slaughter canyon cave

We absolutely loved this tour. Our tour guide was a geologist, who was very passionate, and he made the tour that much more amazing. The hike up the mountain was fine for active people, but I would not recommend it if you have any kind of health issue or if you are a smoker. We lost a few folks half way up the hill because they couldn't make it. The cave has some formations that I just have never seen the likes of anywhere else, and that you won't see in the main cave. The Christmas Tree formation was worth the hike alone!! At one point we turned off all the lights and got to really experience just how dark a cave really gets. That was great. I would do this tour again and I totally recommend it!! Note: we actually went in 2012, but I couldn't pick that option.

This was the highlight of our trip to New Mexico. I was traveling with my two teenage boys and my Mom. The boys climbed up the mountain like it was nothing. We're from TX so this so yes, we considered this a mountain. It was much more challenging for my Mom who is almost 70 but she made it too and was not the last one to the top. The Park Rangers (Eric and Mike) were absolutely fantastic. They pointed out various points of interest in the canyon and pointed out areas holes/slippery spots/how to negotiate the ropes to make sure everyone stayed safe. One of the highlights for me was in the Christmas Tree room. Once we were all in the room and seated safely - Eric had us turn off our head lamps for a few minutes. Once we turned them back on - one of the formations (the "Christmas Tree") sparkled. Very Cool. We toured the Big Room later that day and as impressive as the Big Room was -it did not compare to the adventure we had caving through Slaughter Canyon. We would absolutely do this tour again (with the same park rangers too). Some recommendations - book early. We made plans in June and this was the only guided tour that was available. Bring water - it was hot hiking up to the entrance.

After a hike of about a mile in 100 degree weather, we got to the cave's entrance. The cave is very slippery. I think everybody fell in my group at one point or another. The formations and the adventure made it all worthy though. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

After a moderate hike up the canyon, enter a cave with formations everywhere. The ranger lead tour takes you to several rooms with some amazing formations. Tours are limited with reservations accepted via the Carlsbad Caverns web site. Sign up early to make sure you get your desired tour. National Park Service provides a helmet and headlamp (your AA batteries required.) Bring a good flashlight and camera (both with holders to free up your hands) and wear sturdy shoes.

We did not do it. I didn't feel safe. It is not for a couple like us. But we talked to some people who were able to do it and they said it was very good.

The hike in, as others have said, is strenuous but fairly short. Definitely a hike to avoid if you're not at least in decent shape although if you're not I expect the rangers would wait for you. Everyone in our group was in good shape so we pretty much all made it to the cave entrance within 30 minutes or so. Once inside the cave you see a lot of damage from prior bat guano mining. You basically do a big loop around the cave. Some of the rooms are quite striking (Christmas tree, Great Wall of China) and others are less so. The cave trip says it finishes at 230 although we were back to the cars by 130 (it is about 45 minutes from the main cave, however while you start the day there, the rangers will take your gloves and helmets so you don't have to drive all the way back). Overall, it was an average cave with a strenuous approach, hence the 3 star rating.

This tour was great!! Make reservations at least a day in advance, we had to wait in line the day of and cross our fingers we would get on it. I'm a moderate hiker and found the hike in and out not strenuous. If you have hiking experience it should not be an issue. The biggest problem may be the heat depending on the time of year you visit. The cave itself is an untouched jem! What a joy to experience such beauty. Defiantly worth spending the day doing this hike if you are looking for a tour where the formations are untouched by human intervention. Bring an energy bar for an after tour snack, it's a long time without food.

I loved the tour using a flashlight and lighted helmet. The rangers were alot of fun and the experience is one of a kind. The cave is one that was used for mining 50 years ago and never was developed. Yes there is alot of damage, but the sheer numbers of formations here is amazing. Bring along a strong hand held flashlight.

A half mile hike up the side of mountain in the desert sun and heat was difficult and this old man felt his age. But the Rangers were kind, supportive and encouraging. The end result was to enter the cave which was wonderful. It is well worth the effort and I highly recommend it but ONLY if you are in shape for the hike up the Mountain.

The hike up was steep but not too bad if you're used to hiking and altitude. One woman in our group had to turn around due to altitude sickness symptoms so I'd say if you're coming from sea level, make sure you have a day or two to acclimate before doing this tour. The tour was informative and very interesting. Definitely worth the time and money!

