Carlsbad Caverns

The path leading to the natural entrance to the cave. There is however an elevator for those so inclined.

The Amphitheater at the entrance. During the summer months, evening programs are held to watch the bats exit the cave. This process takes up to two hours.

The walk down is about 1.2 miles and descends about 850 feet.

And so our journey begins

Early on you begin to see a glimpse of what's in store for you.

The path is paved the entire way.

The "Witche's Finger"

Looks like molten gold.

Still on the trail down.

I was setting up to take this picture when a group of 55 people and two rangers passed me on their way to the King's Palace. The grey rocks in the middle of this picture is the path Jim White, the cave's discoverer, took to get to the main chamber. Thankfully we take the walkway to the right.

The first sight of "The Big Room". This cavern is the size of three football fields.

One of the many tunnels off the Big Room.

The Big Room

Twin Domes on the right

Hall of Giants

Giant Dome

Giant Dome and Twin Domes from behind

The Big Room

The walkway through the Big Room is in a "figure 8" configuration which takes about and hour and a half to navigate.

The Totem Pole

The ceiling of the Big Room

These stalactites and stalagmites grow at the rate of one inch in 150 years.

The Big Room.

The placard at the bottom is for the self paced audio tour. You basically punch that number into your audio set.

Painted Grotto

The opening of the Big Room near the entrance to the snack area.

Next to the snack bar

After lunch I took a guided tour of the Kings Palace, a complex below the walkway into the cave, consisting of three large chambers.

The Kings Chamber

The Papoose Room

The Queen's Chamber

We came upon this crystal clear pool of water as we were leaving the Queen's Chamber

The road to the visitor center. You wouldn't expect to find a cave of this size in this terrain.