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Carlsbad Caverns National Park

VISITOR CENTERS

Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center

Open
Open All Year
Last week in August until Memorial Day weekend 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Memorial Day weekend through third weekend in August 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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.

Available Facilities
The visitor center includes a ticket sales area, restrooms, a bookstore, a gift shop, kennels and a coffee shop. The coffee shop is open during visitor center hours. There is no service in the evening, when the Bat Flight program is taking place. The restaurant has a private dining room available for large parties, but it must be reserved in advance. Call 505.785.2281. There is a small cafeteria-style restaurant in the Underground Rest Area, which sells box lunches and snack items. Large groups can also eat here comfortably. The large gift shop offers a wide range of gifts and souvenir items. There is also a small selection of souvenir items in the Underground Rest Area. Both gift shops sell film and batteries, but offer a limited selection. The kennel is open every day during regular visitor center hours and has space for about 30 pets. The fee is $4.00 per pet. Each animal has its own cage and the room is air-conditioned. Please never leave your animals in cars or RVs, heat can be deadly even with a window cracked.