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Trail leads you up the southern side of Slaughter Canyon to the entrance of Slaughter Canyon Cave.


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Map Key

0.4

Miles

0.6

KM

Point to Point

4,563' 1,391 m

High

4,214' 1,284 m

Low

349' 106 m

Up

0' 0 m

Down

17%

Avg Grade (9°)

26%

Max Grade (15°)

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Cave · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Family Friendly A short trail leading to an underground adventure!

Could close due to weather conditions. Slaughter Canyon Cave can only be accessed via a ranger-led tour; for more information, visit the park's website.

Description

The road leading to the trailhead is gravel and low clearance vehicles are not recommended for this road. Once you arrive at the parking area there are pit toilets and to the right of those is the trailhead for the Slaughter Canyon Cave Trail. It automatically starts to gain elevation as soon as you hit the trail.

This trail is a steep semi-developed trail that leads you up to the entrance of Slaughter Canyon Cave. The trail is accessible to anyone who would like to travel it, however, the cave is only accessible to visitors that are signed up to go on the ranger-led tour of the cave. This trail offers awesome views of Slaughter Canyon from any point along the trail. Watch out for Barbary Sheep and other wildlife while hiking the trail. In the spring, it offers a very colorful experience with cacti and wildflowers blooming.

Please visit nps.gov/cave to check park alerts and get more information on the tours offered.

Flora & Fauna

Prickly Pear, Claret Cup Cactus, Yuccas, Barbary Sheep, Quail, Red Tail Hawks, and other animals are possible.

Contacts

Shared By:

Christopher Bramblett

Trail Ratings

  4.5 from 2 votes

#8913

Overall
  4.5 from 2 votes
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Trail Rankings

#126

in New Mexico

#8,913

Overall
6 Views Last Month
1,398 Since Apr 7, 2016
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult

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Photos

Slaughter Canyon Cave. Photo Courtesy of the NPS (Pam Cox)
Apr 13, 2018 near Whites…, NM
Start of the hike!
Jun 13, 2016 near Whites…, NM

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Weather


Current Trail Conditions

Unknown
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