Jan 14, 2023 Day 6 Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM

We made reservations the other day to visit Carlsbad Caverns today. We picked an early time slot for 9:30am MT and left the campgrounds a little after 8:00am. It was a beautiful sunrise, and we snapped a couple photos as the sun was coming up before getting ready to depart.

The drive from the campgrounds is about 40 minutes and relatively unremarkable until you reach the entrance of the National Park. Mountains frame the drive into the park, becoming incredible as we drove the 7-mile park drive before reaching the caverns.

Upon arrival we checked in and decided to do the self-guided tour and hike the 1 1/4-mile down, then use the elevators to return to the surface. We had our passport book with us and got our National Park cancellation stamp and regional National Park stamp at a gift shop there. A camp ranger gave us a brief overview and few logistics before we started on our journey. It’s a truly incredible experience descending into large entrance into the caverns.

One of the park ranger’s instructions was to use our library voice in the cave and to not touch the walls which can leave oils, causing the lichens and moss to stop growing there ever again. It’s very dark at times although some of the stalactites are lighted and there’s lights on the bottom of the walkways, too in places. If you are over 6′ you may have to duck in some areas, but we didn’t have any problems.

Upon reaching the Big Room at the bottom, we learned from a park ranger that we were 800 feet under the surface of the earth. That is equivalent to a 60-story building, making it taller than most skyscrapers. This area is 4,000 ft long and 625 ft wide, making it the 4th largest chamber in the US and the 28th largest in the world. The walkway circles through the room passing thousands of rock formations and delicate sculptures, including columns, cave bacon and popcorn, fossils, drapes, curtains, stalactites and stalagmites, totem poles, soda straws and more. It was truly phenomenal to visit this amazing UNESCO World Heritage and National Park of our great nation.

Located near the Big Room are the restrooms and elevators, along with a gift shop! It is the most unusual restroom I’ve ever used :)! A park ranger had told us you barely feel the elevator move and she was right. It may have taken 3 minutes or less to reach the top of the caverns and the visitor center. We bought a few items at the gift shop (my birthday present, but more on that a later date. The Visitors Center was really crowded by the time we left and we were so glad we took an early time slot to avoid the crowds. Our walk was leisurely and at our own pace.

After leaving the caverns, we stopped on the park drive for a few amazing views and photos, then drove home to put a couple of steaks on the Blackstone. It was a perfect day.