Carlsbad Caverns

The Carlsbad KOA is the nicest one we stayed at so far (other than the tarantula.)

After a good nights sleep we headed to Carlsbad Caverns. It took about an hour to get there, which included the six mile park driveway.

We bought the America the Beautiful pass before our trip so we didn’t have to pay for tickets. We just got some printed at the register and headed to the elevator. Someday it would be nice to walk the approach trail from the natural entrance but not after hiking the Grand Canyon!

The elevator ride down was fast, descending approximately 750 feet in about a minute. We stepped out and walked into the cool, humid darkness.

The lit signs made navigation easy. The enormous cave formations were everywhere, hanging from the roof and rising from the floor. The Great Room is the largest limestone cavern in the country.

A rope hangs into one of the holes leading to the lower caverns, left from early National Geographic exploration.

After visiting the caverns we started the drive to San Antonio. Our Texas cousins opened their lovely home to us for the next two nights.