Big Room, New Mexico, United States

5ellenbee56 5:00 PM Jan 26, 2023

a massive space with amazing formations
We visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park on Dec. 27 as part of a long road trip from our home in southeastern PA out to New Mexico. We combined this site and the Living Desert State Park (see separate review) for a nice day’s outing. This is a special place to visit; although it is quite out of the way, it is worth making the trip if one is anywhere near here. This is a popular place for good reason—the scenery is just amazing. It was easy to visit here with the timed entrance ticket reservations, even on a crowded day like when we visited. We took the self-guided tour around the Big Room (and took the elevator both ways); the walkway is paved and has metal railings on both sides, so it’s very easy to traverse. Halfway through the walk, there is a shortcut to the exit for those who desire a shorter walk; the second half of the walk is slightly more inclined but still without steps. There are lots of photographic views along the walk; many spots are lit up, so our photos came out very nice. We noticed that the first half was more scenic and beautiful than the second half, but all of it was delightful. After our tour, we had lunch in the “grab & go” café down in the caverns. There is also a café in the Visitor Center that sold hot and cold food; both had plenty of seats on the busy day we visited. The Visitor Center shows an orientation film on the half-hour and has some nice exhibits. We did not see the bats, which migrate south that time of year. In all, we spent three hours here and loved it. There is plentiful free parking at the Visitor Center. Even the drive up to and back out from the caverns is very scenic. (We spotted a large herd of big-horn sheep along the road on our drive.)

5wcosue 5:00 PM Dec 19, 2021

Specular & Amazing
I toured the caverns as a child and was amazed. I returned as an adult and it is still amazing. The limestone formations are specular! The lighting is well done and allows for pictures to capture the views. The Audio tour added to our understanding of the cavern and supplied info on the history. Wear comfortable, good soled shoes. You do need cave entrance reservations made in advance through the park service.