CARLSBAD, N.M. (KRQE) – Slaughter Canyon trails at Carlsbad Caverns are reopening November 11. The hiking trails were previously closed after heavy rains damaged the canyon.
The National Park Service will offer educational opportunities at the trail on opening day from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Visitors can borrow binoculars, and a ranger will be at the Slaughter Canyon Cave entrance to talk about the cave’s history.
“We are pleased to be able to provide visitors with the opportunity to experience the Slaughter Canyon area,” Superintendent Carmen Chapin said in a press release. “Visitors can enjoy a variety of plants, wildlife, and mountain scenery in this area of the Chihuahuan Desert.”
Slaughter Canyon offers a 5.3-mile one-way hike rated as “difficult.” The hike takes about seven hours to hike one way and gains 1,850 feet in elevation.
Visitors should wear long pants, sturdy hiking boots, and bring at least one gallon of water per person, the National Park Service recommends. Trail information and maps are available at the visitor center.
While Slaughter Canyon will reopen, overnight camping in the backcountry is off limits and the following backcountry areas are closed: Yucca Canyon and access road, Guadalupe Ridge (from the visitor center to the west park boundary), Rattlesnake Canyon, Juniper Ridge, Ussery and Double Canyon. The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail and the Old Guano Trail are open.
