Like many people of our age, we first heard about Carlsbad Caverns when we were in elementary school via bad black and white pictures in our text books. We were told it was one of the wonders of the world and they are underground right here in the US of A. After all these years, it’s still true. It’s not the largest in the world or country. It’s not even the largest on the Park property. But it is huge, magnificent, and awe-inspiring. The Carlsbad Caverns are comprised of a small percentage of the 500 known caverns under the park boundaries. Most of the others are accessible only for research and mapping. A few are available for experienced spelunkers with special permits. Some of research revolves around the study of organisms that live in total darkness. One example brought up by our ranger guides is the study of microbes found in the some of the caves that are immune to cancer. They are being studied for their properties and may someday help develop a cure.
However, we were just simple tourists there to see amazing natural things and we weren’t disappointed. After descending an impressive 875 feet underground, we took a Ranger-led tour through the King’s Palace “Room”. It was beautiful, huge, and filled with elegant natural stalactite and stalagmite formations that evolved over millions of years. We didn’t know until later that five King’s Palaces could fit into the Big Room (appropriately but unimaginatively named). The Big Room was breathtaking and a total of 1½ miles in circumference. We took a couple of hours to walk the path around it and every view was awe-inspiring. We also took another Ranger-led half mile walk into the Left Hand Tunnel. This interesting experience led us down a path that was lit only by the candlelight in the lanterns we carried – intentionally providing us with the same views that Jim White, the caverns discoverer and patron, had when he was exploring the caverns in the early 1900’s.
The pictures don’t do it justice, but we did our best given the lighting and sheer scale of the magnificent features of the caverns. This was definitely a trip worth making.
Went there many years ago – forgot how beautiful it is: thanks!!!!