Established to preserve Carlsbad Cavern and numerous other caves within a Permian-age fossil reef, Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains 86 known caves, including the nation’s deepest limestone cave 1,567 feet and fourth longest. Carlsbad Cavern, with one of the world’s largest underground chambers and countless formations, is also highly accessible, with a variety of tours offered year-round. Established first as a National Monument on October 25, 1923, it was made a National Park on May 14, 1930. Carlsbad Caverns National Park became a World Heritage Site on December 6, 1995.
History & Culture
More than 1,000 years ago prehistoric Native Americans ventured into Carlsbad Cavern seeking shelter. They left behind no record of what their impressions of the cave were, but they did leave some mysterious drawings on cave walls near the natural entrance. Much later, in the 1800’s, settlers discovered the cavern, drawn to it by the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of bats rising up out of the natural entrance in the evening. Some stayed to mine the hugh deposits of bat guano in the cave and sell it as a natural fertilizer.
One such man, a cowboy named Jim White, became fascinated by the cave and spent hour after hour exploring it. White was eager to show the many natural wonders of this extraordinary place to others, but few persons believed his improbable tales of a huge underground wilderness full of unusual cave formations. It took photographs to convince skeptics that Carlsbad Caverns was everything it was said to be and more. Black and white pictures taken by Ray V. Davis, who accompanied White on a cave trip, were displayed in the town of Carlsbad in 1915. They created a sensation. People suddenly clamored to see the marvelous cave for themselves. White took them on tours that began with an unceremonious 170 foot descent in a bucket once used to haul bat guano from the cave.
Word of the cave spread, finally reaching Washington, D. C. Again, there were nonbelievers, but in 1923 the U. S. Department of the Interior sent inspectors Robert Holley to investigate and see whether Carlsbad Cavern was truly an outstanding natural scenic wonder. Originally a skeptic, Holly wrote in his final report: “… I am wholly conscious of the feebleness of my efforts to convey in the deep conflicting emotions, the feeling of fear and awe and the desire for an inspired understanding of the Devine Creator’s work which presents to the human eye such a complex aggregate of natural wonders….”
Later that year Carlsbad Cavern was proclaimed a national monument. White, who was to continue his cave explorations for most of his lifetime, became its first chief ranger. Seven years later Carlsbad Caverns National Park was created to protect the cave. Through illustrated articles published in magazines such as National Geographic and by word of mouth, Carlsbad Cavern became one of the world’s most celebrated caves. Since its establishment, the park has been expanded and today includes 46,766 acres and more than 80 other smaller caves.
And the exploration of Carlsbad Cavern continues. Experienced underground explorers, or cavers and cave scientists are the Christopher Columbuses of today, journeying beyond the boundaries of what is known into the realm of the unknown. Carlsbad Cavern attracts many men and women who are eager to shed light on some of its mysteries. Teams of cavers well versed in safe exploration techniques continue to discover new portions of the cave. Their finds in recent years include the Guadalupe Room, Carlsbad Caverns second largest room, in 1966; the exceptionally colorful and much decorated Bifrost Room, in 1982; the Chocolate High, one of the most recent discoveries, in 1993.
Nature & Science
None of us witnessed the formation of Carlsbad Cavern. And since time and conditions don’t allow us to duplicate the process in a laboratory, we are left with theories based on puzzle pieces. One theory states; a very long time ago, a shallow sea covered Carlsbad Cavern. Plants and animals lived and died in the sea. Their shells and skeletons piled on top of each other, making a reef. Over time, many layers piled up, squashing the shells and making the layers hard, compact and thick. Eventually, the sea dried up causing the reef to be exposed to the air.
Movements in the earth’s crust pushed the reef upwards, forming a limestone mountain. Trees and other plants grew on the mountain, covering the old reef and causing cracks to develop in the limestone. Rainwater sank into the soil and went down through the plants’ roots and finally down through the cracks in the limestone. On its way through the atmosphere and the soil, the water absorbed carbon dioxide. A weak acid was chemically formed when the water mixed with the carbon dioxide. The resulting carbonic acid dissolved the calcite in the limestone.
