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Carlsbad Caverns Tours: What's Actually Still Open
This post is just about the tours. For entrance fees, timed entry, the dog kennel, camping, and the self-guided Big Room, check out my Carlsbad Caverns National Park guide.
Quick pick:
Best overall for most visitors: King's Palace Tour
Best for something more physical: Lower Cave Tour
Best if you're an experienced caver who wants the real thing: Parks Ranch Cave, not an NPS tour
No tour needed: the self-guided Big Room Trail
Not currently offered: Spider Cave, Hall of the White Giant, Left Hand Tunnel, Slaughter Canyon Cave
Which Carlsbad Caverns tour should you pick?
King's Palace is the one I'd point most people toward. It's guided the whole way, it doesn't need any gear, and the hard part is a steep descent near the start and a very steep hill to climb back out at the end. It's a solid pick for families, first timers, or anyone who wants to see Carlsbad's decorated rooms without committing to anything strenuous.
Lower Cave is worth it if you want something more hands-on and you're fine with a handline and a few ladders. It's not full-on caving, but it's close enough that I'd think twice about it if you have bad knees, a fear of heights, or kids under 12 along with you.
If you're the kind of person who came here hoping for actual crawling-on-your-hands-and-knees caving, neither of these will fully scratch that itch. That's Parks Ranch Cave, and it's only for people who already know what they're doing.
King's Palace Tour: Carlsbad's decorated rooms without the crawling
If you want the classic Carlsbad experience without any crawling, King's Palace is the tour to go for. It's a ranger-led walk through four chambers the NPS calls highly decorated, and it's currently the only ranger-guided option in the park besides Lower Cave.
The tour runs about 90 minutes and covers about a mile. The NPS notes some extra descending and a very steep hill to walk up at the end. Kids under 6 aren't permitted, per the NPS tour schedule. It runs at 10:30am and 1:30pm, Thursday through Tuesday, so it does not run on Wednesdays, and only when there's enough staff that day.
Tickets run $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6 to 15, and $5 for visitors with a Senior or Access pass, on top of the park's $15 general admission and $1 timed entry reservation.
Lower Cave Tour: the hands-on option
Because the real caving tours are gone for now, I opted for the Lower Cave Tour, which turned out to be the closest thing to a real caving experience Carlsbad currently offers. You can see the room from above on the paved Big Room route, but on this tour you go down a handline and a few ladders into it and actually get to explore it.
Per the NPS, it's about 3 hours, ages 12 and up (anyone under 16 has to be with an adult), and $30 for adults or $15 for kids on top of the entrance fee. Groups top out at 12 people, and you'll climb down about sixty feet of ladders and back down a slick slope on a knotted rope.
The park gives you a helmet, headlamp, and gloves. What you do need to bring is a pair of hiking boots or hiking shoes with good tread, since sandals and tennis shoes aren't allowed. Something like the Moab 3 Mid hiking boots works.
Tour days and staffing, worth knowing before you plan around it
The Lower Cave Tour only runs on Wednesdays, and King's Palace doesn't run at all on Wednesdays. I found this out when I walked into the visitor center at 9am and the ranger was announcing it to everyone in line. From what the ranger explained, the same two rangers lead both tours, so Lower Cave takes King's Palace off the schedule that day. That was the setup as of August 2026, so call ahead if you're planning around a specific tour.
Self-Guided Carlsbad Caverns: Big Room, Natural Entrance, and Bat Flight
You do not need a tour ticket to see Carlsbad. The self-guided routes only need the park entrance ticket, and for most visitors they are the main event.
Big Room Trail: 1.25 miles and relatively flat, about 1.5 hours on average per the NPS. There is a shortcut of about 0.6 miles that takes about 45 minutes.
Natural Entrance Trail: 1.25 miles with about 750 feet of elevation change, about an hour on average. The NPS describes it as extremely steep and not recommended if you have heart or respiratory conditions.
Bat Flight Program: April through October, free, no reservations, and seating is first come first served at the Bat Flight Amphitheater by the Natural Entrance. Electronics of any kind are not allowed there, including phones and cameras. The NPS says programs may be cancelled for lightning.
