Carlsbad Caverns National Park
The drive to Carlsbad Caverns National Park seemed long, but somehow that drive became part of the experience itself. We have visited twice, and both times there was something unforgettable about traveling through the wide-open spaces of southeastern New Mexico before finally arriving at the caverns hidden beneath the desert landscape. The miles of dry terrain, distant mountains, and endless sky created a feeling that we were heading somewhere remote and unusual.
Descending into the caverns felt like entering another world beneath the earth. Above ground, the landscape is rugged and dry but underground lies an enormous system of chambers filled with towering rock formations shaped slowly over millions of years. Walking through the cool darkness surrounded by stalactites, stalagmites, and massive columns was remarkable,
One of the most memorable experiences at Carlsbad was the bats. During certain times of the year, thousands of free-tailed bats emerge from the cave entrance at dusk in a swirling spiral that rises into the evening sky
Long before it became a national park, the caves were known to indigenous peoples of the region. In the early 1900s, explorers brought national attention to the caverns because of their beauty and scientific importance. Carlsbad Caverns National Park was established as a national monument in 1923 by President Calvin Coolidge and became a national park in 1930.
The park is located deep within the Chihuahuan Desert. Visiting this park was not just about the caverns, but the entire journey, the long desert diver, the cool underground silence and the sight of bats in the evening sky.
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