A Remarkable Journey
New Mexico never fails to amaze. One remarkable attraction is the Carlsbad Caverns, which you can explore via an elevator. Brace yourself because you’ll be entering a bottomless pit that looks nothing less than an alien planet.
The Carlsbad Caverns Elevator
First and foremost, purchase an entry ticket for the Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Then, take an elevator ride from the visitor center to the start of the cavern. What’s left is to allow yourself to explore the labyrinth of underground chambers.
Jirka Matousek, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Elevator’s Descent Begins
While descending into Carlsbad Caverns, you’ll witness the magnificent Big Room, the largest single cave chamber in North America by volume. The elevator takes visitors around 750 feet underground to view the world-famous rock formations.
Ascending Carlsbad Caverns Elevator #4 - August 2020 by ArtiePenguin1
A Dramatic Drop Into The Heart Of The Earth
The elevator goes straight into the heart of the caverns, where visitors can see a range of cave formations, such as stalagmites, stalactites, and soda straws. The stunning view will take your breath away and give you the experience of a lifetime.
Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Witness The Bottomless Pit
Situated in the far reaches of the Big Room and a little past the halfway point of the self-guided tour, the Bottomless Pit is an unforgettable journey. While not truly bottomless, it is 140 feet deep and angled such that one cannot see the bottom, even with a flashlight.
Urban Versis 32, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
What Does It Feel Like Inside The Cavern?
The temperature is 56°F (13°C) year-round and humid here. So, a light jacket or long-sleeved shirt will be suitable for this condition. Consider wearing closed-toe shoes with good traction, as some areas are wet due to natural water drips and steepness.
Coveredinsevindust at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Geological Formations That Define Carlsbad Caverns
This place is decorated with magnificent speleothems (cave formations). Snowmelt soaks through limestone rock, dips into a cave below, and evaporates to create such formations. Carlsbad Cavern has gradually been decorating itself with speleothems over the past million years.
Eric Guinther, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Just How Big Are The Carlsbad Caverns?
As a labyrinth of underground chambers, the total length of the rooms and passages in the Carlsbad Cavern remains unknown. However, the explored part of the main cavern is almost 40 miles long, of which 3 miles are accessible to visitors.
National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Wikimedia Commons
Lighting The Underground Marvels
If it weren’t for the modern lighting system, you wouldn’t be able to see the beautiful view inside the Carlsbad Caverns. The cave includes over 1000 bulbs and tubes and 19 miles of concealed wires designed to reveal its natural colors.
National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Wikimedia Commons
It Holds Natural Beautiful Decorations
The cave floor has a variety of decorations to showcase, such as flowstone, totem poles, rimstone dams, cave pools, shelves, lily pads, and of course, stalagmites. With such delightful art, nature has reaffirmed her unbeatable creativity and astonished us.
apasciuto, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Caves Are Home To The Mexican Free-Tailed Bats
Among the park’s largest wildlife attractions, a colony comprising hundreds of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats call this cave home. They spend six months every summer in the cave, where they give birth to their young ones. Don’t worry; bats are safe and don’t attack visitors.
Nick Hristov, Wikimedia Commons
The Devil’s Spring Is Another Marvel
The Devil’s Spring is among the first notable cave features visitors on the Natural Entrance Trail see as they descend to the Big Room. Formed by water dripping from the ceiling, this large cave pool is decorated with beautiful stalagmites, stalactites, and columns.
National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Wikimedia Commons
Take The King’s Palace Tour For Further Exploration
If this was not enough to quench your thirst for exploration, it’s time to go further. Visitors can take the King’s Palace tour, which is a 1.5-hour ranger-guided tour through four highly decorated chambers. It will take you 830 feet beneath the desert surface.
Jhaiisiin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Queen’s Chamber Is Part Of The Tour
A notable highlight of the King’s Palace tour is the Queen’s Chamber, one of the Scenic Rooms. It features breathtaking cave formations, including the 40-foot-tall drapery column known as the Queen’s Drapery. It is widely regarded as the most beautiful area of the cave.
apasciuto, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Then There’s The Left Hand Tunnel Tour
This historic candle-lit lantern tour takes you through an undeveloped area of the cave on unpaved trails and is a moderately difficult activity. Furthermore, the dirt trail winds over uneven surfaces with several steep, slippery slopes. But lanterns are provided for this tour, so it’s safe.
Here’s How The Cavern Formed
About 4 to 6 million years ago, the Carlsbad Caverns began to form as the sulfuric acid dissolved limestone and created cave passages. It appears nature has taken a lot of time to create the masterpiece we see today, and it never fails to dazzle us with its creativity.
Jirka Matousek, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
But Wait, Who Discovered The Carlsbad Caverns?
Jim White was the first to find the Carlsbad Caverns in 1898. However, the locals might have already known. White, that time a 16-year-old cowboy, used a homemade ladder to descend into the cave after spotting smoke from a wildfire. He gave several chambers and formations their names.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park Archives, Wikimedia Commons
Carlsbad Caverns In Pop Culture
Several movies have been filmed in the Carlsbad Caverns throughout the area’s 100-year history as a national park. The famous film Journey to the Center of the Earth, which was released in 1959, was shot in the Kings Palace Room.
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) (Theatrical Trailer) by The Baltimore Movie Trailer Park
Are You Invited?
Of course, you are! Visitors can explore two trails on their own or join ranger-guided tours. However, a general admission ticket has to be bought to access the two trails on your own, while advance reservations are required for ranger-guided tours.
CarlsbadCavernsNPS, Wikimedia Commons
The Park’s Open And Closing Time
Depending on the weather and road conditions, the park is open every day except on Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day. Tickets for the cavern can be purchased at the tourist center’s ticket counter. So, get ready and jump on this adventure of a lifetime.
Urban Versis 32, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ticket Costs And Discounts
Adults (16 years and older) have to pay $15 for the ticket. But here is the good news: Children (15 and younger) can visit the park for free. Please note that guided tours come with extra costs. Senior or Access pass holders can receive discounts on ranger-guided tours.
National Park Service Digital Image Archives, Wikimedia Commons
What The Park Won’t Allow
Be mindful of carrying prohibited items to Carlsbad Caverns before your visit. Baby carriages, strollers, and similar devices are not allowed in all caves except as necessary for children with mobility problems within the wheelchair-designated portions of the Big Room.
U.S. Department of the Interior, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Are Food And Drinks Allowed?
Only plain water is allowed in the cavern, and other drinks and food items are prohibited as they can attract animals like ringtails and raccoons into the cavern. You may eat and drink only in the Underground Lunchroom snack bar area.
apasciuto, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Can You Take Pictures In The Cavern?
One of the main concerns that crosses the mind of a social media butterfly is whether they can capture this delightful experience in frames or not. The good news is that taking pictures is allowed in Carlsbad Cavern; however, bipods, tripods, and monopods are prohibited.
Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Available Facilities Include
A cafeteria, bookstore, kennel, gift shop, educational exhibits, and information services. Moreover, there are drinking fountains and restrooms just outside the visitor center. The underground Lunchroom is the only place to use the bathrooms in the cavern. So, plan ahead; as we said, it gets cold down there.
Jirka Matousek, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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