Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Located in the Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns National Park encompasses 46,766 acres in the Chihuahuan Desert of southeastern New Mexico, the largest of the North American deserts. Twelve to fourteen thousand years ago, Indigenous peoples lived in the Guadalupe Mountains; some of their cooking ring sites and pictographs have been found within the present-day boundaries of the park. Today, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, a World Heritage Site, preserves and protects an astounding and diverse natural and cultural heritage. In addition to a vast network of caves, the park protects a variety of grasslands and desert shrubland habitats. When you visit this amazing park, you can experience unparalleled biodiversity. One of the few places where the desert is preserved and protected, the park is home to more than 153 species of the sunflower family and 135 species of grass. From April to October each year, hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats call Carlsbad Caverns National Park home. Rattlesnake Springs, a rare wooded riverbank in the desert that has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by the National Audubon Society, draws birders from around the world. With so much to explore, Carlsbad Caverns National Park offers an unforgettable visitor experience.