Parking
Start at the Walnut Canyon Nature Trail roadside pull-off on Carlsbad Cavern Highway. Do not use the separate Walnut Canyon Overlook lot near the visitor center; that path leads to a different destination.
Overview
About Walnut Canyon Nature Trail
Why go
- Plant panels explain practical uses of desert plants.
- A quick path reaches a smoke-darkened rock shelter.
Heads up
- At 0.2 mile round trip, this is an interpretive stop rather than a substantial hike.
Walnut Canyon Nature Trail is a 0.2-mile out-and-back from the roadside pull-off on Carlsbad Cavern Highway to a small rock shelter, then back the same way. Allow 20–30 minutes if you stop at the plant panels. The partly paved path has a few steps and only about a dozen feet of elevation change; come for the interpretation, not for a workout or a big overlook.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth a quick stopMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Carlsbad Caverns map
Full mapElevation3,934–3,947 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Carlsbad Caverns alert
- ClosureFlood-damaged road and trails remain closedWalnut Canyon Desert Drive and three backcountry trail sections remain closed because of extensive damage from the historic August 2022 flood.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Carlsbad Caverns Tour Guide
Your drive to Walnut Canyon Nature Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Carlsbad Caverns National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Walnut Canyon Rock Shelter0:00 / 0:22
“You're coming up on Walnut Canyon Rock Shelter, reached by the short Walnut Canyon Nature Trail. I'd stop for the plant panels, which explain yucca's use for fiber and soap, and Texas walnut wood for bows.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Carlsbad Caverns Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Walnut Canyon Overlook
- Big Hill Seep
- An Acid Bath Underground
- Carlsbad Cavern and the Visitor Center
- 26 audio storiesacross Carlsbad Caverns’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Mexican Free-tailed Bat, Aoudad, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 12 trails, 12 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Walnut Canyon Nature Trail
Follow the plant panelsA sign and short panels identify desert plants and their traditional uses: yucca for fiber and…
A sign and short panels identify desert plants and their traditional uses: yucca for fiber and soap, ocotillo and algerita berries as food, and Texas walnut wood for bows. The walk is short enough to add while you are already on the park road, but the panels are the reason to slow down and read.
At the shelterThe path ends at a shallow, north-facing overhang.
The path ends at a shallow, north-facing overhang. Its ceiling has smoke-darkening and char marks, a trace of past use; the exact dates are not established. Leave the shelter and any cultural material undisturbed. For a photo, include the low opening and a strip of the approach so the rock reads as an overhang rather than a dark notch.
Access and alternativesUse the roadside pull-off signed for Walnut Canyon Nature Trail.
Use the roadside pull-off signed for Walnut Canyon Nature Trail. The park does not publish a standalone route map for this shelter walk, so check the signs onsite if you are unsure. Walnut Canyon Overlook is a separate short paved path near the visitor center with a canyon view; the 9.5-mile Walnut Canyon Desert Drive is a different vehicle route. This walk has unpaved sections, and pets are not allowed on unpaved surface trails. The visitor center, a separate stop, has restrooms and a restaurant.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Carlsbad Caverns
48 sightingsMexican Free-tailed BatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
175 sightingsAoudadMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
38 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
86 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
33 sightingsCollared PeccaryMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
52 sightingsLargemouth BassMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Carlsbad Caverns. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
