"Carlsbad Caverns National Park, One of My Favorite" Top 5 Page for this destination Carlsbad Caverns National Park by KimberlyAnn

Carlsbad Caverns National Park Travel Guide: 139 reviews and 342 photos

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, One of My Favorite - Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Lying in the Chihuahuan Desert of the Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns is one of the deepest, largest, and most ornate caverns ever found. The cave was created by water percolating drop by drop through an ancient limestone fossil reef, dissolving the limestone. American Indians had known about this cave for thousands of years, but there is no evidence that they ever ventured very far into the cave. The first reported entry to Carlsbad was in 1882 when a 12-year old boy named Rolth Sublett was lowered into the cave by his father. However, it was not until Oct. 25, 1923 that the cave was set aside as a National Park. Within this cave you will walk through gigantic subterranean rooms with fantastic formations. The basic tour is the Big Room Route, but if you love caves as we do, take more than a day and register ahead of time for some of the other tours. We took 6 of the 8 available tours, and loved every one of them! This park is open all year with the weather underground remaining a constant 56degrees F. The most crowded time of the year to go is in the summer and on major holidays.

Stalagmite, or Stalactite?

A large Stalagmite

As dripping water falls to the floor stalagmites are formed. These are the finger like formations that you see pointing upward from the floor.

Small Stalactites

As water drips slowly from the ceiling formations such as soda straws and the larger stalactites form. These are some of the formations that you will see hanging from the ceiling. When I was a young girl I had a science teacher that said the way to remember the difference between stalactites and stalagmites was that if you were hanging from the ceiling you would have to hang on tight.

Pros and Cons

Pros:If you are fascinated by the wonderful underground world of caves, this is one of the bests.
Cons:If you find walking difficult, this may not be for you.
In a nutshell:A wonderful cave that deserves its popularity.

Last visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Apr 1999
Intro Updated Feb 5, 2006
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Reviews (16)

Stalactites and a Column - Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Purchasing Tickets and Finding... Favorites (1)

When you arrive at the cavern you will enter the Visitor Center area. Here you will find displays and short films to... more travel advice

Rules and Safety Concerns - Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Rules and Safety Concerns Warnings Or Dangers (1)

It is important that you stay on the designated trails and that you supervise your children at all times, as it would be... more travel advice

Guadalupe Mountain National Park, Texas - Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Guadalupe Mountain National Park Off The Beaten Path (6)

Guadalupe National Park is in west Texas only 45 miles southwest of Carlsbad Caverns. This is a park that is not well... more travel advice

Detail of Sitting Bulls Falls - Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Sitting Bull Falls Off The Beaten Path (6)

This is a popular area for locals is in the Lincoln National Forest. For this reason, don’t come on a holiday as you... more travel advice

Hotels (1)
A State Campground
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Written Feb 5, 2006

6 photos

The Best Way to See the Cave

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Comments (6)

KiKitC Nov 19, 2009 at 3:26 AM Report Abuse

Incredible tips...as always. Always wanted to go to Carlsbad. Don't thing the Spider Cave would be good for me though. Wish I was there for my B-day. Thanks for the wishes!
SLLiew Apr 23, 2008 at 8:08 AM Report Abuse

Amazing page of Carlsbad Caverns NP. I saw that bat flights at the Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia. The bats are incredible mammals adapted to living in the caves and hunting at night.
atufft Apr 22, 2007 at 12:17 AM Report Abuse

Nice work again Anne. I need to take my significant other on these tours. The last time I did this, I barely passed the minimum age requirement.
nickandchris Feb 5, 2006 at 2:53 PM Report Abuse

Absolutely stupendous.!!! What fantastic photos and tremendous information here. I'd love to see this one day, perhaps without the tourists......
kymbanm Jun 26, 2005 at 2:23 PM Report Abuse

An amazingly informative page!! I just got back from the caves and loved it too :)
iandsmith Apr 8, 2005 at 4:14 PM Report Abuse

Find it hard to believe I'm the first one here for what I thought was a main attraction in the U.S.A.! Usual excellent pages (I don't expect anything less). Wondering why you had to mention that photo was your husband's....mmmm. Cheers.