Carlsbad Caverns: an underground world and the flight of hundreds of thousands of bats

Beneath the arid hills of southern New Mexico lies one of the largest caves in the world. You walk down into it, through a gaping opening, to a chamber so vast that you can’t see its walls. And every summer evening, hundreds of thousands of bats spiral out of it.

History and origins

Most caves are hollowed out by rainwater. Not this one. Here, gases rising from oil deposits formed sulphuric acid, which dissolved the limestone from below. That’s what explains the size of the chambers.

Native Americans had always known the entrance. Around 1898, a young cowboy, Jim White, saw what he took for smoke: it was the bats. He explored the cave alone, by lantern, and spent years convincing people that it existed. The site was protected in 1923 and became a national park in 1930.

What to do there

• The Natural Entrance: a switchback trail plunges into the mouth of the cave and descends 230 metres, the equivalent of a 75-storey building. It’s steep, but it’s the finest way to arrive.
• The Big Room: the largest cave chamber in North America. A 2 km path goes round it, among giant columns, stone draperies and pools. You walk around freely.
• The lift: it links the visitor center directly to the Big Room, for those who don’t want to walk down or back up.
• The bat flight: from late May to October, at sunset, they leave the cave in waves to go hunting. You watch for free from a stone amphitheatre. Cameras and phones are banned, so as not to disturb them.
• The desert above ground: a gravel road and a few trails among the cacti and agaves.

Stories and good to know

• The park has more than 100 caves. One of them, Lechuguilla, is among the longest and deepest in the country. It’s reserved for scientists.
• The bats leave to spend the winter in Mexico. In winter, there isn’t a single one left.
• Take a jumper: it’s 13°C underground, even when it’s 40°C outside.

Practical information for your road trip

• Getting there: the visitor center is 30 minutes from the town of Carlsbad and about 2 hrs 30 from El Paso.
• On site: a restaurant at the visitor center. Whites City, at the park entrance, has only a few shops.
• Shoes: the path is paved but damp and sometimes slippery. Wear soles that grip.
• Where to stay: in Carlsbad. There’s no hotel or campground in the park.
• Combine it with: Guadalupe Mountains, 45 minutes away, and White Sands, 3 hrs away.