Not too far from Guadelupe Mountain National Park, and just across the state line is Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. This cave is about 800 feet underground and is home to the nation's deepest and 4th largest limestone cave.
We visited in March 2020 and were the last ones admitted into the cave that day. Everything was beginning to close due to the pandemic, so we pretty much had the entire cave to ourselves. (Including the bathrooms, which had a pretty cool entrance, as seen above.)
The cave itself is massive. It has a large limestone chamber called the Big Room, which is almost 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 255 feet high at its highest point. The Big Room is the largest chamber in North America and the thirty-first largest in the world.
In the cave, you can see the original wire ladder that was created in 1898 by a local teenager.
Even outside of the cave is gorgeous, and it's crazy to think that all of this is hundreds of feet underneath you.
There is a quirky store in White City just down the road from the caverns. I highly recommend you drop by on the way out, and don't forget a pressed penny!
So, go for the experience, stay for the stalactites, and never be afraid to dillydally!
- Amber
Always enjoy touring with A & C can't wait to see where to next :)