How Crowded Is Carlsbad Caverns National Park in November?

November runs about 0.8× Carlsbad Caverns National Park's average month, which makes it a quiet month here — roughly 6% of the park's yearly visitors come in November.

In a typical November the park sees about 26,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes November the 9th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (1.8×) and the January low (0.5×).

On our Best Time to Visit score November rates 63/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at Carlsbad Caverns, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical November weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 65°F and an overnight low around 42°F, with about 0.7" of precipitation.

That average of about 53°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 35% of annual visitors, choosing November instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 10.3 hours of daylight in November to explore — between the 9.9-hour midwinter low and the 14.1-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2024 drew 460,474 recreation visits, up 16.8% from 394,121 in 2023.

Across the past decade overall visitation has eased about 24%, so November may feel a touch quieter than it once did.