The NPS also asks every visitor to walk across a bio-cleaning mat after leaving the cave to help stop the spread of white-nose syndrome. For entrance fees and timed entry details, see my Carlsbad Caverns National Park guide.
How to book King's Palace and Lower Cave
Lower Cave is reservable ahead of time on Recreation.gov, and since it only runs once a week with a max of 12 people, I'd book it as soon as your dates are set. King's Palace is walk-up only per the NPS tour schedule, so ask at the front desk the day you're there. For either tour you also need the separate $1 timed entry reservation, also on Recreation.gov, and you pick up tour tickets at the visitor center at least 30 minutes before the tour starts.
The park's own pages didn't all agree on tour status when I checked in September 2026, so confirm on the NPS tour schedule before you go.
The Carlsbad Caverns tours that are no longer offered
Before COVID, Carlsbad ran several strenuous, gear-required tours alongside the easier walking tours. As of my visit in August 2026, none of these were bookable, and none show up on the park's current tour schedule or on Recreation.gov:
Spider Cave, an off-trail, undeveloped section requiring crawling and squeezing through tight passages
Hall of the White Giant, historically billed as the most technical of the ranger-guided tours, with belly-crawling, a handline, and ladder climbing
Left Hand Tunnel, a candle-lantern tour over natural, uneven cave surface
Slaughter Canyon Cave, an undeveloped cave tour hiked with headlamps
If you loved the strenuous tours at the other big cave parks, this is the disappointing part of planning a Carlsbad trip right now. Check the park's current tour page before you go in case any of these come back.
A cave for actual cavers: Parks Ranch Cave
If you already know how to cave, there's a spot worth knowing about. Parks Ranch Cave sits about 25 miles southwest of Carlsbad on BLM land, and the BLM calls it the longest gypsum cave on public land in the US. No permit is required and it's free.
This is only for people who actually know what they're doing. Bring a helmet with a headlamp like the Spot 400, gloves, elbow and knee pads, and sturdy boots, and go in with at least three people and three separate light sources. The cave takes on water when it rains, so skip it if rain is in the forecast. I cover the free camping out there in my Carlsbad Caverns guide.
Planning the rest of the trip
If you're building a bigger caving road trip, I've done the same breakdown for Wind Cave tours and Mammoth Cave tours. If it's the wild caving you're after, I've written up the Wind Cave Wild Cave Tour, the Mammoth Cave Wild Cave Tour, and the Jewel Cave Wild Cave Tour which I've been on all of first hand between 2023-2026.
Carlsbad Caverns Tours FAQ
Can you reserve the King's Palace Tour online?
No. The NPS tour schedule lists King's Palace as walk-up only and dependent on staffing, so ask at the visitor center the day you are there.
How do you book the Lower Cave Tour?
Lower Cave requires a reservation. You can book it on Recreation.gov or by calling 877-444-6777. Group size is capped at 12.
How long is the Lower Cave Tour and how old do you have to be?
The tour takes about 3 hours. Participants must be 12 or older, and anyone under 16 must be with an adult. Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for children, plus the park entrance fee.
What time does the Lower Cave Tour start?
It runs on Wednesdays. The NPS pages list two different start times, 9:15 am on the Lower Cave page and 9:30 am on the tour schedule, so confirm your start time on your reservation.
What do you need to wear on the Lower Cave Tour?
Hiking boots or hiking shoes with good aggressive tread are required. Sandals, flip flops, and tennis shoes are not allowed. The park provides a helmet with a headlamp and gloves, and backpacks are not allowed.
What is the age limit for tours at Carlsbad Caverns?
The NPS tour schedule says children under 6 are not permitted on any ranger-guided tour. Lower Cave has its own minimum age of 12.
Are Carlsbad Caverns tours running right now?
The NPS pages did not agree when I checked. The tour schedule lists King's Palace and Lower Cave, while the fees page says tours are temporarily suspended until further notice. Check the NPS tour schedule before you go.
Do you need a tour to see Carlsbad Caverns?
No. The Big Room Trail and Natural Entrance Trail are self-guided and only need the park entrance ticket.
Can you see the bats at Carlsbad Caverns?
The Bat Flight Program runs April through October. It is free with no reservations, and electronics are not allowed.
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