may have. If you haven’t, we would definitely suggest adding Carlsbad Caverns National Park to any family vacation passing through or near New Mexico. It is well worth the extra stop.

For more great family camping and hiking, be sure to check out our posts on Family Safety Tips for Hiking with Kids, Kid-friendly Stunning Big Bend Hikes, 5 Day Itinerary to Hiking Big Bend with Kids, White Sands National Park with Kids, Driving from Guadalupe Mountains National Park to Big Bend National Park, and Hiking at Guadalupe Mountains National Park with Kids. Looking for more content from us, we’d love it if you would subscribe to our newsletter. We send out two newsletters a month with family friendly tips and often include a freebie to help parents problem solve real-life family problems in practical ways.