Best Time to Visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Pick a month. Best months are in bold.

The best months to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park are January, February and October — computed from official NPS visitation (2021–2025 average), NOAA weather normals and daylight. July is the crowd peak (51,173 monthly visits); January is quietest at 38% of peak.

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Best months for fewer crowds

The quietest months at Carlsbad Caverns, leaving out harsh weather and months when main access is typically closed.

Monthly crowd curve

Average monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). Amber bar = current month.

Carlsbad Caverns month by month

Crowds: NPS Visitor Use Statistics, mean of 2021–2025 (2020 excluded as a COVID-19 anomaly). Weather: NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals, station CARLSBAD CAVERNS, NM US (0 mi from park coordinates). Daylight: computed for the 15th of each month at the park's location. Methodology.

How many people visit Carlsbad Caverns each year

Carlsbad Caverns National Park had 410,778 recreation visits in 2025, 11% fewer than 2024 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). The busiest year since 2015 was 2017, with 520,026. Over 2021–2025 it averaged 401,110 visits a year, which makes it the 18th least-visited of the 63 national parks.

Calendar-year recreation visits as published by NPS Visitor Use Statistics. 2020 is shown here but left out of the monthly averages above, because the COVID-19 pandemic makes it unrepresentative. See how every park compares: all 63 parks ranked by visits.

What to pack for Carlsbad Caverns in January

Computed from January's weather normals — Carlsbad Caverns's best month above. Visiting another month? Each month page has its own weather-computed list.

• Warm mid-layer (fleece or light puffy) — mornings average 34°F
• Headlamp — only 10.3 hours of daylight in mid-January (compare other options)
• Sturdy broken-in footwear, navigation and a basic first-aid kit — every park, every month

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Common questions

Carlsbad Caverns month by month: notes from the park service

• January: In January, as all year, entering Carlsbad Cavern takes a timed entry ticket. The park service strongly recommends reserving your entry time in advance, then paying for the entrance ticket itself at the visitor center, which is open 9 am to 5 pm.
• February: February at Carlsbad Caverns is out of bat season (the bats are in residence April through October), so the draw is the cave itself. Entry needs a timed entry ticket; reserve the time, then buy the entrance ticket at the visitor center, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• March: March is the start of Carlsbad Caverns' windy, mild early-spring stretch, which the park says runs March to May, though the Chihuahuan Desert can still deliver cold snaps; March's record low here is 10°F and its record high 94°F. The cavern keeps the same daily schedule all year: the elevator into the cavern stops at 2:30 p.m., so arrive with your timed-entry reservation well before then.
• April: April is when Carlsbad Caverns' bat season starts: the park service says hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats live in Carlsbad Cavern from April through October, and watching them stream out at dusk is a park tradition. Going into the cavern itself still needs a timed entry ticket; reserve your entry time ahead, then pay for the entrance ticket at the visitor center (open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
• June: June evenings at Carlsbad Caverns belong to the bats. The free Bat Flight Program in the Bat Flight Amphitheater, at the cavern's Natural Entrance, needs no reservation; program times vary from year to year, so check the day's time at the visitor center.
• July: July holds Carlsbad Caverns' big bat event. On the third Saturday of the month, the park gathers at dawn, around 5 a.m., in the Bat Flight Amphitheater to watch the bats dive back into the cavern, followed by bat activities in the visitor center through the day (some need signing up the day before).
• August: In August, plan a Carlsbad Caverns day in two halves. By day, a timed entry ticket gets you into the cavern; you can walk in through the Natural Entrance between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and must be out by 3:30.
• September: September is still bat season at Carlsbad Caverns, which runs April through October according to the park service. The evening Bat Flight Program in the amphitheater is free and does not take reservations, and the park notes that program times vary from year to year.
• October: October is the last month the Brazilian free-tailed bats are in residence at Carlsbad Caverns: the park service says they live in the cavern from April through October so October is the end of the season for the evening Bat Flight Program. The cavern itself stays open year-round with a timed entry ticket, closed only on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
• November: November at Carlsbad Caverns comes after bat season (the colony is in the cavern from April through October), so the visit is all underground. A timed entry ticket is required; book the entry time ahead and pay at the visitor center, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• December: Carlsbad Caverns needs a timed entry ticket to go into the cavern, December included. The park service strongly recommends reserving one, but the reservation only picks your entry time; you still buy the entrance ticket at the visitor center when you arrive.

Each month page carries the full note and the NPS page it comes from.

Dive into a month

Comparing parks for the same trip? See how Carlsbad Caverns ranks against all 63 parks in January, February and October.

Last verified 2026-09-24 · all parks