Carlsbad Caverns National Park · New Mexico

Juniper Ridge Trail

2.8 mi of trail, end to end · about 700 ft of climbing · 4,114 ft–4,731 ft · trail class Minimally Developed

Juniper Ridge Trail the Park Service's write-up

3 Hours · no dogs

Start Juniper Ridge Trailhead

A photo of the Chihuahuan Desert along the Juniper Ridge Trail. — The Chihuahuan Desert and mountains along the Juniper Ridge Trail. Photo: NPS

Located on the scenic Walnut Canyon Desert Drive, the trailhead is about 1 mile (1.6 km) past interpretive marker #9. The Juniper Ridge trail is considered easy with an 800 foot (240 m) change in elevation over the 3.5 mile (5 km) path.

Accessibility Trail is narrow, rocky, and steep in places.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 18 trails in Carlsbad Caverns National Park Find a trail On the parks map Park on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.