I was in charge of making the reservations and considered signing up for one of the tours that require ropes and ladders and belly crawling (what in the world was I thinking??). Fortunately, the only tour available was for the King’s Palace, a 1.5-hour exploration that descends into the deepest part of the caverns, but doesn’t involve anything challenging—other than the ability to stay calm in a pitch-black maze 830 feet below the surface of the earth.
Adventures Underground: Exploring Carlsbad Caverns
Just to be clear about this adventure—neither Eric nor I are enamored with caves, caverns, mines, or anything subterranean. We much prefer our adventures above ground, in the sunshine and fresh air. But Carlsbad Caverns was on our trajectory north, it’s a national park, and it seemed like we should go see it. We actually got pretty excited about our expedition.
How early explorers entered the cave (you have got to be kidding me!)
To add to the adventure, the elevator that normally transports visitors from the surface to the Big Room was undergoing repairs. We had already planned to hike down into the caverns from the Natural Entrance, a 1.25-mile steep winding trail that drops 750 feet down into the caves.
No elevator meant that we would also be hiking back out on that same trail—which is totally fine, unless you start thinking about how far beneath the surface you are, and how dark it is, and what if the lights go out, and what if you freak out…and the only way out is up that long, steep trail. There were a few moments when I had to have a reassuring talk with myself.
The entire cave system is richly decorated
Some of the most beautiful cave formations
Mirror Lake
Hanging Out In The Dark
Our tour of the King’s Palace was great, except for our guide’s penchant for hanging out in the dark. We were told that we would have the “opportunity” to experience total darkness for a few moments during the tour, but she left us in an abyss of darkness for a good 15 minutes while she talked about how wonderful it was.
As much as I appreciate dark nights, I also like a teeny bit of light to orient myself—a few stars, crescent moon, something.
We took a break after our tour to eat our picnic lunch in the darkness of the underground café, huddled in a dank corner like a pair of pack rats. “We’re already here,” said Eric. “I think we should go ahead and do the Big Room.” And so we did, walking the mile-and-a-quarter loop, taking in the beauty of the various formations created drip by drip over centuries.
Five hours after our descent into the caverns, we hiked out the 1.25-mile trail on which we had entered the caverns. We emerged, blinking, into the glorious sunlight. Are we happy we did it? Absolutely. Would we do it again? No, once was enough. (The Caverns at Sonora in West Texas, however, are still on our list—glittering formations of crystals—we’re definitely up for that.)
Delighted to be back in the daylight (no, I did not hike in sandals)
Above Ground Adventures
As far as above ground adventures, we walked the short trails at Brantley Lake State Park, and spent part of a day exploring the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park near Carlsbad (about 10 miles from our campground). This small and lovely park is focused on the flora and fauna of the Chihuahuan Desert. We happened to arrive in the reptile house at feeding time, and the snakes were going berserk. It was fascinating—and unnerving—to be surrounded by a symphony of rattlers rattling in anticipation of their meal.
One day plunged into an abyss, the next in the company of rattlesnakes. Our stay in Carlsbad was kind of like an immersion camp for overcoming phobias.
About the Campground
Brantley Lake State Park isn’t exactly close to Carlsbad Caverns, but from what we surmised, it’s the nicest place to stay. It’s a beautiful park, with spacious sites, many on the lake, and each with a covered picnic table. Water and 30/50 amp electric hookups, peaceful, dark night skies (but not too dark), nice bathrooms and showers, good Verizon. And lots of birdlife, which we love. It’s a bargain at $14 per night. The park is 12 miles north of Carlsbad, and 38 miles from the caverns.
Bullock’s Oriole on ocotillo bloom
Kingbird fledglings learning to fly
K shares your feelings about going underground…. We love NM!
We love NM, too! I’m with Karen — above ground is much more appealing! Still, we’re glad we did it, and it likely won’t be our last cave tour.
Well, did you overcome those phobias? I have to admit, walking about in pitch darkness so far below ground does NOT sound appealing to me, not in the slightest. The big room, yes, I could do that but the other tour would require me to use my child birth mind control training, something I don’t care to do!
