Carlsbad Caverns in Carlsbad, NM is a strong contender for our favorite National Park.  We read that some consider it the Eighth Wonder of the World.

We took the natural entrance route which was a 1.25 mile route that is a 750 foot descent.  It got very dark, very quickly.  There are paved and lighted trails throughout, which made us really appreciate the early explorers and the challenges they must have faced.

Unfortunately, I didn’t bring our nicer camera (with a flash) and had to rely on my pathetic cell phone for pictures.  But, the cell phone did make a great flashlight to illuminate all those cool stalagmites and stalactites.  In some areas the ceiling is 255 feet tall!  The “Big Room” is one of the scenic stops and has floor space equal to about 14 football fields.  It didn’t feel that huge inside though, partly because of the darkness, but also because there were lots of twists and turns on the route.

There is an elevator inside which we opted to take back up to the surface.  This sign made us a little nervous:

The thought of spending the evening in the cave with 400,000 bats was not very appealing.  Yes, the cavern is home to that many bats!  We didn’t get to see any, as the bats are smarter than we are and have already headed south for the winter.  We’re getting awfully tired of the cold weather and will be heading back to Florida soon.

We also were less than impressed with the poor grammar on this lovely certificate:

Here’s what the natural entrance looked like as we hiked down in, and then there are some of my cell phone pictures for your amusement.  Check out the “floor number” on the elevator in the last picture.