Awesome! It is amazing that, for each park, the entrance is unique and, perhaps, gives us a taste of the park. Driving into the park was through the desert that surrounds the area to the national park. The caverns are located in the Chihauhuan Desert of the Guadalupe Mountains. I chose to walk the natural entrance, a 1.25 mile path consisting of various switchbacks into the caves. We descended over 700 feel into the caverns. The trail is paved with railings all along the way, making it accessible for many people. I did rent the audio tour, which gave me a good overview of the history as well as information on the cave. It was incredible to descend into the cave through darkness, only lit by some strategically placed lighting. After I entered the Big Room – about 14 football fields – the tour continued for another 1.25 miles. I have to admit I took the elevator back up!
The history of this park is interesting. A 16-year old cowboy, Jim White, discovered the cave, and spent hours exploring the cave. The decent into the cave at that time – in the early 1900s – was much more primitive than today. There was no elevator to take back to the Visitors Center. Jim named various areas and those name are still used today.
One of the key points of the caverns is at dusk – folks can gather and watch hundreds of thousands bats leave the cave. Too bad – in early fall the Brazilian Free-Tailed Bats migrate to Mexico. So, having that experience was not possible – not too disappointed in that!
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