The Carlsbad Caverns

Deep Below New Mexico

By: Astrid Hiemer - May 27, 2010

Road to the Carlsbad Caverns in the Guadalupe Mountains. Photographs by A.Hiemer.

Purple flowers at the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

A cactus in bloom.

The commercial entrance to the caverns.

Taking the elevator with a group of students.

Note the end of the railing.

The camera reveals a blue tone, while the eye registers mostly monochrome.

Limestone forms: Stalagmites on the floor level and stalactites develop from above.

Spot lit rear area.

Stalactites as seen by the camera.

Charles at a constant 56 degree Fahrenheit ~ 750 feet below the earth.

Almost abstract.

A long view.

A giant stalagmite.

Reflection in the pool.

Lit but not named.

Lion’s Tail.

Section from above.

Stalagmites in color.

A section way above.

Special exhibition.

The Chinese Theatre.

The plaque for the Chinese Theatre.

A pool with water.

Group of young explorers starting a guided tour to a cavern below the Big Room.

Helmets for sale.

The store 750 feet below the surface.

A wide view of the landscape opposite the caverns.

 

The Carlsbad Caverns were recommended to us as a destination on our second “See America” tour. We drove 3000 miles to have the experience. They are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We had spent the night in Carlsbad, New Mexico, and drove south on highway 62/180, approx. 20 miles, to reach the Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  The park actually contains 116 caves, but Slaughter Canyon Cave is the only other one open to the public.

A tour on foot, hiking for 3.5 hours and up to 750 feet deep, leads through several rooms: King’s Palace, Queen’s Chamber, the New Mexico Room, and the Big Room or the Hall of the Giants, and others.

In the evening one can return to the Amphitheatre to experience the nightly bat flights. Several species of bats live in caves, which are not accessible to the public. The Mexican Free-Tailed Bats are most numerous and tens of thousands of bats go on a nightly tour.

We, however, chose the one minute elevator ride to the commercial area of the Big Room, 750 feet below the entrance. Parts of the way are wheelchair accessible and the walk ways are lined with railings. This huge lime stone space is 4000 ft. long, 600 ft. wide and max. 350 ft. high. The room is dark and only specific areas are spot lit. We walked for about an hour through fantasy land and a most spectacular landscape. The stone formations from above, sideways, along the ground and from the pit, made our imagination as well as our bodies wander. What a landscape way below the surface of the earth!