Travel Tips

You miss the real beauty if you take the elevator down to the bottom. Eat before starting the hike, and be sure to carry along some water.

Contrary to what many believe, the offensive smell at the entrance of the caverns if not from bats, but rather the cave dwelling swallows that live in the walls near the entrance.

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Cavern drapery

Audio machine

Scattered throughout the trails leading to and in the caverns, you'll find numbered markers. These mark the number you enter into you audio machine to hear the pre-recorded message about the area you are in. For those on the self guided tour, this is a very inexpensive way to walk around with an earful of info on the caverns. Pictured here are some "drapery" found within the caverns.

Many of the formations were named by Jim White as a means of remembering and mentally mapping the layout of the caverns. Some names are really a stretch of the imagination, while others are dead on! Pictured here is what is better known as the "Lion's Tail"

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Fairyland

Characteristics of Carlsbad caverns

While I found these caverns to be quite a bit less colorful and interesting than Luray Caverns in Virginia, I was certainly interested in learning more about this very large cavern, home to millions of Mexico Freetail bats. Pictured here is the formation commonly referred to as "Fairyland", with it's "Cave Popcorn" formations.

In the Big Room, you will find a BIG sexy formation ... for some reason this is frequently photographed! Labelled as "Breast of Venus" or sometimes "Chinese Hat", this is one of many popular formations in the Big Room at the bottom of the caverns.

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Stalagmite

Stalagmites and Stalactites ...

For those who still get the two mixed up ... the stalagmites are from the bottom up AND
... the stalactites are from the top down

Pictured here is a stalagmite found on the way down to the Big Room

Pictured here are several varieties of cavern formations. Any color found are usually from trace minerals found in the water while forming these amazing decorations.