My Life Outdoors

Late last year we took my daughter and her cousins to the famous Carlsbad Caverns. We rented the electronic audio tour and opted to follow the natural entrance into the caves. We passed by the amphitheater seating where visitors can sit to watch the bats emerge from the cave at dusk. The bat flight program is open Memorial Day through mid-October. Don’t expect to come and get pictures of the bats…no cameras are allowed during bat flight. Having come late in the year we did not get to see the bats leaving the cave. We did, however, see many cave swallows flying in and out of the entrance.

Most of the rest of the cave is pretty typical. The Big Room features some of the largest most impressive formations and can be toured separately from the natural entrance. I was unable to photograph many of the features in the cave due to the low light levels.

The Park requires everyone to exit by the elevators making this underground hike quite easy. It’s all downhill. Be sure to wear good walking shoes with lots of grip. The cave is a very damp place and the trail can be steep and slippery when wet. There are many other options available at Carlsbad Caverns including, spelunking, primitive cave tours, and surface hikes. If you want something other than the mainstream cave tour, I recommend the Slaughter Canyon Primitive Cave tour.