Carlsbad Caverns National Park is in a remote part of southern New Mexico, much closer to Texas than to Albuquerque. Although the park’s showpiece is Carlsbad Cavern, one of the world’s largest, the park actually contains more than 100 known caves.

First sight of the natural entrance alone is staggering. It is over 90 feet wide and 40 feet high. A steep paved trail leads inside the increasingly dark hole where Pre-Colombian people took shelter more than 1000 years ago. The entrance wasn’t rediscovered until the 19th century, when settlers noticed thousands of bats leaving the cave each night.

The bat spectacle still occurs today. Visitors station themselves around the entrance between mid April and mid October waiting for 500,000 Mexican free-tailed bats to fly out of the cave on their nightly insect hunt. Get there early...watching the silent dark tornado has been an attraction at the park since 1929.

There are several ways to get in and out of the caverns, and several types of trails.

On the self-guided Big Room Route an elevator takes you into the cavern from the visitor center, dropping 750 feet in a matter of seconds. Once at the bottom, a mile long paved trail leads to the eight acre Big Room. Eight acres is large enough to hold fourteen football fields!! A portion of this trail is wheelchair accessible.

A more dramatic self-guided trail is through the Natural Entrance Route. The trail ultimately connects to the Big Room Route, but winding down the steep paved pathway further and further inside the cave is an unreal experience.

There are many guided cave tours led by park rangers. They fill quickly in summer and are available by reservation only. These tours are well worth it, but definitely for the more adventurous. They range from easy walks to experiences where you literally crawl and climb your way through narrow cave openings using only the light from a lantern or flashlight to guide you. The Spider Cave Tour provides helmets and headlamps but recommends you bring your own knee pads and gloves.

The temperature inside Carlsbad Caverns is a constant 56 degrees, so bring a jacket. Shoes with rubber soles are recommended. Because of the constant moisture, trails are often slippery.