To the Bat Cave! Carlsbad Caverns National Park (5/31/12)

Trinity Hotel in Carlsbad, NM.

After a restful night at a cute boutique hotel, which is a restored Billy the Kid era bank building, I headed to visit my first National Park on summer out west.  I got up bright and early to be there for the opening of the cavern and to make my 10 am ranger tour.  The park visitors’ center is about 27 miles outside of town and the drive was pretty ordinary except for the great tourist signs beckoning people to the caverns, nearby restaurants and gift shops.  (Have I mentioned the signs for half-price meteorites on billboards in southern New Mexico?)  

Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
If you think this is cool,
just want to see the inside!

The drive from the park entrance to the visitors’ center and cavern entrance is seven miles of rolling desert hills and windy road.  The colors were the same as desolate New Mexico from the day before, but with the rolling hills the scenery got better and better as I neared the caverns. 

It was a windy day in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Welcome to Carlsbad Caverns!

Cavern entrance - from desert into darkness, stalactites,
and stalagmites!

There are two ways to get into the main park of the caverns to see the main attractions the “Big Room” and the “King’s Palace”: 1) a one-minute elevator ride or 2) a 1.25-mile, one-hour hike.  Like the adventurer I am, I chose the hike down.  It was pretty adventurous despite being on a paved walkway with railings.  Apparently, getting off the path has been deadly for some visitors according to a helpful park safety sign.  I chatted with one other visitor on the way down, but mostly enjoyed the silence and aloneness afforded me by visiting the park early on a Thursday morning at the very beginning of summer vacations.  During the hike, my world gradually changed from the desert above, to the cool, limestone-smelling, constantly 56-degree world of the cavern.  

King’s Palace.  If you look closely, you can see stalagmites
(from the floor up) in the center that look something
like royals gathered around on thrones (or chess pieces).
This small section of stalagmites is how the area got the
name King’s Palace. 

Not only do I enjoy a little adventure, but I am also a nerd for guided-tours.  So naturally, I took a ranger-led tour of the King’s Palace.  It was not only a great opportunity to learn the history of the park and how the caverns were discovered and explored, but also to see a park of the park off-limits without a ranger guide.  The King’s Palace is the most famous park of the caverns due to an early photograph taken there by National Geographic, which encouraged mass visitation of this national park.  As a consequence of its popularity, this part of the cavern was damaged and can now only be visited with supervision.  As a now employee of the park service, it was interesting to see the balance of conserving the natural resources of the cavern and providing enjoyment for current visitors (see National Park Service History – Organic Act).   

I really enjoyed my visit to Carlsbad Caverns and definitely recommend it for anyone who can make it to southern New Mexico.  Here are some more photos to enjoy!