Carlsbad Caverns National Park
VISIT Carlsbad Caverns National Park:
Park Details
Carlsbad Caverns National Park was established on October 25, 1923, and has a total area of 46,766 acres (73 square miles, or 189 square kilometers).
| Address | 727 Carlsbad Caverns Highway, Carlsbad, NM, 88220 |
|---|---|
| Phone | 575 785-2232 |
| Hours | 8am - 5pm. Reservations Required |
| Entrance Fee | $15 per person. Younger than 15 are free. Guided tours for an additional fee |
| Learn More | Official Website |
When to Visit: Weather vs. Peak Visitation
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is the 134th most visited park in the country.
We crunched 30 years of historical weather and/or park service data to find the best months to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. We looked for the optimal temperatures, the least amount of snow and rain, and stayed away from peak visitation months if we could help it. All this data then helped us paint a picture as to what the absolute best time to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park is.
Our data shows the best months to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park are April, February, November & March.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Visits | 16,219 | 13,270 | 30,749 | 25,859 | 29,206 | 34,015 | 53,346 | 29,210 | 24,922 | 34,791 | 28,082 | 29,575 |
| Precipitation | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 22 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 23 | 13 | 14 |
| Avg Temp | 58 | 63 | 70 | 78 | 86 | 93 | 92 | 90 | 85 | 77 | 65 | 57 |
| Max Temp | 71 | 75 | 82 | 89 | 96 | 101 | 99 | 97 | 94 | 88 | 78 | 71 |
| Avg Temp | 29 | 32 | 37 | 43 | 53 | 62 | 66 | 66 | 59 | 48 | 36 | 29 |
| Min Temp | 18 | 19 | 21 | 30 | 39 | 52 | 60 | 60 | 46 | 34 | 22 | 17 |
Carlsbad Caverns National Park Road Trips
Many family vacations consist of stringing one or more national parks together during a week-long trip. Creating these types of trips is our specialty! Here are the road trips we've created where Carlsbad Caverns National Park is visited.
| Trip Name | Trip Miles | Trip Days |
|---|---|---|
| Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, Big Bend & The Alamo | 898 | 7 |
Other Nearby National Park Sites
From national monuments, to historic sites to seashores and more, here are the other parks closest to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
| Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 31 mi |
| White Sands National Park | 109 mi |
| Fort Davis National Historic Site | 114 mi |
| Chamizal National Memorial | 121 mi |
| Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument | 172 mi |
| Big Bend National Park | 214 mi |
| Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River | 225 mi |
| Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument | 234 mi |
| Pecos National Historical Park | 244 mi |
| Petroglyph National Monument | 244 mi |
Nearby Campsites & RV Parks
If you are looking to pitch a tent or park an RV at a campsite near Carlsbad Caverns National Park, here is a list of the closest campsites in the surrounding area. They all have slightly different amenitites, so its best to check them all out instead of just chosing the first on the list.
| Name | Details | Miles Away |
|---|---|---|
| Parks Ranch | Whites City, NM more | 5 miles |
| Dark Canyon Dispersed | Carlsbad, NM more | 10 miles |
| Dog Canyon - Guadalupe Mountains National Park | Pine Springs, TX more | 26 miles |
| The Pecos River Corridor - Dispersed | Loving, NM more | 26 miles |
| Brantley Lake State Park | Carlsbad, NM more | 27 miles |
| Pine Springs - Guadalupe Mountains National Park | Pine Springs, TX more | 30 miles |
| Hackberry Lake OHV | Carlsbad, NM more | 39 miles |
Nearest Ski Resorts
For those of you who are the diehard outdoors type, visiting a national park on a ski trip can be quite the adventure. Here are the ski resorts within 100 miles of Carlsbad Caverns National Park:
None Found.
Nearest Airports
When visiting a National park, many people are faced with either a very long drive across country, or a much shorter flight. For those of you looking to fly into Carlsbad Caverns National Park, we've listed the closest airports in the area.
Large Airports
A large airport has scheduled major airline service with millions of passengers per year. This type of airport always accepts international flights. Here are the closest large airports to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio International Airport | SAT | San Antonio, TX | 398 mi |
| Austin-Bergstrom International Airport | AUS | Austin, TX | 423 mi |
| Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport | DFW | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 434 mi |
| Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | PHX | Phoenix, AZ | 447 mi |
Medium Airports
A medium-sized airport has scheduled regional airline service. This type of airport may or may not accept international flights. Here are the closest medium-sized airports to Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
| Name | Code | City | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cavern City Air Terminal | CNM | Carlsbad, NM | 15 mi |
| Roswell Air Center Airport | ROW | Roswell, NM | 78 mi |
| El Paso International Airport | ELP | El Paso, TX | 116 mi |
| Midland International Airport | MAF | Midland, TX | 132 mi |
| Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport | LBB | Lubbock, TX | 183 mi |
| Albuquerque International Sunport | ABQ | Albuquerque, NM | 234 mi |
| San Angelo Regional Mathis Field | SJT | San Angelo, TX | 239 mi |
Credits: Campground data provided by USCampgrounds.info. Map shapes from CartographyVectors. Weather data from NOAA. Airport data from OurAirports.com. Images from Unsplash, Flickr and Parks&Trips. All data has also been updated and augmented by Parks&Trips.