Carlsbad Cavern and at least 86 other known caves lie deep within a Permian-age fossil reef in the hinterlands of New Mexico, including Lechuguilla Cave, the nation's deepest and third-longest limestone cave at 1,567 feet. Carlsbad Cavern, one of the world's largest underground chambers and home to countless cave formations, is highly accessible via a variety of tours offered year-round.

Although most people come to explore the caves, the 46,766 above-ground acres of Carlsbad offer a short nature trail and more than 50 miles of primitive backcountry trails.

• Above Ground -
• Underground -

• Take a cave tour. The basic self-guided cave tour of the Big Room takes 1.5 hours.
• Bring binoculars for bat flight viewing and wildlife observation.
• Participate in summer educational seminars offered through the Carlsbad Caverns-Guadalupe Mountains Association.