Confession, I’m a fan of cave tours. There’s something about the underground world that makes me feel like I’m an entire planet away from home. Carlsbad Caverns left me feeling I was an entire galaxy away.
The sheer size of the self-guided tour exceeded anything I’d ever experienced. The high ceiling of the Big Room and the field of upright stalagmites on the floor looked more like an auditorium filled with people than a damp cave. In fact, the elevator ride down was the most claustrophobic part of the visit… and that was just a regular elevator ride. Well, any elevator ride that takes you 750 feet below the surface.
The walkways in the cavern rolled around corner after corner. Each bend revealed a new formation, a new “room,” something different. Although the paths covered only a fraction of the cave, the route was extensive and just kept going and going, and the spaces were high and wide — something I did not expect, and the volume and quality of formations outdid the sum of all the caves I’ve visited in my life.
As amazing as the cavern was, my mom impressed more. She walked the entire mile-and-a-half route… quite an achievement for a woman with two new knees and two new hips. It also speaks well to the paths in the cave… only a few spots were steep, and they were only on the extended section route.
They say it takes 1 to 1.5 hours for the regular tour. It took us about 2 with the bionic hips and knees and frequent stops.
When we finished, I honestly wanted to go back and walk the route again… I liked it that much!
From Cyndee:
If you liked that you MUST make a trip to Mammouth State Park in KY. The thought to be largest cave in the world. It is truly awesome!