For the most up-to-date emergence information, call the toll-free information line at On Thursday through Sunday evenings, the trail will only be open to those visitors who pay admission to view the bats at the lower viewing area. Monday through Wednesday evenings the trail and lower viewing area are not open to the public. The trail to the lower viewing area is closed each evening. Hikers can view of the tunnel from the trail, but entrance into the tunnel is strictly prohibited to prevent disturbance of the bat colony, and for the safety and well-being of visitors.ĭates Open: Open year-round from sunrise to sunset for general use. Be sure to take your own drinking water and snacks. The Old Tunnel Trail is primitive and steep in some places. On Thursday through Sunday evenings, the trail is open to those visitors who pay admission to view the bats at the lower viewing area. Monday through Wednesday evenings, May through October, the trail and lower viewing area are not open to the public. The trail is less than half a mile long and visitors can enjoy it from sunrise until it closes (closing times vary throughout the year based on bat emergence time). Visitors to the Old Tunnel State Park can participate in a variety of recreational and wildlife-viewing opportunities on the Old Tunnel nature trail which is open year round.

To get the latest emergence time information call, 86. Be sure to take a pair of binoculars for the best viewing of the bats in flight. The park offers nightly educational programs Thursday through Sunday that provide guests with a better understanding of the life, history and ecology of the bats.

Make Reservations for a Special Group Tour (a GREAT Homeschool Experience!)

by participating in a lower viewing area tourģ. Visitors can choose from three options for viewing the Spectacular emergence:Ģ. During this time visitors can watch the amazing sight as the bats emerge nightly from the tunnel in a huge fluttering upward spiral just as the sun begins to set. From May through October, the abandoned railroad tunnel at Old Tunnel State Park is home to more than 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasilienses mexicana) and 3,000 cave myotis (Myotis velifer) bats.

Old tunnel state park