We enjoyed a weekend trip from San Andres to Carlsbad Caverns, NM AND Guadalupe Mountains, TX National Parks. Even though they are in different states, the two Parks are about 30 minutes from one another, so it was convenient to visit both places in one weekend. We enjoyed both places and were struck by the differences between them. We really enjoyed our time at Carlsbad and really packed-in the activities here. In one day there we took two ranger-lead tours through two different areas of the Caverns, we walked the mile-long natural entrance trail, and we toured the Big Room on the self-guided trail and we found time to eat lunch below groun in the Park's Snackbar. It was all extraordinary scenery and a wonderful adventure and came as a very nice surprise.
This first round of images were taken during our first tour, which was done by candlelight. Each person in our group of 12 carried a lantern throughout the 2 hour tour. At one point we blow out our candles and experience TOTAL DARKNESS inside the cave. It was incredible. I placed my hand right in front of my face and could not see it.
The next few photos are of the one-mile natural entrance, self-guided hike that takes you from ground level down into the Cavern's "Big Room" area, cafeteria (yes, you can eat down there!), and starting point for a few of the tours. There is also an elevator that you can use to ride down to the same location, which is also interesting. We used both means of getting down during our one-day visit, but really enjoyed the natural entrance hike. We were amazed at the BIGNESS and DEPTH of this walk down into the Caverns and of all the cool things you see along the way.
Just like the Grand Canyon, photos of Carlsbad Caverns National Park do not do it justice. It is impossible to capture the vastness, colors, dimensions, and unusualness of the Caverns on a camera. In fact, taking flash photos of this incredible place seemed downright silly at times.
Water played a large role in creating the Caverns and still does today. There are areas throughout the Park with small "lakes" of unusual colors.
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