{"id":6396,"date":"2022-02-16T03:53:47","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T03:53:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/?p=6396"},"modified":"2023-08-29T15:06:16","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T15:06:16","slug":"15-hiking-trails-in-carlsbad-caverns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/15-hiking-trails-in-carlsbad-caverns\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Hiking Trails in Carlsbad Caverns"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Carlsbad-Caverns.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Carlsbad-Caverns.jpg 500w, https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Carlsbad-Caverns-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Located in the southern New Mexico desert, Carlsbad Caverns National Park offers over 100 miles of cave tours. Visitors can enter the cave through the Natural Entrance. Stalactites cling to the ceiling of the Big Room. After touring the underground world, hike along the Walnut Canyon Desert Loop for a stunning view of the surrounding desert. You can also see hundreds of birds and reptiles in the Rattlesnake Springs wetland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To experience the full scope of the caverns, take the 1.5-mile Natural Entrance Trail. It&#8217;s steep and flat, with many rocky sections. During the tour, be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes or traction-enhancing shoes. This route will get you down to the cave&#8217;s floor. It also requires a hike in hiking boots. There are two entrances to the cave: the Upper Cave and the Lower Cave. All require hiking boots. Out-of-state visitors must quarantine for 14 days, or for the duration of their trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Natural Entrance Trail is a short but steep 1.25-mile hike, beginning at the natural entrance and ending at the visitor center. The path is mostly cement, with some slippery areas. For this reason, it is advisable to wear good traction-shoes or hiking shoes. There are also self-guided tours available for those who prefer to learn about the park&#8217;s history or geology. This will give them a better understanding of the cave&#8217;s unique geological features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Natural Entrance Trail is a steep but scenic one-and-a-half-mile hike. At the end, you&#8217;ll have climbed 750 feet and seen thirty-five different natural features. The Natural Entrance Trail is flat, but contains some steep areas. It&#8217;s important to wear sturdy walking shoes or other traction-enhancing footwear. You&#8217;ll need a map for this one. This is a great hike for families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cave is home to 17 species of bats. Brazilian free-tailed bats are the most common species in the park. The cave is home to countless other wildlife, including several types of frogs and lizards. While you&#8217;re there, try to catch a show in the Bat Flight Amphitheater. It is included in the entrance fee for the park. However, be prepared to wait a few hours to view these amazing animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For a more scenic tour of the cave, you can take the Natural Entrance Trail. This trail is about one-and-a-half miles long, and gains and loses about 750 feet in elevation. It takes about an hour to complete. The Big Room Trail is slightly shorter and only half a mile, so you can walk it in half the time. If you don&#8217;t have time for a longer trek, consider taking the shorter version of the Natural Entrance Trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are interested in learning more about the frogs of the New Mexico region, there are several places where you can learn about their origins. The first is a cavern that was formed a million years ago by the ancient sea. The caverns are the largest caves in the world, and are home to hundreds of species of bats. Besides the bats, you&#8217;ll be able to find a variety of other animals such as chameleons, snakes, and lizards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Located in the southern New Mexico desert, Carlsbad Caverns National Park offers over 100 miles of cave tours. Visitors can enter the cave through the Natural Entrance. Stalactites cling to the ceiling of the Big Room. After touring the underground world, hike along the Walnut Canyon Desert Loop for a stunning view of the surrounding [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13757,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[125,21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>15 Hiking Trails in Carlsbad Caverns<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestplacesto.travel\/15-hiking-trails-in-carlsbad-caverns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"15 Hiking Trails in Carlsbad Caverns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Located in the southern New Mexico desert, Carlsbad Caverns National Park offers over 100 miles of cave tours. 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