Yesterday I posted some photos of our visit to Carlsbad Caverns a little over a week ago. I learned a bit about this National Park before we went, and even more while we were there.
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| Column built by water |
Fun Facts!
1. The caverns sit below the Chihuahuan Desert in southern New Mexico.
2. There are 120 known caves as of now (exploration continues).
3. Carlsbad Cavern is not the largest cave. That title goes to Lechuguilla Cave which is only open to researchers and explorers.
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| Chihuahuan Desert |
4. The surface ecosystem has over 750 plant species.
5. From Spring to Fall, the caves are home to hundreds of thousands of Brazillian free-tailed bats. In all, there are 17 species of bats in the National Park.
6. For the serious hiker/adventurer, there are over 50 miles of minimally maintained backcountry trails with limited water sources. (Not for me!)
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| Backcountry mountains |
7. You can take an elevator up or down into the cave.
8. We chose to hike the natural entrance to the cave which is a 1.25 mile stretch of steep switchbacks that descends 750 feet into the bottom of the cavern.
9. The self-guided tour of the Big Room is also 1.25 miles.
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| The natural entrance |
10. Photos are allowed, even flash photos. I took my camera, of course!
11. The King's Palace Trail is only accessible during a ranger-led tour, so we didn't see that part.
12. Plain water is the only thing allowed in the way of food and drink, so we brought plenty in our backpacks.
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| Cavern Walls |
13. The temperature in the cavern year-round is about 56°F (13°C).
There is so much more to talk about! Here are some resources if you're interested!
National Park Service-Carlsbad Caverns
Jim White's Story of Carlsbad Caverns
Best Easy Day Hikes in Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad Caverns Activity Book (great for kids!)
History and Culture of the Park
Visit Thursday Thirteen for more fun lists!
Some links within this post (not all of them) are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase an item, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is NOT a sponsored post!
When I was 12, we toured the country and went to some cavern out west someplace. It was deep, so deep the guide said nothing lived that low in the ground. There was a mummified bobcat in there, and she turned off her flashlight so we could all see how dark really can be (no cellphones, etc., at that time). When we came out, my sinuses had cleared up completely. That's all I remember. I wonder if we went to Carlsbad? Great TT.
ReplyDeleteSuch places are fascinating, the more i read about it the more i want to go there.
ReplyDeleteYou’ve taken me back 15 years ago to when we visited Carlsbad. That was a wonderful trip. We stayed at a B&B in Artesia. I remember more the surface landscape more than the underground tour.
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