We’ve officially started our annual summer road trip to Utah! To break up the long drive, we made our first stop in Carlsbad, New Mexico—and it did not disappoint.
On our first night, we headed to Carlsbad Caverns National Park just in time to see one of nature’s coolest shows: the bat flight! Every evening during the summer, thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats spiral out of the cave entrance and into the desert sky in search of dinner. Watching them stream out at sunset was unreal and amazing to watch! Definitely a cool experience watching them come out of a cave vs the bridge in Austin.
You’re not allowed to have your phone during the bat fight and definitely not allowed to take pictures due to disturbing the bats, so these next couple pictures are from Google but I found pictures that most closely resembled the night.
The bats first fly out of the cave in like a swirl (tornado pattern) and then they fly into a stream.
Look how awesome this stream is!
The next morning, we went back to explore the caverns from the inside. Carlsbad Caverns is home to over 119 known caves formed by sulfuric acid dissolving the surrounding limestone. The main chamber, known as the Big Room, is one of the largest underground chambers in North America—bigger than six football fields! We walked the 2 -mile trail to take in all the incredible rock formations: stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and draperies.
The entrance trail winds you deep into the earth, and right away, you’re hit with that strong, funky smell of bat guano, but once we got deeper into the cave, the air cleared and the smell totally disappeared.
Also a surprise are cave swallows! These little birds fly in and out of the cave entrance during the day, before the bats who fly out in the evening. The swallows nest in the upper walls of the entrance.
The entrance of the cave from the inside. It was so pretty!
The walk into the caverns is like stepping into another world. Cool air, total darkness (except for the pathway lights), and massive rooms filled with jaw-dropping formations—stalactites hanging like icicles and towering stalagmites that looked like melted candles. The Big Room was especially amazing.
We followed the lit trail for a couple of miles, taking in all the incredible rock formations along the way. And in case you’re wondering, no we did not see the bats inside. Their home of the cave is a little farther to the left of the trail so as not to be disturbed.
I have to say—Carlsbad was far more impressive than Timpanogos. It’s bigger and has been better preserved (less damage to the rocks), and the hike down into the cave was a whole lot easier than hiking up into one!
The Big Room! You do a mile loop around the room to see all the different formations.
Logan reading a sign that basically says: “All of this was caused by one little drip.”
This was my favorite: mirror lake
The sign is backwards so you have to look in the lake to read it. The cave water is so clear!
An old ladder left from 1924 exploration of the caves.
It’s wild to think of those who first explored this massive underground world! Native Americans knew of the caves for centuries, but it wasn’t officially explored until the late 1800s. A teenage cowboy named Jim White is credited with discovering their true size when he saw a mysterious cloud of bats and followed them to the cave entrance. He explored the caverns with just a lantern and some homemade rope ladders (nope, not for us!). He then turned his findings into a profit by farming bat guano to be used for gun powder.
This stop was the perfect way to kick off our trip—Next stop: Lake Powell! 🏜️✨
