Carlsbad Caverns National Park, situated in southeastern New Mexico, joined the list of American national parks in May of 1930. It preserves a chain of over 100 caves and provides a habitat to more than a dozen bat species. The park attracts almost half a million visitors a year and I was excited to finally see it. Here is how we went about exploring Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Things to know prior to exploring Carlsbad Caverns National Park
- Even if you already have a National Parks Pass, you must get a ticket at the Visitor Center before you can go into the caves. If you have a pass, your ticket will be free.
- The first elevator goes down at 8:30 am. It’s good to be there at that time.
- If you visit during peak hours, the line to take the elevator back up may be even an hour long. In that case, you’ll have a choice – wait or hike back up through the Natural Entrance (strenuous).
- There are no bat flights in the winter time. Since that’s when we visited, we were disappointed to miss it. In fact, bat flights happen only between May and October.
A Visit to the Big Room
Carlsbad Cavern with its Big Room is what every visitor to the park wants to see. The name definitely reflects the size of this place. In fact, the Big Room is so big that it can easily hold six football stadiums!
In order to get to the Big Room, you can either take the elevator down or you can hike there via the Natural Entrance. Either way, you’ll be descending about 750 feet. If you choose the latter option, it will add about a mile to your hike. Because I wasn’t sure how I would like being underground, we decided to take the elevator down, and possibly hike back out through the Natural Entrance.
We arrived right at 8:30 and were the first ones to take the elevator down to the Big Room.
Wow! What a fantastic trail of underground passages! It’s not surprising that the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The stalactite and stalagmite formations are amazing! From tiny pearls to massive 100 ft tall columns, the beauty of these natural wonders is incredible. For over an hour you walk along a paved trail looking at stunning views of limestone gems. The Hall of the Giants is breathtaking. The Giant Dome, Temple of the Sun, Top of the Cross, and the Rock of the Ages are just a few formations that will astound you. I had a feeling I was in a winter wonderland.
After about 90 minutes of the self-paces stroll, I decided to take the elevator back, and my husband hiked back out up via the Natural Entrance (strenuous).
Other things to do at Carlsbad Caverns National Park
In addition to the self-guided tours discussed above, you can explore a section of the cavern with a ranger (Kings Palace Guided Tour). This tour requires an extra fee and reservations are recommended.
Finally, exploring Carlsbad Caverns National Park wouldn’t be complete without viewing the bat flights. Unfortunately, the bats are not in the cavern in the wintertime, so I will need to come back at some point to see that. That’s quite alright because I’ll be happy to see the caverns again.
