I expected Carlsbad Caverns National Park to be one of the highlights of our trip, but it exceeded my high expectations. Photos generally can’t do justice to a national park, and that’s never been more true than for Carlsbad Caverns. For my 39th park, the best description I can give is that it was the most fantastical landscape I’ve ever seen. Hence, the post title “An Underground Fantasyland.” The cavern rooms are massive, and they’re so full of amazing rock formations that I felt like my senses couldn’t adequately process everything I was seeing. It creates the sense that you might be walking around on a beautiful alien planet, when really you’re 750 feet below the surface. My photography skills definitely couldn’t capture the scope of the place, but that never stops me from trying.
Carlsbad Caverns Entrance Sign 
Bat Flight Amphitheater
We began our visit in the evening by attending a ranger program at the Bat Flight Amphitheater to watch thousands of bats fly out of the cavern that we’d be hiking into the following morning. Photos aren’t allowed during the bat flight, but this was an informative program and fascinating to watch. As the sun began to set, around 7:30, the bats kept coming and coming out of the cavern’s natural entrance, and they fascinatingly all flew off into the same direction.
Because of the pandemic, the number of people permitted to enter the cavern is limited each day and requires a timed-entry ticket. Tickets can be purchased a month ahead of time, and a limited number are also released each day. Check the park website before you go for the latest info, as Covid policies are likely changing soon. If you’re able to plan ahead and secure your tickets, this is actually a great time to visit because it’s less crowded than what you might experience in “normal” times.
There are two options to access the cavern: you can take an elevator ride down from the visitor center or you can hike down through the natural entrance. We opted to hike in using the Natural Entrance Trail, which is 1.25 miles long and makes a steady downward climb of 750 feet. If your knees are up to the descent, this is definitely the best option for sightseeing. Either way you go down, you can take the elevator back up!
Paved path to the Natural Entrance 
Natural Entrance 
Looking up at the entrance
There’s a small cafeteria and restrooms when you reach the Big Room area, so its a good opportunity for a break. There’s also a small gift shop, where you can purchase and mail a postcard that will be stamped as “Mailed from 750 feet below the surface of Carlsbad Caverns National Park.”
“Whales Mouth” formation 
Mailbox in the cavern gift shop
After a short break, we proceeded to walk the 1.25 mile Big Room Loop, at which point the scenery becomes more grand and expansive in comparison to the earlier trail. With no ranger-led tours currently available, both of these trails were self-guided, but still amazing to experience. I’m going to let the photos speak for themselves here.
“Lion’s Tail” 
“Mirror Lake” 
“Rock of Ages” 
“Chinese Theater”
I highly recommend adding this park to your to-do list if it isn’t already. The cavern tour alone is worth the visit, and the bat flight program is worthwhile if it fits your schedule. There were some non-cavern areas and trails we could have explored, but we opted to move on to our next location to maximize the sightseeing opportunities on our trip. Before leaving the area, we enjoyed pizza and salad for lunch at Guadalupe Mountain Brewing Company in the city of Carlsbad. It was clearly a popular lunch spot, and I’d recommend it!
Our route took us next on a scenic drive through the Lincoln National Forest and the historic town of Cloudcroft before arriving at Alamogordo for the night. The temperature difference from the desert to the forest and back to the desert was amazing. I can see why Cloudcroft was a popular summer retreat historically, and I bet it’s beautiful during the winter skiing season also.