In southeast New Mexico, tucked snug on the Texas border and Guadalupe Mountains National Park, is Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Both parks are in the Permian Basin alongside what was once an ancient sea. The view from the cavern entrance looks over the Basin.
While the caverns are the highlight of the park, the parkatechure fits into the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert.
At sunset, early summer through fall, hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats who live in the caverns, swirl out of the cavern to fly 20-30 miles distant to eat insects. For bat safety, the Park Service does does not permit photography or videography of the sublime event. You also need to remain seated during the exodus as the bats may fly just a couple feet over your head as they exit.
The next morning, we hiked down the natural entrance to the cavern that the bats returned through at daybreak.
As you first enter the cave, you feel the cool air moving out of the cave, and hitting the humidity near the entrance.
During Covid restrictions, there are no ranger tours, and you are limited to the “Big Room,” which you can take an elevator down to or walk the mile and a quarter down 700 feet through the natural entrance. It is a spectacular hike that should not be missed.
A Broadway lighting designer helped create the lighting for the cavern. The Big Room is over 4000 feet long, 625 feet wide and 255 high at the highest point. The hike around and through the Big Room is breathtaking.
One small side chamber is named the Chinese Theater.
And while a Broadway designer created the lighting, you might see a monster right out of Hollywood. Time to take the elevator back to the surface!
