BOU AVENUE
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
On 29 December 2022, Zosia Zgolak and I visited New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns National Park.  While this was Zosia's first visit, I had already toured the caverns in 2011.  The biggest difference this time was the requirement to pre-book an entrance time through recreation.gov.  When we arrived at the visitor centre that morning to check-in, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there were still some openings available for the ranger-guided King's Palace Tour.  I immediately purchased a couple of spots ($8 USD per adult; same as in 2011), and we subsequently headed outside to the Natural Entrance.  Just as before, a park ranger briefed everyone about regulations and proper visitor etiquette before allowing us to proceed into the caverns.  Over a decade later, the grandeur of Carlsbad Caverns has not diminished, and I was just as impressed this time as I was in 2011.  Walking at a leisurely pace, Zosia and I had more than plenty of time to descend from the Natural Entrance and tour the Big Room in its entirety before joining the guided tour.  Overall, we were underground for about 4.5 hours before exiting the caverns in the convenient elevator.

Back on the surface, Zosia and I enjoyed a nice lunch in the visitor centre's cafeteria before going for a short walk to check out an alternate cave entrance that was originally used in the harvesting of bat guano.  Although this entrance is permanently closed to the public, a distinct odor still emanates from its depths.  After retrieving our car from the visitor centre, we made one more stop at Walnut Canyon Overlook before driving out of the park to wrap up our visit.
Steve Wallis would probably "hunker down" and camp behind this sign!

This is Zosia's first time visiting Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Blue jeans?

Zosia looks like she is prepared for some serious spelunking.
Journey to the Center of the Earth? Sonny descends into the Natural Entrance.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
Highway to Hell?

The metal railings provide some perspective of how far the pathway descends.
Still as stunning as the first time I was here! Interesting features abound well before the pathway bottoms out.
All hanging like the Sword of Damocles!

Numerous impressive stalactites hang from the cavern ceiling.
Hall of Thick Phalluses?

The Hall of Giants features enormous stalagmites such as Twin Domes (two left of centre) and Giant Dome (right of centre).
The Big Room is...well...big!

The Big Room is the main attraction of Carlsbad Caverns.

Still shining bright!

Here is a closer look at the Chandelier in the Big Room.

 

Yeesh, which rungs AREN'T broken?? This is supposedly one of the original rickety ladders used to explore the caves.
Looks very Alien-esque! This is one of the more impressive formations in the Big Room.
We were lucky to get a spot on this tour. The King's Palace is only accessible via a ranger-guided tour.
Riveting stuff! In the Queen's Chamber, Zosia listens to the fascinating information provided by the park ranger.

It wasn't mentioned on this tour, but I seem to recall from my first tour that the green colour may have come from copper pennies thrown into the pool by early visitors.

This is the Green Lake.

 

What's that smell? This separate cave entrance east of the visitor centre was once used to harvest bat guano but is now permanently closed to the public.

Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
With no bats at this time of year, we'll have to settle for a "little green man"! Sonny and Zosia (and their other-worldly friend) wrap up their day at Carlsbad Caverns National Park with a short walk to Walnut Canyon Overlook.