Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico features long and deep limestone caves, self-guided tours of the largest cavern, bat flight sightings, and a visitor center with geological and historical information. The caves were formed from an ancient underwater fossil coral reef and were designated a national monument in 1923 and a national park in 1930, with subsequent development projects to improve visitor access and enjoyment.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park features a series of some of the longest and deepest limestone caves in the United States. Located in southeastern New Mexico near the city of Carlsbad, the park offers year-round daily and self-guided tours of major caves, scenic desert walks, and bat flight sightings during the summer months. Additionally, tourists have the opportunity to talk to park rangers and explore the visitor center to learn about the geological and historical significance of the park.
Most visitors to Carlsbad Caverns National Park choose to take self-guided tours of the largest cavern. People can choose to hike down the cave’s natural entrance or descend a 750-foot (about 228 meters) elevator down to the Big Room. Inside the Big Room, visitors complete a 1.25-mile loop (about 2 kilometers), where they witness pristine lakes, huge stalactites and stalagmites, and unique limestone formations. Physically fit visitors can join guided tours of smaller branches of the cavern and isolated caves in other areas of the park.
Summer bat flights are a highlight for many visitors to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Every evening, around sunset, between 200,000 and 1,000,000 Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from the natural entrance to embark on their nocturnal insect feeding. Visitors enjoy stadium seating around the entrance to watch the flight and hear a ranger’s talk about bats. During the day, bats roost in an offshoot of the main cave, called the Bat Cave, which is off limits to visitors.
The land that eventually became Carlsbad Caverns National Park was part of an underwater fossil coral reef about 250 million years ago. When the ancient ocean dried up and tectonic plate activity produced budding mountains, the delicate limestone reef was buried under rock, soil and natural oil deposits. Seepage of water and oil gradually eroded the limestone, producing the extensive caverns and delicate formations. Historical research suggests that Native American tribes used the natural entrance as a refuge up to 10,000 years ago, but it wasn’t until the early 20th century when curious explorers began hiking and mapping the passages of the caves. As word of the caves beauty spread, tourists flocked to the area in the 1920s.
In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge declared the caves and surrounding land a national monument, thus protecting them from land developers. President Herbert Hoover and the United States Congress officially designated the area Carlsbad Caverns National Park in 1930. With government funding and protection, major redevelopment efforts could be initiated to make the caves more accessible to visitors. In 1925, a wooden stairway was built to lead visitors in and out of the natural entrance, and an elevator shaft was installed in 1931, leading directly to the Big Room. Since that time, countless development projects have further improved visitor access and enjoyment, such as paved and lighted paths and an interactive visitor center.
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