The best camping in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM

Though the focal point of this park is underground, Carlsbad Caverns National Park offers beauty and recreation above the surface, too. Take a guided cave tour—or explore on your own. Pick any of the 10 hiking trails to explore New Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert landscape. At dawn or dusk, watch the daily flight of the Brazilian free-tailed bats that call the cavern home. Though the National Park Service does not offer any campgrounds in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, backcountry camping is allowed by permit. Three designated campgrounds are available at Texas’ Guadalupe Mountains National Park, approximately 40 minutes away.

• Best for RVers: Brantley Lake State Park offers full and partial hookups at campsites 45 minutes north of Carlsbad Caverns.
• Best for boondocking: A number of boondocking sites and primitive campgrounds are available on nearby lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
• Best for backpackers: Secure a free permit for backcountry camping at the visitor center and find your own spot in the desert for tent camping.

• Camping reservations through the NPS for Guadalupe Mountains National Park’s Pine Springs Campground and Dog Canyon Campground  may be made online up to 6 months in advance.
• Guadalupe Mountains National Park’s campgrounds offer both tent sites and RV sites. No hookups are available.
• Reservations for Brantley Lake State Park may be made online up to 6 months in advance.
• BLM lands offer first-come-first-served camping spots.
• Numerous private RV parks with full hookups and other amenities may be found in the nearby towns of Whites City and Carlsbad.

Summer is monsoon season at Carlsbad Caverns, with daytime temperatures sometimes topping the 90s. Afternoon thunderstorms may be expected. Conditions cool quickly in the desert evenings. July and August are the best months for the bat viewing. Spring and fall are pleasant, with highs in the 60s and 70s. Plan for chilly nights. Winter is a good time for visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park, though campers may encounter freezing temperatures and occasional snows.

• A variety of ranger-led guided tours are offered, and reservations may be made in advance by phone or on the Recreation.gov website.
• Temperatures in the caverns vary based on location, unlike many cave systems where temperatures are steady. The large natural entrance and a cave system that goes more than 1,000 feet below the surface lead to variable conditions.
• The Big Room is accessible for wheelchairs and strollers.
• Audio guides are available for self-guided tours.
• The park offers a night sky program, held after the bat flight program select weekends in summer and fall. Park rangers provide “tours” of the stars above.