Rattlesnake Springs

Rattlesnake Springs is a small day-use picnic area where a broad cottonwood grove gathers around water in the Chihuahuan Desert. Save it for a picnic or a slower birding stop; it’s a welcome change of scenery from the cave area, but not a long outing or a place to swim.

There are picnic tables, an accessible table, parking, and an accessible vault toilet. Bring a picnic and give yourself time to look and listen around the grove. Dogs are allowed on leash, and the area is open during daylight hours. Swimming isn’t allowed.

More than 330 bird species have been recorded around the springs, a cumulative list rather than a promise for any one visit. Bell’s vireos nest here, and visitors also report wild turkeys and deer among the wildlife. This is the place to slow down and watch the cottonwoods, not rush through on the way to the next cave stop.

William Henry Harrison homesteaded and farmed here around 1880, building an irrigation ditch that still contributes to the landscape. The park acquired the property in 1930 as a water source for Carlsbad Caverns. The historic district was listed on the National Register in 1988.

From 1938 to 1942, Civilian Conservation Corps crews planted the cottonwoods and laid trails while improving the irrigation system. Most of the camp’s buildings are gone, but the trees they planted still make the picnic area feel like an oasis.