Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitor Center — Attraction in Four Corners States

This place will make your heart ache with the beauty, the mystery, and the diversity of our big blue planet. It will also make you proud of the efforts mankind is finally beginning to make to understand, be grateful for, and live peaceable with the world around us. If you're an American, you'll even bean with a bit of price at the care being taken to preserve and showcase the natural treasures contained here. After visiting Mammoth two years ago I thought no other cavern could captive me as fully. I was wrong.

Best trained and most knowledge rangers I've encountered in my dozens of National Park visits. Uniformly, they're proud of this park, of their role here, and are anxious to help. The park generally has modern comforts and conveniences. Lots of camping options but none with full hook ups.

Start your visit at the visitors center. Purchase tix to one of the cavern tours. Once you've had a tour (any tour) you'll have the history and general geologic introduction: essential to full appreciation. Each ranger nicely personalizes the tour and wait for it...) Turns the lights out. Yes, predictable, but nevertheless thrilling! After that you can do other areas as self guided. If time allows, for your very first look at the cavern, walk to the natural entrance from the visitors center (that is....don't take the elevator!) This gradual unfolding of the treasures below is worth the mile and a half hike! After, the elevator is a terrific convenience. Don't miss The Big Room. It's the show stopper. But the Kings Room is also amazing. If you can't do a ranger-led program, or if you're a Honda fide cave geek, do the audio guide tour.

DO NOT MISS the bat flight program at sunset at the ampitheater (7:30 pm on late July; no ticket needed). Arrive early since the bats' departure time can vary and the ranger starts talking (informally) as early as 7:10). It's a wonder to behold but you'll have so many questions - all of which the ranger can answer. TIP: Best place to sit for bat flight program is on the right side of the center aisle (looking toward cave entrance) in third or fourth row.

Sometime during your visit catch the visitors center film and displays. The film's quite good, the displays are OK.

Hiking: On my visit there were very few options due to heat and fire threats so we were directed to neighboring Guadalupe Mountain National Park, which has...

This is a fantastic National Park to visit, even though it’s in the middle of nowhere. Its quite a drive but easy to get to from El Paso or Albuquerque if you happen to be in the area. You can also do it as a weekend trip from Dallas or Austin. We stopped here and Guadalupe Mountains on the way between Roswell and Big Bend National Park. The caverns are fantastic, this really is a unique place, I have never seen anything like it, though its similar to Mammoth Caves in some respects. Just look at the pictures. The scenic drive up here and the loop after the visitor center are also really nice. There are some great trails along here like Rattlesnake Canyon. There is a really nice visitor center with exhibits. There is also a separate gift shop and cafe which is much larger and has a lot of interesting stuff. The staff are friendly and helpful, with a good knowledge of the area. Its good to stop here and pick up maps of the area so that you can see where the best hikes are. You enter the cavern from the visitor center. You can either use a lift which takes you right in to the center, or you can walk down. The door is right at the back of the center on the left. I would definitely recommend walking down and using the lift to come up. If you are fit, you can walk both ways. The caverns are huge. You need at least a couple of hours to do the self guided tour. If like us you walk, I would recommend 3 hours. There are also guided tours. We did one of these in the afternoon, but did not enjoy it, too much being talked at, it could have been done in a fraction of the time. I would stick with the self guided tour. All I can say is its well worth a visit. Just look at...

What can you say about this magnificent national treasure? It's an amazing experience! The price is right at $12 per person. You can take the natural path down from the surface for about 1.5 hours of switchbacks or go down the newly installed elevators in about 35 seconds! It's 750 feet down and always in the mid-50's, so dress appropriately. The entire path through the caves run for about 1 1/2 miles of very well paved trails with metal railings and lots of signs along the way. Most of it is level and easy to walk. There are a few places where the grade gets a little too steep for wheelchairs and they are given an alternative path. The visitor center has ample parking, especially for RVs, a good book shop, two gift shops (one in the caves), a restaurant, and a snack shop in the caves. Unfortunately, I had a terrible experience with the staff at the gift shop, but I hope that's just a one-off case.

Be aware that there is NOTHING for 120 miles between El Paso and the caverns, so plan ahead! The town of Carlsbad is about 12 miles north of the caverns and they have all the amenities you need. Absolutely avoid the crooked little town of White's City at the entrance to the park. When anything is open, it's just not worth it. They do have an RV Park there if you need a place to park (but I'd suggest Guadalupe Mountains National Park just 20 miles south - no hookups, though. ...