Carlsbad Caverns National Park · New Mexico

Rattlesnake Canyon Trail

3.8 mi of trail, end to end · Upper Rattlesnake Canyon Loop Trail: 6 mi loop in the Service's write-up · about 250 ft of climbing · 600 ft of descent · 3,927 ft–4,538 ft · trail class Moderately Developed

4,104 ft 4,326 ft · 1.3 mi high 4,326 ft

Lower Rattlesnake Canyon Trail the Park Service's write-up

3 Hours · no dogs

Start Rattlesnake Canyon Trailhead

Photo of the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail sign with desert plants in the background.
Sign at the trailhead to the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail. Photo: NPS

A moderate trail which begins approximately 0.25 mile (0.4 km) past interpretive marker #4 on the beautiful Walnut Canyon Desert Drive. This 3 miles (4.8 km) trail has an elevation change of 600 feet (183 m).

Overnight use by permit only. Permits are available for free at the visitor center during business hours.

Accessibility Trail is narrow, rocky, and steep.

This hike on nps.gov

Upper Rattlesnake Canyon Loop Trail 6 mi loop · the Park Service's write-up

4 Hours · no dogs

Start Rattlesnake Canyon Trailhead

Photo Rattlesnake Canyon with sotol desert plant in the foreground.
Rattlesnake Canyon Photo: © Andy Rankin

This 6 mile (9.6 km) loop trail is moderately difficult and travels travels from the Rattlesnake Canyon Trailhead to the Guadalupe Ridge Trail, down to the Walnut Canyon Desert Drive, and back up to the Rattlesnake Canyon Trailhead. The change in elevation along the trail is 670 feet (204 m).

A free permit is required for all overnight use of the park’s backcountry which can be obtained at the visitor center during business hours.

Accessibility Trail is narrow, rocky, and steep.

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.