Carlsbad Caverns

 Hey everyone! I hope you're doing well. I'm sorry about the late post, this tooth extraction knocked me out a little harder than I anticipated. I think it is the fact that I haven't had caffeine in several days until this morning (and I only had a tiny bit to hopefully prevent a headache) so I have been knocked out for a few days. Anyway, today I wanted to share my photos from my trip to Carlsbad Caverns. It was the only thing that I really wanted to do while I was living in New Mexico and did not have the chance to go. I made it a priority to get over there on my way to Arizona and rerouted part of my trip to make it happen.

Of course I had to take the obligatory picture of the sign. I'll try and give you as much info as possible. Basically, there are two ways down into the caverns. You can walk about 1.25 miles down some steep switchbacks or you can take the elevator down. I would have liked to have walked down but I was so exhausted from 3 long days of driving I decided to be safe and take the elevator.

This is one of my favorite pictures I've ever taken. This place is beyond breathtaking. I know that a lot of people are not into caves and going down into the earth but if it's your thing, you HAVE to get down to Carlsbad Caverns. 

The Caverns are a great place for a family trip because it is a very clear loop path (with shortcut options along the way) and the whole thing is only about a mile and a half long. It'll still take quite a bit of time to get through because it is so damn cool and you'll want to check everything out but it is not a crazy hike.

Something else to keep in mind is that the cave stays the same temperature year round because... it's a cave 😅 I think it is around 70F (or low 70s at least) but it was quite humid. This would be a great place to visit in the summer because you know it'll just be in the low 70s no matter what.

If you happen to be a cave enthusiast please keep in mind that there is a bat population there and there are diseases that can be spread between bats. They advise that you do not bring or wear anything that has been in another cave so you don't risk infecting the bats. This is some great information and I'm glad that I knew this because I ended up going to caves here in Arizona (I ended up going on a change of plans) and since I did not have anything on or with me that entered the Caverns I knew it would be safe.

Overall, I had an amazing time. It was not an overwhelming hike that I could not handle after spending three days crunched up in a car but it was also so nice to stretch my legs. The Caverns themselves are spectacular and I would love to go back sometime and walk the switchbacks down. This was my second national park that I have been to and it did not disappoint. I know that a lot of people have different preferences and caves may not be your thing but if you like them try to get out there at some point!

Fair warning, there is not a ton around Carlsbad Caverns. You are close to White Sands as well as Guadalupe Mountains National Park (I actually drove through this park on my way to Arizona and had no idea it was so close!) so if you like going to parks you can definitely check those out. If not, I would suggest heading up to the Santa Fe area. It really is beautiful and while there isn't a ton to do there you'll find some really great museums, art galleries and more hiking in the area.

I think that is everything that I can think of for now so I'll let you enjoy the rest of the photos for now.

So that was my trip to Carlsbad Caverns! It was such a cool experience and I'm so glad that I went out of my way to see it. I highly recommend stopping by if you have the opportunity. 

And that's it for today! I'll be back on Tuesday with... something 😅 I haven't been eating anything interesting since I had the tooth extraction so I don't know if I'll have anything to share but we'll see. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and as always, thanks for stopping in!