Actually, we’ve never been in Carlsbad’s vicinity so we haven’t had the opportunity to test our phobias yet…..it’s on my list even though!
Then, rattlesnakes!
I’m so glad you showed us pictures of your above ground hikes otherwise I’d have to have “happy hour” a bit earlier to calm my nerves!
Haha, nooooo don’t think I’ve overcome those mini-phobias. And I don’t think I’ll be signing up for the tours that involve belly-crawling or dangling ropes anytime soon. But Carlsbad Caverns is definitely worth a visit, Sue. And with the elevators working again, there’s a quick exit available if needed. :-)
You two continue to inspire us! Someday I will gain enough nerve to try the underground adventure. The photos are fabulous:-)
Thanks, Bettina. I think you would be fine in the cavern — I think we were just down there a bit too long.
Funny that you should mention caves are not a favorite. I was working in New Mexico in 2002 and decided to make the side trip. Gotta see the caverns at least once, right? I cannot explain my crazy feelings as I descended down that walkway. Somehow the caverns felt sacred to me, earth sacred, and it felt like humans just shouldn’t be IN there at all. There were formations that felt exactly like trapped souls of humankind who had done unspeakable things to the Earth and were forever entombed there. OK then…Now you get to hear my goofy side! But I’ll never forget that feeling and how glad I was to be out of the caves!
Sue, your feelings don’t sound strange to me at all! Actually, your story reminds me of the Native American creation myths of humanity emerging from the center of the earth (so we’re supposed to move toward the light, right?). There’s something about being deep down in the caves that doesn’t feel quite right to me, either. Then again, there are people who seem to thrive on being underground! I am not one of them.
My memory of Carlsbad Caverns dates back to somewhere in the 1973-74 era. I remember at dusk seeing quite a large number of Cave Swallows exiting the cave(s) at dusk. It was pretty spectacular. Being underground doesn’t seem all that scarey…if you can see where you’re walking. Thanks for the usual great blog and pictures from below AND above.
Glad you enjoyed the photos and blog, Vince. So fun to hear your memories of the cave and the swallows! You’re right, it’s not so bad if you can see where you’re walking — but it sure was dark down there. Good thing we had our headlamps.
Your wildlife photos are wonderful! That oriole is so perfect it almost looks fake! ;-) Why no rattler pictures??? I can’t imagine what it must have been like to see them feeding! That sight would probably give me nightmares for days…
So glad you enjoyed the photos, Lisa. I had the same thought about the oriole — it does look fake! (But it’s real.:-)) The rattlers were behind thick glass and it was impossible to get decent photos — but that glass didn’t stop me from taking a big step back when they started their crazy rattling!
That was a tough cave tour! Darkness and a monster, steep climb in and out. Glad you were able to handle the darkness:) Total darkness is a tough one to handle. We use to take our third graders to a beautiful local cave at the end of our study on the cave development. At the very back of the cave, they always turn the lights off so the kids can experience total darkness. They are so surprised by just how dark it is.
As if that wasn’t enough torture for you, rattlesnakes at feeding…yuck. I shiver just thinking about it. Boy, it must have been so loud. I know one rattlesnake hissing and rattling was enough for us.
Great park with an even better price! Good deal:)
Pam, it was definitely a good hike in and back out — we ended up with about five miles underground that day, with a monster steep climb, as you said. It was our first hike since leaving Florida! Being in total darkness is disorienting to me — even on the darkest nights, we never experience that above ground.
OMG those rattlesnakes — it was so interesting, but also scary. In all of our years of hiking, we’ve only encountered one tiny rattlesnake that rattled at us. A big one would be terrifying!
Love “immersion camp for overcoming phobias”. Too funny, maybe an ad campaign for the cave. I haven’t been to Carlsbad either so this post was super for me. Now I know just what to do. I want your cave guide. I love the dark. Pitch black. Your cave pictures are better than mine at Mammoth. Doesn’t look so dark. HA! Love the big bat friend picture. Did you see the bats swooping out? That’s what I want to see. Is there a reason you didn’t stay in the park? I usually stay in the National Park campgrounds so I don’t have to drive. Should I rethink that for Carlsbad like I did for Arches? Great bird pictures and the jack rabbit is fantastic. Love having you as my scout!
