National Parks › Desert Southwest › Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns National Park

New Mexico · Established May 14, 1930

A fossil reef hollowed by acid, beneath a sky of bats and desert stars

Area: 46,766 acres
Established: May 14, 1930
Recreation visits: 410,778 / yr
State: New Mexico
Highest point: Guadalupe Ridge, about 6,520 ft (1,987 m)
Lowest point: Black River near Rattlesnake Springs, about 3,595 ft (1,096 m)

Carlsbad Caverns Weather Forecast

Loading the National Weather Service forecast for Carlsbad Caverns…

Seven-day outlook at the park's reference point (32.141, -104.553). Elevation changes everything in the mountains — expect colder, windier and wetter conditions on high ground.

Map of Carlsbad Caverns National Park

The Park

On the surface, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a sun-baked stretch of Chihuahuan Desert in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico, all agave, sotol and rimrock under an enormous sky. Underground it is another world entirely. More than 119 known caves honeycomb the limestone, among them Carlsbad Cavern, whose Big Room is the largest readily accessible cave chamber in North America, and Lechuguilla Cave, one of the deepest and longest caves on Earth.

The limestone itself is the remnant of a great reef that grew in a tropical sea during the Permian Period, long before the dinosaurs. Its caves were not carved by ordinary rainwater but dissolved from below by sulfuric acid, a process first recognized here. Proclaimed a national monument in 1923 and a national park on May 14, 1930, Carlsbad Caverns was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. On summer evenings, clouds of Brazilian free-tailed bats still spiral out of its natural entrance, just as they did when a teenage cowboy named Jim White first explored the cave around 1898.

Geography

The park occupies the northeastern flank of the Guadalupe Mountains, where the range descends toward the Pecos River valley near the city of Carlsbad. Its high country follows Guadalupe Ridge along the park's western side, and a series of deep canyons, including Walnut, Slaughter, Rattlesnake and Yucca canyons, cut northeastward through the escarpment toward the desert plain.

The terrain spans nearly 3,000 feet of relief, from about 6,520 feet on Guadalupe Ridge down to roughly 3,595 feet along the Black River near Rattlesnake Springs, a small detached unit where spring water supports a green oasis of cottonwoods. Most of the park is designated wilderness, and some of its most important terrain lies beneath the surface.

Carlsbad Cavern itself has more than 30 miles of surveyed passage. The Big Room, some 750 feet underground and reached by elevator or a winding trail from the natural entrance, stretches almost 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide and 255 feet high at its tallest point.

Landmarks

Carlsbad Cavern natural entranceCaveThe great mouth of the cave, where visitors descend on foot and bats emerge each summer evening.
Walnut CanyonCanyonThe main canyon below the visitor center, traversed by the scenic Walnut Canyon Desert Drive.
Bat Cave DrawCanyonA dry wash draining the escarpment below the cavern's natural entrance.
Lechuguilla CaveCaveA research-only cave of astonishing gypsum and sulfur formations, closed to the public to protect it.
Slaughter Canyon CaveCaveA rugged backcountry cave reached by a steep climb and visited only on ranger-guided tours.
Guadalupe RidgeArea · 6,520 ftThe park's high backbone, followed by the long-distance Guadalupe Ridge Trail.
Rattlesnake SpringsAreaA spring-fed oasis and birding hotspot in a small detached unit of the park.

Geology

Roughly 260 to 270 million years ago, during the Permian Period, a shallow inland arm of the sea called the Delaware Basin covered much of what is now West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. Around its rim grew the Capitan Reef, built not mainly by corals but by sponges, algae, bryozoans and other lime-secreting organisms. Over millions of years the reef grew upward and outward into the basin, eventually forming a horseshoe-shaped barrier hundreds of miles long and up to 1,800 feet thick.

Behind the reef, in quiet lagoons, layers of limestone, dolomite, sandstone and evaporite minerals accumulated, forming the Artesia Group. As the basin became cut off from the open ocean late in the Permian, it filled with thick deposits of gypsum and salt, burying the reef. For many millions of years it lay entombed beneath younger sediments.

