Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [106]
Cave Exploration
Carlsbad Cavern (the park's main cave), Slaughter Canyon Cave, and Spider Cave are open to the general public. Experienced cavers with professional-level equipment can request permission to explore 10 of the park's other caves.
Most park visitors head first to Carlsbad Cavern, which has elevators, a paved walkway, and the Underground Rest Area. A 1-mile section of the Big Room self-guided tour is accessible to those in wheelchairs (no wheelchairs are available at the park), though it's best to have another person to assist. Pick up a free accessibility guide at the visitor center.
MAIN CARLSBAD CAVERN ROUTES
Most visitors see Carlsbad Cavern by taking the following three trails, all of which are lighted and paved and have handrails. However, the Big Room is the only one of the three that's considered easy.
The formations along these trails are strategically lit to display them at their most dramatic. The odd tints of green and yellow that may appear in your photos are caused by the lighting, not by your film processor.
Big Room Self-Guided Tour
1-mile loop. Easy. Access: Visitor center elevator to Underground Rest Area, or Natural Entrance Route (see below).
Considered the one essential of a visit to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, this easy trail meanders through a massive chamber—it isn't called the Big Room for nothing—where you'll see some of the park's most spectacular formations and likely be overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. Allow about 1½ hours.
King's Palace Guided Tour
1-mile loop. Moderate. Access: Visitor center elevator to Underground Rest Area.
This ranger-led 1½-hour walk wanders through some of the cave's most scenic chambers, where you'll see wonderfully fanciful formations in the King's Palace, Queen's Chamber, and Green Lake Room. Watch for the delightful Bashful Elephant formation between the King's Palace and Green Lake Room. Along the way, rangers discuss the geology of the cave and early explorers' experiences. Although the path is paved, the 80-foot elevation change makes this more difficult than the Big Room trail. Children under 4 are not permitted.
Natural Entrance Route
1 miles. Moderate to strenuous. Access: Outside visitor center.
This moderately strenuous hike takes you into Carlsbad Cavern on the same basic route used by its early explorers. You leave daylight to enter a big hole, then descend more than 750 feet into the cavern on a steep and narrow switchback trail, moving from the "twilight zone" of semidarkness to the depths of the cave, which would be totally black without the electric lights conveniently provided by the Park Service. The self-guided tour takes about 1 hour and ends near the elevators, which can take you back to the visitor center. However, it is strongly recommended that from here you proceed on to the Big Room Self-Guided Tour, which is described above, if you have not already been there.
CAVING TOUR PROGRAMS IN CARLSBAD CAVERN
Ranger-led tours to these less developed sections of Carlsbad Cavern provide more of the experience of exploration and genuine caving than the above routes, which follow well-trodden trails. Caving tours vary in difficulty, but all include a period of absolute darkness or "blackout," which can make some people uncomfortable. Because some tours involve walking or crawling through tight spaces, people who suffer from claustrophobia or who have other health concerns should discuss specifics with rangers before purchasing tickets.
See below for age restrictions and required equipment. Rangers provide headlamps and helmets on some tours. All tours must be reserved; the cost is separate from