Sovna NaikCarlsbad Caverns National Park is, without a doubt one of the most mesmerizing marvels of nature. The park houses more than 119 caves which age back more than 20 million years. They are formed when the petroleum deposits under the Guadalupe mountains reacted with groundwater to form sulphuric acid which later created hollow spaces under the ground. And, eventually there started the filling of stalagmites and stalactites which still grows.
We had planned the trips with our friends in the month of February. By looking at the close proximity of both the national parks we decided to visit both of them in a single day. We started our trip quite early from El Paso, Texas directly to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. And, we had already took the reservation online, to select the entry time.
After we reached the national park we went to the visitor center and inquired about things to do around the time we had planned to spend inside the park, along with things to keep in mind when inside the park, etc.
Later, we took the Natural Entrance Trail to hike down through the Amphitheater to go inside the caves. Around mid May to October, hundreds of thousands of bats rush out from inside the caverns about approximately half an hour before sunset. So, if you are around the timing it can be a good sight to see Bat Flight from the amphitheater.
Once we passed the amphitheater we reached the fantasy path to the caves. The twists and turns looked so beautiful and takes all the way down. The paths are very well paved and the directions are properly marked. It was too cold outside during the time of our visit but the temperature inside seems to be consistent especially in the Big Room.
As we walked deeper and deeper the natural light totally vanished and we got to see few formations with the lights focussed on an angle which made those formations look even better. And once we entered the Big Room, I could not realize the sight. Stalactites, Stalagmites and other formations looking like popcorn, cheese, flowers etc looked jaw-dropping.
Even thought there were many visitors around but the silence, cold, calmness and darkness took us to a whole different world. Some of the formations were huge and sharp. I was totally astounded by looking at some the formations and the symmetry they have had.
After spending some time walking around the Big Room we made our way out by the elevator which is approximately 750 feet below the surface. We strolled around the restaurant and gift shop in the visitor center and finally made our way to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Since, we had spend almost all our afternoon inside the caves(which we didnot anticipate), it was difficult to makeup our mind with what we just saw but it really felt complete.
We didnot have much time to spend in the Guadalupe Mountain National park, so we directly went to the visitor center and finally decided to stroll around and go for a small hike which started from the visitor center itself. The national park houses the Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. It offers a rugged terrain. We did see the El Capitan while driving to the national park which looks similar to the one in Yosemite hence, the same name.
That is all about our time in both the national parks and finally we made our way back to El Paso in the evening. I would highly recommend to visit both of them if you are around or infact include White Sands National Park as well in your Itinerary if time permits.
