John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

Location

Southeastern new Mexico, about 25 miles southwest of the town of Carlsbad, New Mexico.

What to See and Do

Carlsbad Caverns form one of the largest cave systems in the world. About 28 miles of paths and rooms have been explored. The deepest known level is over 1000 feet below the surface. As with most caves, only a relatively small section is open to the public but visiting this is still an extremely worthwhile experience and highly recommended.

Several cave tours are available. For most visitors, the ideal combination is probably the "Natural Entrance" tour followed by the "Big Room Tour". The Natural Entrance Tour takes you down a fairly steep paved path with no steps but numerous hairpin bends, through the original entrance of the cave. Once inside the cave, the descent continues passing various interesting formations, ending at the foot of the elevator (lift) in the Big Room where there is a gift shop and a cafeteria. The Big Room is the largest underground chamber in North America, measuring over 2000 feet by 1100 feet and up to 250 feet high. From the area at the foot of the elevator you can naturally continue on with the Big Room Tour, which loops round the Big Room and returns to its starting point. You can then take the elevator back up to the surface. Both of these tours are "self-guiding" (i.e. not led by a ranger), so you can proceed at your own pace. However, there is a short ranger briefing before you commence the tour. These two tours normally take about an hour each but within reason you can wander at your own pace.

The fee for taking one or both of the above tours is $5 per person (as at June-1996) and this charge is NOT covered by a National Parks Pass or a Golden Eagle pass. These passes cover entrance fees to parks, not fees for cave tours.

There are also various other ranger-guided tours available.

Some Ideas for Places to Stay

Artesia, New Mexico is a pleasant small town, except for the oil refinery on the north side. However, because of its size it only has a limited range of facilities for visitors.
Carlsbad, New Mexico
Roswell, New Mexico
Whites City, near the entrance to the park, is a expensive tourist trap with a limited range of facilities and is not recommended.

In the Area

Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

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As with all the other pages on this personal web site, all the information on this page is solely the opinion of the author, who has no connection whatsoever with any of the companies and organisations mentioned other than as an actual or potential customer.

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Most recently modified 25-Feb-05