Park Number: 33/63

First Visited: July 4, 2012

Cave systems can become (especially after visiting several in succession) indistinguishable and monotonous. Carlsbad is different.

Carlsbad has unique formations—and such a plethora of them too. The Big Room, simply put, is amazing. You could spend hours circling the loop of this self-guided tour, marveling at the grotesque and beautiful evolution of dripping water. But there are other ranger-led tours as well; I’d recommend the King’s Palace.

The unique attractions don’t stop at the formations either. There’s a cafeteria built right in the middle of the cave, 750 feet deep, which is odd considering the National Park Service’s policy on unnecessary infrastructure, but the cafeteria has been there for decades (established in 1926 and renovated in the 1970s). The debate over its removal recommences every year.

Another must-see attraction is the bat flight. If you catch this on a good night, you can watch thousands of bats leave the mouth of the cave, swirling and disappearing on the horizon, a mass exodus for food.

Mescalero Apaches are affiliated with the Guadalupe Mountains area.

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