The caves are a much more recent chapter. As oil and natural gas formed in the basin, hydrogen sulfide migrated upward and mixed with oxygen-bearing groundwater in the reef limestone, producing sulfuric acid that dissolved enormous voids from the bottom up. Dating of the mineral alunite, a byproduct of this acid attack, shows that upper levels of Lechuguilla Cave formed about 6 million years ago and the Big Room level of Carlsbad Cavern about 4 million years ago, with the water table dropping as the Guadalupe Mountains were uplifted and tilted.

Once the passages drained and air filled them, dripping and seeping water began decorating them with stalactites, stalagmites, columns, draperies and delicate helictites. Erosion eventually breached the surface, opening the cavern's natural entrance within roughly the last million years and giving bats, and eventually people, a way in.

Deep time

About 270–260 million years agoThe Capitan Reef grows along the margin of the Delaware Basin in a warm Permian sea.
Late PermianThe basin is cut off from the ocean and fills with gypsum and salt of the Castile Formation, burying the reef.
Mesozoic to early CenozoicThe reef lies buried beneath younger sediments while oil and gas form in the basin.
About 12–6 million years agoUplift and tilting of the Guadalupe Mountains begin raising the buried reef.
About 6 million years agoSulfuric acid dissolves the upper levels of Lechuguilla Cave.
About 4 million years agoAcid-rich water carves the Big Room level of Carlsbad Cavern.
Within the last million yearsErosion opens the natural entrance, and speleothems continue to grow in air-filled passages.

The rocks

Capitan LimestoneMiddle Permian (Guadalupian)
Massive fossil reef limestone that hosts most of Carlsbad Cavern and Lechuguilla Cave.
Goat Seep LimestoneMiddle Permian
An older reef unit underlying the Capitan, exposed in the escarpment.
Seven Rivers FormationMiddle Permian
Back-reef dolomite and evaporite layers deposited in lagoons behind the reef.
Yates FormationMiddle Permian
Sandy back-reef beds of the Artesia Group that interfinger with the reef.
Tansill FormationMiddle to Late Permian
The youngest back-reef unit, forming the caprock over parts of the caverns.
Bell Canyon FormationMiddle Permian
Deep-basin sandstone deposited seaward of the reef front.
Castile FormationLate Permian
Thick banded gypsum and anhydrite that filled the dying Delaware Basin.

Trees, Plants & Ecosystems

943vascular plant species recorded

Chihuahuan Desert scrubAbout 3,600–4,500 ft
Creosote bush, lechuguilla, ocotillo and grasses on the lower slopes and desert plain.
Desert grassland and succulent slopesAbout 4,000–5,500 ft
Grama grasses mixed with sotol, yuccas, cacti and sumacs on rocky limestone hillsides.
Canyon riparian woodlandCanyon bottoms
Little walnut, hackberry, soapberry and oaks in shaded canyons where moisture lingers.
Pinyon–juniper and oak woodlandAbove about 5,500 ft
Junipers, pinyon, gray oak and scattered ponderosa pine on Guadalupe Ridge.
Spring oasisRattlesnake Springs, about 3,600 ft
Cottonwoods and wetlands around permanent springs that draw migrating and nesting birds.
Cave ecosystemUnderground
Dark, constant-temperature habitats supporting bats, cave crickets and sulfur- and iron-eating microbes.

Trees

Alligator juniperJuniperus deppeanaNamed for its checkered bark, it grows on the park's higher ridges.
Redberry juniperJuniperus pinchotiiA shrubby juniper common on limestone slopes throughout the park.
Two-needle pinyonPinus edulisA nut pine of the upper woodlands whose seeds feed jays and rodents.
Ponderosa pinePinus ponderosaTall pines persist in a few cool, high canyons.
Gray oakQuercus griseaA small evergreen oak of rocky slopes and canyon rims.
Little walnutJuglans microcarpaGives Walnut Canyon its name and grows along dry streambeds.
Western soapberrySapindus saponariaIts translucent fruits contain saponins once used as soap.
Bigtooth mapleAcer grandidentatumA relic of cooler times sheltering in shaded canyons, bright red in autumn.
Netleaf hackberryCeltis laevigata var. reticulataA drought-tolerant canyon tree whose berries attract birds.
Rio Grande cottonwoodPopulus deltoides ssp. wislizeniTowers over the spring-fed wetlands at Rattlesnake Springs.
Desert willowChilopsis linearisNot a true willow, it lines washes with airy foliage and orchid-like pink flowers.

