The highlight of the park is the Big Room. If you choose the self-guided tour, you have a choice of how you want to get to the trail. You can simply take an elevator from the visitor center down to the start of the trail, or you can take the steep Natural Entrance Trail. You’ll descend about 750 feet over about a mile and a quarter. You always have the option of taking the elevator back up, of course.

Once you’re down there, the trail itself is about 1.25 miles and is handicapped accessible in parts. There’s also a shortcut in case you want to cut the distance in half.

Once you’re there, the trail is lit and you can take in the beauty of the structures and the awesome power of the natural forces at work. See the Bottomless Pit and Hall of Giants on your tour.

You’ll need an admission ticket for either the elevator or the natural entrance. Hours for the elevator and natural entrance vary, and there has been a further adjustment due to COVID restrictions. Make sure to check the park’s website for updates.

Also, the park currently requires you to buy a timed ticket for entry to the cave. You can buy them at Recreation.gov. There is a charge of $1 per ticket.

PLEASE NOTE THAT CURRENTLY ALL RANGER-GUIDED TOURS HAVE BEEN TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED.

From about Memorial Day through October, you can take in something that you won’t find in any other national park. Have a seat in the amphitheater located in front of the natural entrance about a half hour before sunset. After a short presentation by a park ranger, you can experience the exodus of hundreds of thousands of bats as they exit the cave into the night in search of food. You can hear and feel the rush as they fly away into the evening sky. But there’s nothing to worry about. The bats are harmless to everyone except the insects they’re about to devour. 

The park is located in the Chihuahuan Desert near the Guadalupe Mountains. The park has many amazing trails for you to experience the desert. You can find them here. You’ll see for miles and walk among shrews, lizards, snakes, cougars and a whole variety of other desert wildlife. Always be cautious, but also remember that if you don’t disturb the wildlife, they won’t likely disturb you. 

Also be prepared for the weather. Summertime temperatures can soar and the desert is always prone to weather extremes, including cold and flash floods. Plan in advance, dress properly and take plenty of water.