New Mexico is Home to Some of the Most Stunning Caves in the World

Anyone ever been to Carlsbad Caverns?

Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southwestern New Mexico is a unique travel destination that is sure to add a fun and exciting twist to any American vacation. Underneath the rocky, rugged surface of the landscape lies a network of limestone caves, including the world-famous Lechuguilla Cave and the Big Room in the Carlsbad Caverns. When the site first opened to the public, the only way to enter the caves was by being lowered in a mining bucket, but now there are much safer and easier means. Visitors can use the stairs or take one of the elevators that have been installed, making it easy for anyone to experience the wonder of these caves firsthand.

Lechuguilla Cave is said to be the most decorated cavern in the world. No one thought much of Lechuguilla until the mid-1980s, as prior mining attempts turned up little more than shallow tunnels and dead ends. However, after reports of air coming from the rubble-covered floor of the cave, a group of explorers gained permission from the National Park Service and began to dig in 1984. Their efforts uncovered a number of large passageways big enough for people to comfortably traverse.

Since this first discovery, more than 120 miles of passageways have been mapped, making Lechuguilla the third-longest cave in the U.S., and the fifth-longest in the world. The Lechuguilla Cave reaches depths of 1,604 feet, earning it the title of deepest cave in America.

While the Lechuguilla Cave boasts the widest variety of cave formations, the Carlsbad Caverns boast the largest chamber in the park. The Big Room measures nearly 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide and 255 feet high at highest point. It is the third-largest cave in North America, and features a few noteworthy cave formations, such as the Bottomless Pit, which was thought to be endless because stones thrown in never made a sound. It's now known that the pit is about 140 feet deep, and a layer of loose soil at the bottom muffles the sound of anything thrown into it.

This extensive cave system is one of the few locations in the world where new speleothems, or limestone cave formations, are being created, so it is a hotspot for geological study. The Lechuguilla Cave, since it was uncovered so recently, is not yet open to the public, but travelers are more than welcome to explore the Carlsbad Caverns. The Big Room is the most popular, as visitors can walk the one-mile perimeter of the chamber. The self-guided tour takes about one and a half hours to complete, and gives visitors the chance to check out many of the unique formations in the cavern.

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