Bat Cave and Xenolith Cave — a cave in Cibola County, New Mexico — is a rewarding subject for landscape photographers. It lies in or next to El Malpais National Monument, so park hours, fees and rules apply. It sits roughly 25 km (16 mi) SW of Grants.
From the National Park Service
Bat Cave and Xenolith Cave are parts of a lava tube system created by lava flows from nearby El Calderon Cinder Cone in El Malpais National Monument. Bat Cave is an important habitat for bats, and during the summer, thousands of bats can be seen flying out of the cave at dusk to feed on insects. Bat Cave During the summer, thousands of bats fly from the entrance of Bat Cave at dusk to forage for insects. These Mexican free-tailed bats use this cave as a summer home and migrate south for the winter. Other bats, like little brown bats and Townsend's big eared bats, live here year round and hibernate in this cave. Bat Cave is closed year-round.
A cloud of smoke circling toward the sky is what the nightly flight of Mexican free-tailed bats looks like. The flight can last for an hour or more without showing signs of slowing. In recent years, the circling cloud of smoke has been replaced by a winding tendril that lasts fifteen minutes or less. Research is underway to understand more about the monument's bat species. Please do your part to help protect the bats of El Malpais; do not go into Bat Cave or disturb any bats. Learn more about seeing a bat outflight. Xenolith Cave Xenolith means "foreign rock" and refers to small chunks of white, non-volcanic rocks found in the walls of the cave's lower passages. These rocks got mixed into the lava as it flowed over, or erupted through, limestone or sandstone elsewhere in the monument.
Xenolith Cave is currently closed for resource and visitor protection. Learn more about caving permits and caving safely. Human Use Lava tubes have been used for temporary shelters, natural refrigerators, shrines, and even as a source for fertilizer. Bat guano is an excellent fertilizer because it is high in nitrates. Remnants of a simple mining operation are still in Bat Cave. Guano mining, even on this small scale, could not have been pleasant. Guano has a very distinct and unpleasant smell that you can occasionally get a whiff of from the trail near the cave entrance.
Text: National Park Service (public domain) — nps.gov.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Bat Cave and Xenolith Cave the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 78° in summer but only 32° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:17 AM | 90° E | 7:24 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:59 AM | 60° ENE | 8:30 PM | 300° WNW | 78° | 14h 30m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:01 AM | 89° E | 7:10 PM | 271° W | 55° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:17 AM | 119° ESE | 5:05 PM | 242° WSW | 32° | 9h 48m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Caves are lit artificially — show caves have fixed lighting, so a fast lens and high ISO beat flash, which flattens formations.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:53 AM | 7:20 AM | 7:58 AM | 4:46 PM | 5:24 PM | 5:51 PM | 10h 04m |
| February | 6:33 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:34 AM | 5:20 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:21 PM | 10h 56m |
| March | 6:58 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:57 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:20 PM | 7:45 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 6:15 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:15 AM | 7:11 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:11 PM | 13h 04m |
| May | 5:41 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:33 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:37 PM | 14h 00m |
| June | 5:29 AM | 5:59 AM | 6:36 AM | 7:51 PM | 8:28 PM | 8:58 PM | 14h 30m |
| July | 5:41 AM | 6:10 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:27 PM | 8:56 PM | 14h 17m |
| August | 6:06 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:27 PM | 8:02 PM | 8:29 PM | 13h 29m |
| September | 6:30 AM | 6:56 AM | 7:29 AM | 6:47 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:46 PM | 12h 25m |
| October | 6:53 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:04 PM | 6:38 PM | 7:04 PM | 11h 20m |
| November | 6:20 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:24 AM | 4:31 PM | 5:08 PM | 5:35 PM | 10h 20m |
| December | 6:45 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:52 AM | 4:24 PM | 5:03 PM | 5:31 PM | 9h 49m |
Local time (America/Denver), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Bat Cave and Xenolith Cave, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 26° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| February | 4:50 AM – 5:30 AM | 0.7 | 15° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:04 AM – 5:54 AM | 1.8 | 23° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:04 AM – 5:04 AM | 3.0 | 26° | SE → S |
| May | 12:08 AM – 4:28 AM | 4.3 | 26° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:15 PM – 4:05 AM | 5.8 | 26° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:10 PM – 2:40 AM | 4.5 | 26° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:35 PM – 12:35 AM | 3.0 | 26° | S → SW |
| September | 8:46 PM – 10:36 PM | 1.8 | 23° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:02 PM – 8:42 PM | 0.7 | 16° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.85 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show October as the clearest month (about 30% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (58%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 64 | 69 | 77 | 84 | 94 | 98 | 100 | 95 | 93 | 84 | 74 | 67 |
| Low °F | -2 | -2 | 11 | 19 | 23 | 35 | 49 | 48 | 31 | 15 | 10 | -1 |
| Precip. (in) | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this cave
- Use manual focus with focus peaking in low light.
- Never touch formations — skin oils stop their growth.
- Follow White-nose Syndrome decontamination rules where posted to protect bats.
- Many show caves restrict tripods on tours; ask in advance or bring a small beanbag.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Cave interiors stay at a constant temperature year-round; summer tours fill up, so book ahead.
Suggested gear: Fast lens (f/1.8–f/2.8), High-ISO camera, Small beanbag. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Bat Cave and Xenolith Cave, closest first.
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Wilderness AreaFAQ
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Sources
Location data: National Park Service. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.