Carlsbad Caverns National Park · New Mexico

Old Guano Road Trail

3.4 mi of trail, end to end · about 700 ft of climbing · 3,704 ft–4,357 ft · gravel surface · trail class Highly Developed

Exhibits

3,704 ft 4,331 ft · 3.3 mi high 4,332 ft

Along the way Guano Mining Guano Mining

Old Guano Trail the Park Service's write-up

2 Hours · no dogs

Start Old Guano Trail

Photo of hikers on the Old Guano Trail.
Hikes on the Old Guano Trail. Photo: NPS / Andy Rankin

You can begin this trail at the dirt road adjacent to the Natural Entrance to Carlsbad Cavern. It follows the historic road used to haul guano from the cavern in the early 1900s, and hikers will see ruins and debris from the mining operation about a mile (1.6 km) from the entrance. This 3.7 miles (6 km) trail descends the escarpment, ending at the White's City campground. One-way travel takes an estimated two hours at an easy activity level with a 750 feet (216 m) change in elevation. It is closed near the cavern entrance during Bat Flight Programs.

Accessibility Trail is narrow and rocky.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 18 trails in Carlsbad Caverns National ParkFind a trailOn the parks mapPark 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.