Carlsbad Caves in the USA: photo, description of the national park, map

In the USA, in the state of New Mexico, nature has created an amazing underground world. Corridors stretch and meander in the darkness, creating entire labyrinths. The mysterious darkness here is not lifeless – the halls and galleries are inhabited by flocks of bats. These miraculous dungeons can be found in the Carlsbad Caverns park.

Despite the fact that caves are its main tourist attraction, this area includes many more interesting places. It includes desert, mountains and forests that deserve attention. In the park you can find a huge variety of animals. One of the largest colonies of swallows lives here.

History of the park

The caves were explored over 1000 years ago by the indigenous population. Seeking shelter, the Indians entered the caves, where they settled. Traces of their stay can be seen on the walls leading to the underworld – the Indians left mysterious drawings on them. The halls, for sure, more than once became a haven for ancient civilizations. Bonfires burned in the underground galleries, and people prayed to the gods.

Already at the end of the 19th century, the entrance to the Carlsbad Caves was rediscovered by a young man. In search of lost cattle, he happened to see a dark flock of bats rising from the hill. An inquisitive teenager discovered a dark hole in this place, which led him to the first cave in his life. It was he who became the first explorer of this underground kingdom. He had a wire ladder he made himself and a lot of enthusiasm. Opening new halls and galleries, he gave them names that are still used today.

Nevertheless, only a few were ready to believe the stories of a teenager about a mysterious labyrinth of caves. Most considered them fiction. Only photographs were able to convince people of their existence. For the first time, pictures of the caves were exhibited in the city of Carlsbad and immediately made a sensation. Many spectators wished to see the amazing interweaving of caves with their own eyes. Already 8 years later, the glory of the caves spread so much that a decree was signed on the creation of the National Park.

Since then, a systematic study of them began. Subsoil and a variety of natural formations attracted scientists, researchers and speleologists. The park consists of 116 caves, but the main attraction is a complex of 80. They go underground to a depth of more than 300 meters, and the length of all the caves reaches 12 km. The largest area is comparable to 14 football fields. This is a real underground kingdom with galleries, corridors and mysteries.

Cave formation

The Carlsbad Caverns formed in a completely different way than most of the existing ones. Ordinary caves have been washed out by underground waters for thousands of years, but not in this case. More than 4 million years ago, in this area, water saturated with hydrogen sulfide began to seep through faults and cracks under the limestone. Mixing with ordinary rainwater and interacting with oxygen, it was converted into sulfuric acid. It was this aggressive environment that washed out the underground labyrinths of the Carlsbad caves. Several million years ago, they formed the shape that can be observed today.

Carlsbad Caverns today

Not all galleries and halls are available for tourists to visit. You can get into the main complex of their 80 caves. The Massacre Cave is available separately, but only as part of an organized tour.

In the center of the study is the Lechugia cave, which is inaccessible to the public. It is the deepest in the United States, and information about the location of its entrance is carefully guarded. For a long time the cave was not popular either among visitors or among scientists.

Until 1986, when a cave corridor was discovered under the rubble. Behind it, countless passages and galleries were found, going deep underground. Speleologists from all over the world come here to explore the unique underground world. The almost untouched environment in the Lechugiya cave makes it possible to study geological processes in it.

Bats are the hallmark of the Carlsbad Caverns. There are 17 species of them in the park, but most are tailless Mexican mice. Once their population numbered about a million individuals, but in modern conditions it has declined sharply. Mice live in packs, and their diet consists exclusively of insects. Migration to Mexico takes place in autumn.

An impressive sight is the flight of bats from the caves and back. They move in a dense black stream, spiraling upwards. You can watch it after sunset for three hours. Bats fly very close to each other at speeds up to 40 km / h, but do not collide. This is ensured by the fact that nature has awarded them with a unique location system. A special amphitheater has been built in the national park, where visitors can listen to a lecture about night creatures and watch their flight.

The caves themselves deserve no less attention than the flight of bats. Excursion routes stretched through the underworld for 5 km. They cover 80 caves, showcasing countless stalactites and stalagmites. Among them there are so thin that when the wind blows, touching each other, they emit a barely audible gentle ringing. The walls of the caves are decorated with graceful miraculous patterns created by nature itself. The resulting underground colonnades create the feeling that this is the palace of an unknown ruler who took refuge under the earth's firmament. In the labyrinth of caves, you can even find a lake – a small reservoir with green water.

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For the convenience of tourists, all caves are equipped with paths, fences and lighting, so visiting the galleries is not difficult. Descending into this natural dungeon, visitors find themselves in another world. Unknown artists and sculptors decorated the cave walls millions of years ago. It is hard to believe that all this was created without any human intervention. The vaults and walls are decorated with a rich palette of colors – gray, blue, purple and blue play with colors in the galleries. A visit to the Carlsbad Caves is an unforgettable experience for all tourists.