Carlsbad Caverns National Park Visitors Center

We made the trip northeast to the caverns from Guadalupe NP this morning.TIP MUST - make sure you make a reservation well in advance online. Avoid showing up and not being able to go into the caverns. They sold out at 1130 this morning.We found parking to be pretty easy, but there may be a choke point at the visitor center as folks will gather around the gift shops, static displays, and picnic spaces .The entire cave experience is pretty cool. You can take an elevator down 750 feet, but walking is enjoyable. Both up and down... Danielle Huggins gave our safety brief and then saw us on the way up (as she brought down the last entrants for the day). I wonder how many times a day they make that 1.25 mile journey down (then up) a day.The formation down in the Big Room were amazing and the various formations and endless depths make you wonder how many years it took to make it so, and fast it could be gone if the NPS weren't there to teach us to protect it.I thought the visitor center, cabe guides, and interpreters were all great working together to educate and showcase this park.TIP2...for before you get there. There is no food allowed in the cave. There are snacks available above and some below, but it's super sparse. We brought sandwiches on the road and for when travelled back to El Paso.I think my favorite formation to keep an eye out for was the Doll Theater...which is farther along on the Big Room route.We will definitely come back to see the bats in the warmer months. The kids loved this place, and many more will as the years go by and the cave continues to grow and change.

The visitor's center at Carlsbad Cavern's National Park is four stars for me. It's a very long building. The line to check in with your reserved tickets gets in the way often of several of the displays and informational kiosks. The restrooms are to the right as soon as you walk in. The staff tends to keep them cleaner than I remember. If you have never been to Carlsbad, NM, make a special trip to do so. But definitely plan ahead. Dress in layers. Visit their website for all the rules & info. Mainly, you can't buy tickets the day of anymore. I have been lucky enough to get reserved tickets with my annual pass the night before. I would recommend White Sands National Park, an outing to a pistachio farm in Alamogordo, the Guadalupe Mountains and El Paso, TX in the same trip!

We had a death in the family and had to drive from Ohio to Arizona and pass through New Mexico. This was my first time in the state so I Googled what of interest there was to do unfortunately this was in the winter and seemed every place was unseasonably cold this week. But the cave seemed like the top thing to do especially in the winter well anytime of year I guess. We really enjoyed our stop to this cave it's worth a stop in to the visitor center before you enter the cave get a little information and definitely stop at the bathroom. Recommend you bring a flashlight and a bottle of water and dress appropriately. Caves are always cool but this one wasn't as cold as some we've been to a sweatshirt and jeans kept his very comfortable. Nice gift shop and Visitor Center.

Love the restaurant , friendly staff members, good food, the Pulled Pork BBQ torta is my favorite.

I've been to two other caves this year and this one is by far my favorite! The stalactites and stalagmites were just so magnificent and the trail was well-maintained. I highly recommend this national park to anyone who's into caves or national parks!

Wow! What an incredible experience! This was on my bucket list for a long time, glad I got to see it. Highly recommend. Stay for the bat experience if it is that time of year. Also, go to Guadalupe State Park and see El Capitan. Beautiful area.

Carlsbad Caverns National Park should be on everyone's bucket list! I wish I would have counted how many times I stopped and said "wow, this is incredible!" I chose to walk down in to the cave and take the elevator back up, but you can do that, take the elevator both directions, or hike both directions. I'm glad I hiked in! It was stunning! However if you're older and need assistance or have young kids it's pretty steep, wet and narrow in a lot of places. Just something to be mindful of. I think it took me about 45 minutes to get in to the cave itself from the mouth. I was hustling though! It think it takes about 90 minutes. I was not able to go to the Big Room for the sake of time but I don't feel like I missed anything else. It was amazing. Truly gorgeous! There is a great gift shop and restaurant at the top to get some goodies too!

Been There, Done BatWhile most Visitor Centers (VC) are kinda-sorta optional when visiting National Parks, this one is mandatory. In order to visit the Caverns, visitors are required to have a reservation, and this is the place to go in order to check in and use said reservation. The Good:*Nice large VC with a large parking lot*Two separate gift shops*Café that serves up cafeteria-style eats*Staff is extremely helpful and communicative *Cell phone reception outside the building is pretty good (Verizon).*Small museum talking about the cave and some of the animalsThe Meh:*Cell phone reception is spotty at best inside the buildings. The Ugly:*The whole line check-in process feels a little slow and clunky and could definitely use some streamlining. Part of the problem is that you make the reservation without paying, and you don't pay until you check in. TLDR: Nice VC with all the usual amenities and then some.

What a wonderful experience! I have never had the opportunity to visit many of our national parks until recently. This stop is a must! Definitely off the beaten path as the journey is part of the experience! National parks typically charge an entry fee, but investigate options on the Internet as annual or lifetime passes may be available for you that will help with cost savings if you plan to visit more than one in a year. In the drive to the caverns is approximately 5 miles from the entrance to the park, and that alone is just beautiful .Upon arrival, there is a visitor center where you can learn about the caverns, the area, and the wildlife inhabiting this geographic region. Movies, exhibit, gift, shops, food, etc. are available for you. Parking is free as is access to numerous hiking paths throughout the park. The caverns themselves have been declared a world heritage site and different from anything that you will ever experience.There are several different ways to visit this particular Cavern For those with limited time or me, struggle with accessibility, you can take an elevator down to the caverns 750 feet and walk immediate area to get a feel for the magnificence of this natural wonder; there are areas that are wheelchair and walker accessible. For the more adventurous individuals with more time you can take the natural entry, which is more than 1.25 miles, and will take well over an hour to descend into the cave. Once you are in the caves, you can walk the loop known as the big room which will take approximately another hour. All in all, allow a solid 3 to 4 hours to visit this location. Bring water noting that no snacks or animals are allowed within the caves; kennels are available as animals are not permitted to be left in vehicles in the parking lot. You must definitely have closed toed, rubber soled, shoes of a solid quality to comfortably accomplish this visit. The caves remain at approximately 55°F so you should layer up and prepare to peel as you get warm! Bathrooms are located at the visitor center and at the bottom of the elevators/natural entry walk. The caverns themselves are dimly lit to allow you to see the natural beauty without impeding on any of the wildlife that does live within the caves so I strongly suggest that you bring a flashlight for walking and even to see into some of the nooks and crannies. Diving lights with strong lumens are the best.Reservations for a timeslot are required in advance, particularly during high seasons. Reservations are a dollar each besides the price of entry. Self guided tours are wonderful, but ranger lead tours are also available add an additional cost and book up well in advance. Even the self guided tour is rated as moderately strenuous and ranger lead tours into more remote parts of the cave require ladder climbing. There are numerous postings throughout the cave that would allow even the self guided tour to be well-informed.Certain times of the year there are Brazilian bats that inhabit the caves and an amphitheater has been established at the entry to allow for the dawn observation of the spectacular phenomenon is when the bat colony departs for breakfast!If you are in this part of the world and can take a day to head over to Carlsbad caverns, you must see this for once in a lifetime experience.

Prolly one of the most unique national parks there is. Solely devoted to the caverns and sure was majestic. I'm amazed by how well kept and maintained this place was. Every corner had something to offer. I recommended getting their audio tour guide to get more out of your experience. Brought my 2 year old here. Overall very well paved but there are slippery spots so make sure to wear appropriate shoe wear. There are hand rails for those that need assistance and my parents was so happy for this feature since they have weak knees. For the most part everything is downhill and you take the elevator back up at the end of the trail which was nice! Highly recommend checking this national park off your list