Carlsbad Caverns - New Mexico
I visited Carlsbad Caverns after taking a short road trip to explore a few locations in West Texas. I had been to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park for a nice short hike in the morning and this place is just 30 miles North across the border.
from the main highway the access road cuts through a shallow canyon to the visitor centre where you can either walk down to the 'natural entrance' to the Cavern or take an elevator.
I walked down to the natural entrance on the advice of the lady in the pay booth, she tells me that everyone must exit via the elevator and it makes a nice circuit, so money paid and I make my way into the incredible venue.
taking photos is difficult in the cavern, these were all long exposure shots taken using a tripod for stability (this is the longest I have stood still for weeks)
when I entered 'The Big Room' I was blown away by the scale of the thing 1200metres long and 200metres high it is impressive, even more impressive are the enormous stalagmites that grow up from the cavern floor and almost reach the roof.
There are 22 named rooms in the Cavern complex and many other unnamed ones, there are great paths making access easy for all and even a small seating area that holds about 50 people
As I visited in February I was too early to see the million or so Mexican Free-tailed Bats that call the cavern home between the months of May-October but I did take a wander around Rattlesnake Canyon Overlook before departing.
this is a great place to visit and really blows away any other cave complex you may have seen, there is even an underground cafe serving hot and cold food right by the exit elevators.