We did this tour over Labor day weekend. It only takes place friday-sunday. One of us has lots of wild caving experience & the other had no experience. If you are not in really good shape. For the very steep hike, you should stick with the tourist trips in the main cave. Once inside the cave the cave floor is uneven & sometimes slick. Leave your tennis shoes at home & wear ankle high boots with good tread. It was a walking tour that lasted about 2 1/2 hours. Lots of pretty formations and no crawling or stooping. Knowledgeable rangers who kept the group moving. Bring lots of water for the 30 minute hike up& more water for the cave trip & salty snacks to eat before you enter the cave. No food inside the cave. Cave is warm& humid so wearing t shirt and shorts or light pants is fine. A flashlight would also be useful in addition to the headlamp that is provided. A great adventure trip for those in good shape.

We bought tickets for this tour about a month in advance. It is listed under very difficult and they were lying. The hike up is very hard. It's not the steepness that is hard, it's the fact the whole trail is full of big uneven rocks. You literally have to step on, over, around big rocks. There are many spots where you have to using the rocks as a kind of stairs but it's really difficult to do if you have weak knees. My mom had a lot of trouble. She is in her early fifties and had to stop many times. The heat is also an issue. While, I had a hat and drank a lot of water along the trail as I went, I was still hot. My mom had a little heat stroke close to the top. We had to wait for a few minutes while she cooled down with water and snacks. But after about 40 mins, we all made it to the top. We had all been given helmets with lights on them and gloves at the visitor center. We started into the cave slowly. Don't look at the cave surroundings until the tour stops somewhere, you need to be looking at your feet. The trail inside has no rocks, but it still uneven. If you don't watch your feet, you will most likely slip and fall down. Once inside the cave, it's pitch black except our helmet lights. You get to see the ancient guano mine, and tools. We saw pictographs and many cave formations. One is called the Christmas tree and is white and sparkly. There is also the clansman, which was way cool. There was also one that looked like the great wall of china. There were two spots on this tour, we got to climb up/down a semi-steep hill in the cave with a rope. It was way easy and really fun. After we got done exploring, about 2.5 hours, we left the cave entrance and started our way back down the mountain. Thank god there were toilets at the bottom!Our tour guides were excellent. They were really friendly and earnestly interested in the cave and answered any questions we had. This was definitely an exciting and fun tour. If you are in good shape and don't mind the heat, you should try this one.

The hike to get inside the cave is physically challegening, and not for those out of shape. Bring lots of water as the heat and elevation will get to you. Once inside the cave it's nice and cool. Some physically challenging parts once inside the cave but amazing views. Start training on a stair climber to prepare for this tour.

The trail to the cave is all up hill but not a problem if you're used to hiking. Be ready to move at a good pace: The longer you spend on the trail, the less time you'll have in the cave. The tour meets at the main visitor's center and carpools to the cave. Be sure to bring 3 AA batteries for your helmet, and I'd recommend a powerful flashlight as well. We took a regular one and it was not bright enough to see the bigger formations. If it's hot, take water as well. The park supplies lighted helmets and gloves, which you must keep on while you're in the cave. The speleothems look much more impressive in a cave without railings and lights. Our rangers actually insisted we use the trailside rocks as hand holds. They said the damage a rescue squad would cause is a lot worse than gloved hands on rocks. There are some very rare formations in the cave, including rimstone dams and shields. The two most famous are the Clansman and the Christmas Tree. The rope climb is not bad - only a few feet and the slope isn't very steep. Look to the left after you get to the top to see the Clansman. It's one creepy cave formation. You'll also see a guano mine. The guano is so old cave formations have grown on it, and it was worthless as fertilizer. Don't try to take a tripod and don't put your hands on the formations. Our group had one kid who ended up walking with the ranger after his third warning. Don't bring a jacket unless you go in winter. I had on a T-shirt and was sweating. Use the restroom at the main visitor's center or the pit toilet in the Slaughter Cave parking area. There are no facilities at the cave. This and the Lower cave were my favorite tours, gorgeous formations in both of them.

I did this tour, as well as the Big Room self-guided tour, the King's Palace tour, the Left Hand Tunnel tour, and the Lower Cave tour. This tour was not at all strenuous, but the most difficult part was that the trail was slippery. There was also one part where we climbed up and down a few feet of slippery rock with the help of a rope. I would recommend starting a trip to Carlsbad with the self-guided Big Room tour after descending into the cave through the natural entrance. Next I would strongly recommend the King's Palace guided tour for all travelers and the Lower Cave Tour for anyone that thinks they would be comfortable descending a 45 degree sloped rock for about 20 feet with the assistance of a rope. The Lower Cave Tour was my favorite. If you are not up for the Lower Cave Tour but want to add one more less challenging tour, I would recommend the Left Hand Tunnel tour. The Slaughter Canyon Cave tour was a little redundant to the Lower Cave tour, but certainly worth doing if you want a tour that is slightly more challenging than the main ones (Big Room, King's Palace), but are not up for the Lower Cave tour.