Wildflowers, shrubs & other plants

LechuguillaAgave lechuguillaA spiny agave found only in the Chihuahuan Desert, and namesake of the park's most famous wild cave.
Green sotolDasylirion leiophyllumA fountain of saw-edged leaves topped by a tall flowering stalk.
Torrey yuccaYucca torreyiA trunk-forming yucca with creamy spring flower clusters.
Soaptree yuccaYucca elataIts roots were used to make soap and its leaves for weaving.
OcotilloFouquieria splendensWhiplike stems that leaf out after rain and bear scarlet flower tips.
Creosote bushLarrea tridentataThe dominant shrub of the desert lowlands.
Claret cup cactusEchinocereus triglochidiatusMounded stems crowned in spring by waxy crimson flowers.
Engelmann's prickly pearOpuntia engelmanniiBroad pads with yellow blooms and purple fruits eaten by javelinas.
Horse crippler cactusEchinocactus horizonthaloniusA low, stout barrel cactus with fierce, flattened spines.
Texas sacahuistaNolina texanaA grassy bunch of wiry leaves common on rocky slopes.
Blue gramaBouteloua gracilisA key desert grassland species with eyelash-shaped seed heads.
Apache plumeFallugia paradoxaA shrub of washes with white flowers and feathery pink seed plumes.
Littleleaf sumacRhus microphyllaA thicket-forming shrub whose tart red berries feed wildlife.

Wildlife

68mammals
362birds
43reptiles
8amphibians
5fish

Mammals

Brazilian free-tailed batTadarida brasiliensisHundreds of thousands roost in the cavern from spring to fall and emerge at dusk to hunt insects.
Cave myotisMyotis veliferA colonial bat that also uses the caverns as a roost.
Townsend's big-eared batCorynorhinus townsendiiA long-eared bat highly sensitive to disturbance in its cave roosts.
Pallid batAntrozous pallidusHunts scorpions and crickets on the ground as well as in the air.
Mule deerOdocoileus hemionusCommonly seen browsing near the visitor center at dawn and dusk.
Mountain lionPuma concolorThe park's top predator, ranging widely through canyons and ridges.
RingtailBassariscus astutusA nocturnal, cat-sized relative of the raccoon that sometimes enters cave entrances.
Collared peccaryPecari tajacuJavelinas travel in bands, feeding on prickly pear and agave.
Gray foxUrocyon cinereoargenteusA tree-climbing fox of rocky canyons.
CoyoteCanis latransIts evening chorus echoes across the desert basins.
BobcatLynx rufusHunts rabbits and rodents in brushy canyons.
North American porcupineErethizon dorsatumSurprisingly at home in desert woodlands, feeding on bark and succulents.
Desert cottontailSylvilagus auduboniiAn important prey animal for many of the park's predators.

Birds

Cave swallowPetrochelidon fulvaBuilds mud nests just inside the cavern's natural entrance.
Canyon wrenCatherpes mexicanusIts cascading song rings through the entrance and canyon walls.
Scaled quailCallipepla squamataA 'cotton-topped' quail of desert grasslands.
Greater roadrunnerGeococcyx californianusStalks lizards and insects along the desert drives.
Scott's orioleIcterus parisorumA black-and-lemon oriole that nests in yuccas and feeds on agave nectar.
PyrrhuloxiaCardinalis sinuatusThe gray desert cousin of the northern cardinal.
VerdinAuriparus flavicepsA tiny yellow-headed bird that builds bulky nests in thorny shrubs.
Ladder-backed woodpeckerPicoides scalarisForages on yuccas, agave stalks and junipers.
Chihuahuan ravenCorvus cryptoleucusA smaller raven of open desert, often seen in flocks.
Bell's vireoVireo belliiNests in the shrubby thickets at Rattlesnake Springs.
Rock wrenSalpinctes obsoletusBobs on boulders and ledges throughout the park.
Golden eagleAquila chrysaetosOccasionally soars over the ridges hunting rabbits.

