geosch

Do you think Carlsbad Caverns National Park is worth the extra drive to the east when you are going through the Alamogoro/White Sands NP area?
They NPS website says they are now on timed entry for entering the caves. Do you really not get into the cave when you turn out at the visitor center and the capacity for visitors has not yet been exceeded? Right now it should not be too crowded, should it?
In other words: does anyone who wants to visit the cavers strictly need a pre-booked timed entry ticket?

Lost_Luggage_in_SEA

Yes, Carlsbad Caverns is absolutely worth visiting. It's huge and stunningly beautiful. I flew from California to see it and it's completely worth it IMO.

I can't speak for Carlsbad Caverns National Park and how they make the timed entry work but I can say how it works at Rocky Mountain National Park. At RMNP, you MUST have a timed entry (if entering during the hours when it is required) and just showing up at a Visitor Center does not work even if timed entries are available. If you show up to a Visitor Center at RMNP without a timed entry, you'll be told to get on your phone/tablet/computer and get a timed entry (if one is available). My understanding is that this arrangement isn't required of National Park Units that use timed entry, so Carlsbad might be different but I certainly wouldn't assume it. If you call the Visitor Center at Carlsbad, they could give you a definitive answer.

Carlsbad has a variety of tours or entry options to different parts of the cave. Some of those tours (eg. the wild cave tours) sell out months in advance, IIRC, but others might still be available on the day someone arrives. If you look at what's available on recreation.gov for the next few days, you'll get an idea of what to expect.

djp98374

Carlsbad is worth it. It depends on when you visit. The issue in thst park is seeing the caves and getting access. You need to plan your trip.

neighboring it is Guadeloupe national park that folksignore.

azepine00

Yes definitely worth it - it is an unusual experience. Stick around for bat flight at sunset - the number of bats is absolutely astonishing.

You can pre-book a couple placeholders if you are not sure about time even though I think they allow booking onsite if caps are not met.

Lost_Luggage_in_SEA

Not, however, in winter. The bats migrate south. They typically arrive in Carlsbad around April and leave in October. Of course, you might end up seeing one or two bats in November to March but not the huge mass of bats that live in Carlsbad in the summer. Also, it's illegal (without special permission for which you have to apply at least two weeks in advance) to take photos of the bats leaving and entering the cave.

This NPS page has more information for anyone interested:
https://www.nps.gov/cave/planyourvis...ht_program.htm