Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Like a page torn from "Journey to the Center of the Earth," the subterranean wonderland of Carlsbad Caverns National Park holds fantastic geological formations and, for those who seek it, a bit of underground adventure. The immense cave system, hidden beneath the desert in the southwestern state of New Mexico, is about 243 kilometers northeast of El Paso, Texas.
The park’s essential experience is a self-guided walk among the amazing geological formations of the 3.1-hectare Big Room, a colossal stalactite and stalagmite-festooned chamber with a ceiling that reaches up to 78 meters high. From the visitor center, ride the elevator 79 stories down to the Big Room, or be adventurous and hike the steep 2-kilometer Natural Entrance route, twisting and descending 229 meters from the mouth of the cave.
From ceiling-hung forests of delicate, icicle-like stalactites to massive geologic features resembling frozen waterfalls, you’re immersed in a surreal world of folded, rippled stone. These are the wonders you’ve come to see, and though the path can be covered in a hurried 90 minutes, it’s wise to budget a leisurely 2.5 hours.
Hungry? Before returning to the surface world, grab a sandwich or salad in the famed Underground Lunchroom, which has a 1950s retro-futuristic look. The park’s other must-see spectacle involves Brazilian free-tailed bats, which live by the hundreds of thousands in deep, dark reaches of the caverns from roughly April to mid-October. At sunset they fly en masse from the cave’s mouth, swarming and blackening the sky on their way to feast on insects for the evening.
- Tripadvisor Rating: 5.0/5
- Area: 189.3 km²
- Admission: Adults 16 years and older are $15, Children 15 and younger are free
- Opening Hours: Daily 8:00 AM - 2:15 PM
- Address: Carlsbad, NM 88220
