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Carlsbad Caverns National Park By NPS

Big Room

       Lion's Tail
The Big Room is full of unusual cave formations like this one. Rangers walk the area to answer questions and provide assistance.

 The Big Room
The Big Room is the main part of the cave. It takes about 1.5 hours to do the whole walk, 45 minutes if you take the shortcut.

 Hall of Giants
The Big Room is a huge chamber. If you plan to take photos with an automatic camera make sure you take close-ups with a flash.

  Sword of Damocles
According to park records, this stalactite was named by park rangers in 1928.

 Temple of the Sun
As you walk the Big Room you will find that there are lots of viewing places and benches along the way, including one at Temple of the Sun.

 The Cave Man
The Cave Man stands at the Big Room shortcut.

    The Chandelier
It is not often that you get to see such a mass of impressive stalactites.

 Crystal Spring Dome
This stalagmite is wet and still actively growing. There is a spot on it that is dark brown from all of the people who have touched it, even though they know they shouldn't. Please don't touch the formations!

 Bottomless Pit
It isn't really bottomless, in fact, the bottom of it is littered with the trash thrown into it by visitors. Rangers rappel into the pit once a year to pick up the trash.

 Rock of Ages
For many years rangers performed a ceremony here which included singing "Rock of Ages". Sometimes rangers re-enact the ceremony for special occasions.

 Doll's Theater
The tiny little stalactites that make up the Doll's Theater are called "soda staws" because they are hollow and are about the same size as a staw.

  The Celery Stalk
The Big Room Route ends at the elevators in the Underground Rest Area. Restrooms, food, and even a public telephone are available there.

 Natural Entrance Route

 Natural Entrance
The Natural Entrance Route is not for everyone. It is a steep and somewhat strenuous walk with dim lighting.

 Bat Cave Entrance
If you were visiting in the early 1900s you would have entered the cave via guano bucket, just like the guano miners.

 Natural Entrance
Eventually wooden stairs were built to make entry into the cave more convenient for visitors.

                  Ray of Light
The ray of light can only be seen at certain times of the year.

 Devil's Spring
Coins are sometimes found in the cave pools like the one at Devil's Spring. The coins actually corrode in the water and cause damage to the cave ecosystem. Please keep your coins in your pocket!

 Devil's Den
Now the cave has paved trails with stainless steel handrails. However, it is still a somewhat harrowing experience for some visitors.

 Baby Hippo
Children love to look for the Baby Hippo formation.

 Iceberg Rock
While it is known that Iceberg Rock fell from the ceiling of the cave, nobody really knows when.

Kings Palace Guided Tour

 Papoose Room—Long flowing flowstone draperies are one of the main attractions in the Papoose Room.

 Bashful Elephant—Often visitors ask rangers about the Bashful Elephant. It is one of the cave formations that almost everyone remembers years after a visit.

 Fallen Giant—One of the first stops on the Kings Palace Tour is the Fallen Giant. This is where the ranger will answer the question: "Does anything ever fall in here?"

 King's Palace—Historic Photograph

 Underground Rest Area—The tour meets in the cave. Restrooms, water fountains, and snacks are available here.

 Green Lake—Each visitor on the tour will get a close-up view of the Green Lake, which isn't really green and isn't really a lake. The water refracts the light which causes it to appear green or blue.

 Queen's Chamber—This is where the ranger has everyone sit on the stone benches while the lights are turned off for a "true" cave experience.

 Papoose Room—Jim White, early cave explorer, led photographers and early visitors to the Papoose Room over a much more treacherous route than we use today.

 Queen's Draperies—These "draperies" are one of the most impressive formations you will see on the tour. Photographs don't do it justice.

 King's Palace—The King's Palace is a vast chamber that was used as the setting for the classic movie Journey to the Center of the Earth.

         Tunnel—The tour takes you through a tunnel blasted in 1932. This is a good place to see active cave formations close up.

 Papoose Room—Jim White, early cave explorer, led photographers and early visitors to the Papoose Room over a much more treacherous route than we use today.

Left Hand Tunnel Photo Gallery

       Left Hand Tunnel—This tour is offered everyday at 9:00 a.m. Left Hand Tunnel is a good choice for families because the trail is easy to walk even though it is not paved. The age limit is 6.

 Cave Decorations—The tour guide will explain how formations grow and caves form.

 Pools—Around the end of the tour you will see pools of water and sometimes hear dripping.

                    The Lantern Tour—Left Hand Tunnel is an unlit part of the cave. We provide lanterns for your use. Be sure not to swing the lantern.

                 The Lantern Tour—Left Hand Tunnel is an unlit part of the cave. We provide lanterns for your use. Be sure not to swing the lantern

Lower Cave Photo Gallery

 Texas Toothpick—You'll have to go on the tour to get the story on this one.

 Historic Lower Cave—Lower Cave was often visited by early cave explorer Jim White. Many historic artifacts have been found in Lower Cave, including wooden flare handles, old matches, nails, rope, and even a pack of Chesterfield cigarettes.

 Historic Ladder—One of the first expeditions into Lower Cave included descending a treacherous hand-made ladder. Its remains can still be seen in the Big Room.

 Soda Straws—It's fun to look up and see thousands of soda straw formations with little droplets of water reflecting your light.

 Entrance to Lower Cave—Today's visitors are required to descend a rope and three sturdy stainless steel ladders to get into Lower Cave.

          Colonel Boles Formation—Extremely white formations can be seen in parts of Lower Cave. This one is also interesting because it is cracked.

 Cave Pearls—The tour includes a stop to look at "nests" of cave pearls.

Slaughter Canyon Cave or New cave

 The entrance to the cave is high on the mountain side and gated for the cave's protection.

 The trail back down from the Christmas Tree Room is watched over by The Guardian.

Photo By Charles H. Anderson Jr.

 The Christmas Tree formation is one of the highlights of Slaughter Canyon Cave. This is also where we have a blackout and enjoy the peacefulness of the cave.

Tree Room is watched over by The Guardian.

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