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Cave Hike Travel

Caverns at Carlsbad, Again

Guadalupe Mountains
Guadalupe Mountains National Park is next door to Carlsbad Caverns. I’ve hiked there before and wanted to hike there again but time did not allow it. Instead, I visited with Rangers and planned a future trip which will include a hike to the summit, Texas’ highest point.

Want to have one of the world’s great caves to yourself? Visit at 8:30 AM on a Sunday and it’s yours. While I was not the first to arrive at Carlsbad Caverns National Monument, I was the first to descend by foot.

The Natural Entrance Trail is 1.5 miles long and takes you 750 feet below ground. It’s a walk I’ve done before and was glad to do it again. To experience the transition from a sunny day through the twilight zone into total darkness is memorable. Doing it alone makes it almost spiritual.

This visit I was not going to explore the bottom as I usually do. I already have hundreds of pictures from this area and, while I LOVE the freedom to roam provided at this park, I wanted to do something different. I wanted to see a cavern I hadn’t seen before. I wanted a tour of a restricted area. 

I took the King’s Palace guided tour of a very special area that is available only with a supervising guide. Due to the area’s sensitivity and susceptibility to vandalism they’ve blocked off this area as of the 1980s. The section of the cave network which is inordinately ornate and delicate. The guide was a 15 year veteran volunteer and she was exceptional. We were all surprised and impressed when she told us that our tour was the first time she’d ever taken a group through the King’s Palace.

When the tour finished it was time to leave and I had a choice: take the elevator or walk. Since I’d never walked up before I decided to do that, after getting permission. It seems they don’t normally allow people to hike up the Natural Entrance Trail but for some reason the Ranger agreed. At a steady pace it’s a manageable walk; it’s no different from climbing a 75 story building. However, the number of comments I received from people coming down was remarkable. Seems they mostly considered me a bit nutty. Maybe …

Before I knew it I emerged into the sunshine, hours later than planned.

Carlsbad Caverns exerts an inordinate draw upon me and once she has me in her clutches she keeps me longer than I ever intend. Every time. I had hoped to hike in the Guadalupe Mountains, visit Old Town El Paso, and tour some museums in Las Cruces. No, all I could do now was hightail it for Arizona.

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By TravisGood

Speaker. Maker. Writer. Traveler. Father. Husband.

MakerCon Co-Chair (MakerCon.com)
Maker City San Diego Roundtable Member
San Diego Maker Faire Producer (SDMakerFaire.org)

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