We only had the afternoon, and didn't call ahead, so we just did one of the trails. But we were not dissapointed! The trail we did started with an elevator ride down to the bottom (we took the easy way). 75 stories straight down.
One of the interesting facts about the elevator is that it was constructed in the 1930s. They blasted simultaneously through the rock from the top and bottom, and when they met in the middle, they were almost perfectly connected. I have no clue how they would accomplish that in the 30s.
Carlsbad Caverns is located in Carlsbad State Park, which doesn't look much different from the rest of New Mexico:
Just kidding. The State Park actually looks like this... which is practically a forest for New Mexico:
Nice view of what must be the entire state of New Mexico and West Texas.
Here are some of the better pics that I took in the caverns. It really was quite impressive. The trail we were on was only a mile and a half, but it was packed full of some of the most amazing cave structures I've ever seen.
This was some crazy ladder that was made with wood slats threaded through rope, going down into what looked like a bottomless pit.
One thing that I couldn't really capture was the sheer immensity of the cave. In all directions, floor to ceiling and wall to wall. The vastness was dizzying, and played tricks on the eyes. What would look like a "big" rock, would turn out to be three times the height of a man. When it's set in the middle of a such a gigantic room, it's difficult to tell. 75 stories underground. I tried to take a picture that might offer some perspective... I circled a couple of people that stood against the light in the distance.
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