Sherry, knowing how you love caverns, you’re going to love Carlsbad. You have to do one of the crazy tours and tell us about it. :-) We didn’t stay for the bat flight — we were ready to go home after so many hours in the caves. And it was too far to drive back that night. (Plus we had just seen the bats in Austin.)
We didn’t stay in the park because there’s no camping there. Brantley Lake is lovely, though. You’ll like it.
A rattlesnake feeding frenzy? Holy crap, that would enough to churn my tummy. But the walk down into the abyss for us was fun:) We are like batman, we like caves and were impressed with Carlsbad’s enormity.
Glad you and Eric overcame your fear and anxiety. Your pic in front of the sign sure do like you just had a big scare with your hair standing up:)
ML, the rattlesnake feeding frenzy definitely made my hair stand on end! It was creepy but still fascinating. We’re really glad we did the caverns and the extra tour. If I were more courageous in the realm of underground adventures, I’d do one of the other tours, too. But that’s probably not going to happen. :-)
Who took the rabbit pix…love it and what is that orange bird? I’m relieved you didn’t do the crawl into the cracks on your belly tour. That sounds like the most horrid way to spend a day! :) Good to hear you are having good times.
Diana and Ed
The rabbit pic was Eric’s — pretty cute, huh? And the orange bird is a Bullock’s Oriole. I’m really, really glad I didn’t enroll us in one of those crawl-on-your-belly tours. I don’t know what in the world I was thinking to even consider that!
I am not a fan of caves but sometimes it worth confronting a phobia for a worthwhile experience. I would’ve loved watching those rattlesnakes.
You are so right, Ingrid. This wasn’t too bad because caves are not a huge phobia for either one of us — we just prefer being above ground. :-) We were mesmerized by the snakes — I had no idea that they rattle when they’re anticipating a meal!
We thought we might get down there this time but just never found the time to get away. With the elevator fixed we figured it would be fascinating. Your pics confirm the beauty. And we definitely want to see the Living Desert – such a cute kitty! I have to admit we would love the snakes – the more the merrier, especially when they’re active :-) The oriole in the ocotillo is stunning. Love the end…..
I loved the bobcat, too, Jodee. It looked so sweet sleeping peacefully in the rocks! Made me miss our kitty. :-) Definitely plan your visit for the snake feeding — it’s WILD and interesting. We just happened to be there at the right time.
5 hours underground made for a long day. Interesting formations and lake. The snakes…aghhhh
Debbie, as much as I appreciate snakes for all the good they do (vermin control, mostly) — I have no desire to come across rattlers while we’re hiking.Observing them safely behind glass while they were being fed was really interesting, though!
No belly-crawling for me either. We did the same tour as the two of you. I am not a huge fan of caves either but had to check another NP off the list while we were in the area. I think the sound of all those rattlers at feeding time would have made my skin crawl.
LuAnn, I figured you would have made it to Carlsbad if you were anywhere close! We were happy with our adventure — but I’m not signing up for a belly crawling hike through a cave anytime soon. :-)
Jim tends to be claustrophobic but we toured Carlsbad and he did fine. Our guide didn’t leave the lights off that long, though!
We arrived at Emigrant Lake today and just thought I would ask you guys if there is anyplace we shouldn’t miss while we’re in the Ashland area. Unfortunately there is a heat wave this week, but it looks like there may be some higher elevation hikes we can do.
Gayle, I think it was the lights being off that was the worst part for me. It was just way too dark for too long! But we’re still glad we did the tours. I have lots of suggestions for Ashland — I’ll send you an email. Bummer about the heat wave — but I hear there’s lots of water in the lake this year!
Your cavern pictures turned out so much better than ours. You will like Sonora. It’s only an hour and a half and didn’t feel like we went down too far. Next time though, I’m wearing my baseball hat that has a built in light just in case. ;)
Pam, that’s so funny — I told Eric I’m bringing my headlamp the next time I go on a cave tour. I was using my phone as a flashlight. :-) Glad to know you liked the caverns at Sonora. I’ve heard they’re beautiful.