At some point, large rocks in the cave ceiling fell. This opened up chambers, like the Cavern’s Big Room 25 stories high and a third of a mile wide. As water seeped and dripped its way into the Cavern, beautiful formations decorated the cave.
The largest and vast majority of caves are formed in soluble rocks those that can be dissolved by a weak, natural acid. Limestone, dolomite, gypsum and marble are soluble rocks. Carlsbad Cavern, Lechuguilla Cave, Slaughter Canyon Cave and Mammoth Cave are all solutional caves.
A cave formation is a speleothem. The word comes from two Greek words spelaion meaning cave and thema meaning deposit. Speleothems are mostly calcite, the same mineral that makes up limestone. When the water table lowers and air enters the cave conditions are right for the process of cave formations to begin. Slightly acidic water percolates through the limestone above the cave dissolving the calcite. When the water reaches the cave, calcite is redeposited.
Attractions
Here are some things to look for in the cave.Soda Straw
A soda straw is hollow on the inside and has water dripping through it. Over time the inside clogs with calcite, causing the stalactite to grow larger.
Drapery
Water in a cave does not always drip. It may seep along a slanted ceiling, forming thin draperies that hang in folds. They are also known as curtains and ribbons.
Flowstone
Flowstone is a cave formation that looks like a flowing stone waterfall. It forms when water seeps down cave walls, over rocks and onto the floor.
Shelfstone
A flat shelf of stone can form around the edges of cave pools and around stalagmites in a cave pool. Even if a pool dries up, the shelfstone remains.
Cave Pearls
Cave pearls are stone balls and can be as large as ping-pong balls. A pearl forms around grains of sand. Layers of calcite are added to the grain over time. Dripping water keeps the pearl moving round and round in the pool.
Popcorn
Popcorn are clusters of calcite balls that build upon the walls of a flooded cave.
Helictites
An helictite is similar to a soda straw, except it curls and twists in every direction, even against gravity. No one is certain how helictites forms.
Totem Poles
A totem pole is as skinny as the stalactite above it. However, some are taller than skyscrapers and bigger than a giant redwood.
In The Area
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Rising from the desert, this mountain mass contains portions of the world’s most extensive and significant Permian limestone fossil reef. Also featured are a tremendous earth fault, lofty peaks, unusual flora and fauna and a colorful record of the past. Guadalupe Peak, highest point in Texas at 8,749 feet; El Capitan, a massive limestone formation; McKittrick Canyon, with its unique flora and fauna; and the “Bowl”, located in a high country conifer forest, are significant park features.
Traveler Facts
Contact Information
Carlsbad Cavern National Park
3225 National Parks Highway
Carlsbad, NM 88220
Phone: 505-785-2232
Operating Hours & Seasons
Carlsbad Cavern National Park is open every day except for December 25.
Visitor Center
The visitor center is open every day except December 25. It is your first stop on your visit to the cave. You can purchase tickets beginning at 8:30 a.m. each morning. Tickets may also be purchased at hotels in Carlsbad and White’s City and then presented at the visitor center information desk for validation.
The visitor center features exhibits on bats, geology, cave restoration and park history. There is also a children’s exhibit which includes a variety of pictures, games and hands-on material. The Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce recently installed a special touch-screen computer to provide information about local attractions and exhibits featuring state and local maps.
Weather/Climate
The weather in southern New Mexico can change quickly at any time of the year. Winter is often cold and dry with rare snow and ice storms. Spring is extremely windy. Summer is hot and violent lightening storms are not uncommon in the afternoon and evening. Fall is usually mild.
The cave climate is cool and varies little from the annual 56 F average. A light jacket or sweater and comfortable shoes with rubber soles for good traction are appropriate year-round.