Reptiles & amphibians

Western diamond-backed rattlesnakeCrotalus atroxThe largest rattlesnake in the park, common in desert lowlands.
Northern black-tailed rattlesnakeCrotalus molossusA handsome, greenish-yellow rattlesnake of rocky canyons.
Rock rattlesnakeCrotalus lepidusA small, pale rattlesnake camouflaged against limestone.
Gray-banded kingsnakeLampropeltis alternaA secretive, strikingly patterned snake prized by herpetologists.
Texas horned lizardPhrynosoma cornutumA harvester-ant specialist that can squirt blood from its eyes.
Eastern collared lizardCrotaphytus collarisBrightly colored and quick, it basks atop boulders.
Ornate box turtleTerrapene ornataA land turtle of the desert grasslands, active after summer rains.
Red-spotted toadBufo punctatusBreeds in rain-filled potholes and canyon pools after storms.

Fish

Greenthroat darterEtheostoma lepidumA small, colorful darter of the clear spring waters at Rattlesnake Springs.
Roundnose minnowDionda episcopaA native minnow of spring-fed streams in the Pecos drainage.

Species totals are the park's certified NPSpecies checklist (occurrence: present).

Climate & When to Visit

Carlsbad Caverns has a semi-arid Chihuahuan Desert climate with abundant sunshine, roughly 278 sunny days a year by park estimates. Summers are hot, with afternoon highs between the 90s and low 100s °F, while winters bring cold nights, occasional snow and ice, and mild afternoons. Spring tends to be windy and dry, and most of the year's rain arrives from July through September as monsoon thunderstorms.

Underground, the weather never changes. The main cavern holds a steady temperature of about 56 °F (13 °C) with high humidity year-round, so a light jacket is welcome even on a scorching July day. Evening bat flights depend on surface weather too: storms and cold snaps can delay or cancel the emergence.

Spring
March through May is mild but often windy; bats return from Mexico in April or May and cacti bloom.
Summer
Hot days in the 90s to 100s °F, monsoon storms from July, and the best bat flights of the year from the amphitheater.
Autumn
Rain lingers into September, then clear, pleasant weather; most bats migrate south by late October or early November.
Winter
Cool, sunny days with cold nights, occasional snow or ice on park roads, and an unchanging cave climate below.

Weather hazards

Heat: Hike surface trails early in summer and carry plenty of water; there is little shade.
Lightning and flash floods: Monsoon storms can bring lightning to exposed ridges and sudden floods to normally dry canyons.
Steep cave trails: The Natural Entrance Trail drops about 750 feet on a steep, often damp path; wear shoes with good traction.
Winter ice: Occasional snow and ice can close the road to the visitor center or make it slick.
Rattlesnakes: Watch where you step and put your hands on rocky trails, especially on warm evenings.

Carlsbad Caverns Questions

When is the best time to visit Carlsbad Caverns?

The cave is 56 °F all year, so any season works for going underground. Late spring through early fall is best if you want to see the evening bat flight, and spring and fall offer the most comfortable weather for surface hiking.

When can you see the bat flight at Carlsbad Caverns?

Brazilian free-tailed bats emerge at dusk from roughly late May through October, with numbers often peaking in late summer when young bats join the flight. Rangers hold programs at the amphitheater by the natural entrance, and electronic devices are not allowed during the flight.

How were Carlsbad Caverns formed?

Unlike most limestone caves, which are dissolved by carbonic acid from rainwater, these caves were eaten out from below by sulfuric acid formed when hydrogen sulfide from oil and gas deposits met oxygen-rich groundwater. Dating shows the Big Room level formed about 4 million years ago.

What is the weather like in summer?

Expect hot, sunny afternoons in the 90s to low 100s °F and the chance of afternoon thunderstorms from July into September. Inside the cavern it stays a cool 56 °F, so bring a light layer.

How big is the Big Room?

The Big Room is nearly 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide and 255 feet high at its tallest point. Its floor covers roughly 8.2 acres, making it the largest easily accessible cave chamber in North America.

Can you visit Lechuguilla Cave?

No. Lechuguilla is closed to the public to protect its fragile formations and unique microbial life, and is entered only by permitted scientists and survey teams. Some of its features are explained in exhibits at the visitor center.

More parks in the Desert Southwest

← Capitol Reef National Park Channel Islands National Park →

Sources: www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · irmaservices.nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · www.science.org · Official NPS site