Carlsbad Caverns Pictures

Above you can see the natural entrance to Carlsbad Caverns. The night before we watched hundreds of thousands of bats swirl out of this opening in the desert like a tornado!

In a series of S turns and steep ramps you descend 750 feet below the surface to see some of the most breathtaking geological formations imaginable lit with disney-quality lighting. You are permitted to take as many pictures as you want, but I found it nearly impossible to get a good shot underground, but no biggie since the bookstore has very affordable photos, postcards, and books.

You can see some examples of the pictures I wanted to take but couldn't get to come out Here.


Here's my (freshly 6 year-old) Scote. The blue folder behind his back is his junior ranger booklet. If you've never been to a National Park, the junior ranger program is a small workbook that you buy for a dollar, the kids do activities in the park and have rangers sign off on the different tours and programs they attend. Once they are complete you return them to be checked and the kids are fussed over, sworn in, and given iron-on badges and an announcement over the loudspeaker.


Here they are with their badges. They were so proud of being junior rangers they wanted to donate the rest of their spending money to help the park. I told them that any money we spend in the park helps the park, so it was okay to buy something they liked instead. They still put their loose change in a collection box, though.

It was a great trip!

~EH