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Carlsbad, New Mexico

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Park: #12

Established: 1930

Acres: 46,766

Annual Budget: $5,231,000 (FY 2004)

Visitors: 416,815 (FY 2004)

Highlights: Interesting desert plant life, mountainous terrain, expansive vistas, awesome colorful cave formations, more than 100 known caves, possesses one of the world's largest underground chambers called the Big Room.

Lowlights: Low lighting conditions within the cave make it hard to capture the experience in pictures.

Location: Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

Hours: Open every day except for December 25

Phone: 505.785.2232

Cave Admission: Self-guided tours - $6.00 adults, $3.00 kids, audio guides $3.00. Guided tours - $8.00 adults, $4.00 children.

Link: Official Website

Top Pics: 43 Images

Rating:

(5 max)

I've arrived at the northeastern outskirts of the park. Looking at my GPS map, I notice the Carlsbad's Visitor Center is about 10 miles away, and a paved, winding road separates me from my destination. Below the visitor complex I'll find the object of my desire, miles upon miles of caverns beneath the Guadalupe Mountains. Amazingly, each and every cave chamber and passageway has been eroded out of solid rock by something as unassuming as dripping water.

I mustn't get ahead of myself, there's more to the park that its underground offerings. I wonder, what kind of above-ground scenery will the park serve up today as I make my way to the Visitor Center? Well, I guess I'm about to find out.

Off I go. As I make my way along, height-challenged mountains soon jump into the scenery, appearing on both sides of the road. Well-weathered old gentlemen they are, they appear rather crumbly and worse for wear.