All visitors to the park should tour the main section of the cave, the Big Room self-guided tour. The Natural Entrance self-guided tour is also very impressive, but it is not recommended for visitors with any kind of health problems because it is very steep.

Guided tours of varying difficulties in Carlsbad Cavern and other park caves are available. To reserve tickets for a guided tour, call 1.877.444.6777 or visit Recreation.gov.

While there are a variety of cave tours available—from the self-guided areas of the Big Room to crawling through narrow passageways on the Hall of the White Giant Tour or in Spider Cave—there are also opportunities for hiking and backcountry camping, attending programs in the visitor center, and watching the incredible exodus of Mexican free-tail bats out of Carlsbad Cavern at dusk in the summer.