Carlsbad Caverns National Park Travel Forum

Hi there,

I'm trying to plan a little 2/3-day road trip from Santa Fe -> Roswell -> Carlsbad Caverns -> White Sands with my parents (from Scotland). I was wondering if anyone could tell me the best time to go to caverns i.e. should I go to see the bats flying INTO the cave at dawn, or OUT of the cave at dusk.

We will be going sometime between the 5th to 12th of June. Just trying to plan an itinerary.

Thanks in advance for any replies!

Lee

PS: Anyone know of any events going on in Alomagordo, Roswell, or Carlsbad in the above timeframe?

Last summer my daughter was there to see the bats flying OUT of the cave at night, and she said it was a fantastic sight -- there were so many of them, filling the sky.

Also recommend the evening bat viewing, as the whole troop leave en-masse then (also not entirely sure the viewing area is open at dawn). I was there last summer, and it was truly an awesome site - a constant stream of bats flying out from shortly before dusk until it was too dark to see them. The park rangers have a short program on All Things Batty at the viewing area for about a half hour before the bats wake up. The viewing site is within the Carlsbad Caverns park itself, a 5 minute walk from the visitor's center. There will be signs in the center on the approximate time. Bat viewing program is free (although park admission is not).
While you're in Carlsbad, I was also impressed with the Living Desert Zoo on the outskirts of the town of Carlsbad. Doesn't get much publicity, but it was a nice little "desert ecology" kind of place.
If you're going to Alamagordo, that probably means White Sands. There's a dusk dune tour by rangers that was fun (and also not as hot as mid-day). The town of Alamagordo itself I found kind of boring compared to the rest of New Mexico - seemed to be mostly a support town for military base employees and families.

Also recommend the evening bat viewing, as the whole troop leave en-masse then (also not entirely sure the viewing area is open at dawn). I was there last summer, and it was truly an awesome site - a constant stream of bats flying out from shortly before dusk until it was too dark to see them. The park rangers have a short program on All Things Batty at the viewing area for about a half hour before the bats wake up. The viewing site is within the Carlsbad Caverns park itself, a 5 minute walk from the visitor's center. There will be signs in the center on the approximate time. Bat viewing program is free (although park admission is not).
While you're in Carlsbad, I was also impressed with the Living Desert Zoo on the outskirts of the town of Carlsbad. Doesn't get much publicity, but it was a nice little "desert ecology" kind of place.
If you're going to Alamagordo, that probably means White Sands. There's a dusk dune tour by rangers that was fun (and also not as hot as mid-day). The town of Alamagordo itself I found kind of boring compared to the rest of New Mexico - seemed to be mostly a support town for military base employees and families.

Thanks for all your replies, guys. I think I'm going to try and arrive in Carlsbad with enough time to explore the caverns and then go up for the bat show. Would anyone care to share how long a good amount of time for touring the caves/caverns would be?

I think I'll actually try and stay in Cloudcroft in one of the cabins for two nights and make White Sands and the Caverns a day trip. Will probably check out that zoo, and am investigating the Ranger tour now!

Thanks,
Lee

White sands at night is amazing! I glows in the moonlight :) Fitness level and which tours you want to go on will determine how much time you need for the caverns. But late afternoon is best so you'll be in the park for bat flight at dusk.

Assuming you're doing the main cave tour, about a half day is enough. We got there about noon, that was long enough to see the main sights before the cave closes at 5. In June the bats won't come out until 8 or so, which gives you enough time to go into town for dinner and come back.
One other tip, there are guided trips available to less accessible parts of the cave, ranging from "x-treme caving" to only mildly challenging. If you're interested best to call a couple of days in advance to make reservations, they often sell out. Check out http://www.nps.gov/cave/tour-gui.htm for more info.