Click on any picture for a larger view, a potential story, and a print/frame order form. The FAQ button on the left refers to Carlsbad Caverns National Park if available.
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM

Here's a few photos I took inside Carlsbad Caverns National Park. These were all 30 second exposures on a tripod - it's pretty dark in there. In the summer Mexican freetail bats leave the Carlsbad Caverns main entrance in a swarm at dusk. There are spelunking tours you can reserve, too (highly recommended!).
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A stalactite is just inches away from a stalagmite. Here's how to remember the difference between the two. T is for Top, M is for Mountain. stalacTites form from the top. StalagMites form from the bottom. This photo was taken with the "natural" cave lighting - no flash.

almost-touching
There's a huge and ominous zigzag descent into the natural cave entrance. When you get into the cave itself, it just seems to go on for ever. It's a long way down, so if your knees can't take it you should use the elevator instead, which is what you take to get back to the top. Audio tour equipment is available to rent, and its a halfway decent guide. This is where the Mexican Freetail bats exit in the summer evenings. You can sit in the bleachers above ground and watch them spiral upwards out of the cave mouth. It's an amazing site. If you are camping down at the base near the Best Western hotel during summer, be sure to pay attention to the bats concetrated around the streetlights looking for bugs.

carlsbad-natural-cave-entrance
A huge pillar stands at the edge of a placid underground pool. Photo taken only with "natural" cave light - no flash.

carlsbad-pool

Soda straws are special stalactites that are very thin and hollow. They vary in thickness and in length, and are some of the most fragile formations. Photo taken only with "natural" cave light - no flash.

soda-straw-farm
You can spelunk at Carlsbad Caverns if you make reservations far enough in advance. For a small fee you and about 10 other people get to borrow a helmet and 2 guides to go crawl around in the depths of some of the tributary caverns not seen by the normal tourist crowd. Expect to get dirty and possibly even stuck. But expect also to see some incredible scenery and hear unbelievable tales from the guides. All tours will have you shut the helmet lights off to experience absolute darkness. Several different cave tours exist - try them all! Do yourself a favor and wear kneepads!!!!

spelunkers
A huge totem pole stalagmite tries to reach up to the ceiling and touch some drapery formations. You can see this in the main hall at the bottom of the cave. The path at the bottom is mostly flat. There is a detour for wheelchairs.

totem-pole-and-draperies

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