Basic Information

Timed Entry Tickets Required to Enter Carlsbad Cavern

• Reservations are strongly recommended and can purchased online or by calling 877-444-6777.
• Reservations are only for selecting the entry time.
• Upon arrival at the visitor center, entrance tickets must be purchased.

 

Physical Address

Directions

Operating Hours & Seasons

Visitor Center Hours
8 am–5 pm

Last Cavern Entrance Ticket Sold
2:15 pm

Last Cavern Entrance
2:30 pm

Elevator

• INTO the Cavern
  8:30 am–2:30 pm

• Last Elevator OUT of the Cavern
  4:45 pm

Hike

• INTO the Cavern
  8:30 am–2:30 pm

• Last Time to Hike OUT of the Cavern
  2:30 pm (complete hike out by 3:30 pm)

Weather

Weather Details

Fees & Passes

Click here for information about what to expect when visiting the park during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Entrance Fee

All visitors who enter Carlsbad Cavern are required to purchase an entrance ticket, which is good for three days. If you are entering with a pass, please visit the ticket counter for your free admission ticket.

Adults (16 and older): $15 per person

Children (15 and under): Free

Pass Holders: Free

When using an America the Beautiful—National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, Senior Pass, Access Pass, Military Pass or Volunteer Pass, the pass admits the cardholder plus three adults.

2024 Fee-Free Days

• Monday, January 15: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Saturday, April 20: First Day of National Park Week
• Wednesday, June 19: Juneteenth
• Sunday, August 4: The Great American Outdoors Act
• Saturday, September 28: National Public Lands Day
• Monday, November 11: Veterans Day

Ranger-Guided Tours

 

► The King's Palace and Lower Cave tours are now available. 

All other tours remain temporarily suspended until further notice.

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Reservations are highly recommended for all ranger-guided tours. To make reservations, call 1-877-444-6777 or go to recreation.gov.

Children under the age of 6 are not permitted on any ranger-guided tours. Other age limits apply depending on the tour.

King's Palace: $8 for adults, $4 for children, under 6 not permitted. Must also purchase an entrance ticket. $4 for Senior and Access Pass holders.

Lower Cave: $20 for adults, $10 for children, Senior and Access Pass holders, under age 12 not permitted. Must also purchase an entrance ticket.

Internet & Cellular Access

Internet & Cellular Access Details