Carlsbad Caverns National Park - Facilities

Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center

Open

Open All Year

After Labor Day until Memorial Day weekend, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours are available 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tours are available 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please note:

Beginning on the second Sunday in March, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is on Mountain Daylight Saving Time; Mountain Standard Time begins on the first Sunday in November.

Phone

505.785.2232

Location

The visitor center is reached by way of US Highway 62/180 from either Carlsbad, New Mexico (23 miles to the northeast) or El Paso, Texas (150 miles to the west). A scenic 7-mile (11.3 km) entrance road leads from the park gate at Whites City to the visitor center and cavern entrance.

Closures

Closed December 25.

Special Programs

Be sure to check out the self-guided cave tours with the automated Cavern Audio Guide. We also offer ranger-guided cave tours, audio-visual programs, talks, hikes and demonstrations. Evening bat flight programs occur May through October.

Exhibits

The visitor center features exhibits on bats, geology, cave restoration and park history. There is also a children's exhibit that includes a variety of pictures, games and hands-on material. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce recently installed a special touch-screen computer to provide information about local attractions and exhibits featuring state and local maps. While the park does not offer the standard "movie" found at many national parks, there is a short self-serve video available with closed captioning in Spanish or English. This video serves as an introduction to the bats of Carlsbad Caverns and is particularly appreciated by our off-season visitors who miss the bat flight phenomena.