Flying to Carlsbad Caverns

I have a couple questions about flying to the caverns..

1) How long should you stay? Can you see much in one day? Would you
get bored after 1/2 a day?
2) Do you need to rent a car or is transportation available?

I'm going to be in NM (Albquerque actually) to visit family. I was
thinking of taking off for a day or two and taking my boys (8 and 9 )
to the caverns.

-Robert

(Robert M. Gary) wrote in
om:

I have a couple questions about flying to the caverns..

1) How long should you stay? Can you see much in one day? Would you
get bored after 1/2 a day?
2) Do you need to rent a car or is transportation available?

I'm going to be in NM (Albquerque actually) to visit family. I was
thinking of taking off for a day or two and taking my boys (8 and 9 )
to the caverns.

-Robert


The closest airport to the caverns is CNM. It is about 30 miles from
Whites City, where the caverns are. I think there used to be an airport
in Whites City long time ago but it is closed. I rented from enterprise
rent a car at the airport, but they were not cheap and they were closed
on weekends. If I remember correctly, the rental agent was actually in
the city and came to pick us up. It is not terribly convenient, but if
you can travel on a weekday you should be fine.

You can easily spend a day there. If you stay until dusk, you can view
the bats fly out of the caves, which is an awesome sight.

1) How long should you stay? Can you see much in one day? Would you
get bored after 1/2 a day?
2) Do you need to rent a car or is transportation available?

We flew there in 2002 with our kids, on the way home from the Grand Canyon.

I think a full day at the caverns is just about right. It's a huge place,
with an amazing array of things to see. And you absolutely, positively MUST
stay for the evening "show" -- over 1,000,000 bats flying out of the cave,
en route to their feeding areas some 15 miles away.

I had missed that when I went to the caverns with my parents, some 35 years
ago, and it is easily the most impressive thing to see at the caves.

Rent a car -- you'll need to get around to restaurants, etc. The area is
pretty sparse, and I don't think taking cabs is feasible.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Yes....

Spend ALL day touring the cave....or at least a half day

DONT take the elevators down.....walk in/down the natural entrance... very
impressive....listen to the beautiful sounds of the cave swallows at the
entrance..

TAKE your time walking down the trail, stop, look around/up etc and notice how
BIG things are and how much you can see when you really look....

DONT eat in the underground lunch room... the food is expensive and
bad....unless you just wanna say you did it....the eating place at the main
building is much better...and its a handy place to have breakfeast, lunch, and
dinner when your trying to do alot in one day...and IIRC the prices were pretty
darn reasonable....

Food/snacks/drinks are NOT allowed on the cave trail...so get a good breakfast
in you and the kids before you start...

The cave itself is pretty cool/cold (50ish? and a hundred percent humidity)
even though it may be 90 plus outside,... so take some warm
jackets/sweaters....cold hungry whinny kids can suck the fun outa justa about
anything ....

You can take the elevators up and out when your ready to leave....or if your
really adventurous you can walk back up/out the natural entrance or you could
enter by elevator and then walk up and out.... but remember you'll be changing
elevation by a 1000 feet or so....

Also ask the rangers about the "Lint Pickers", you will be surprised and
informed about the answer....and when your in the "Big Room"...ask a ranger to
point out the rope that leads to the "Spirit World" and ask em how they got the
rope up there.....then think about climbing that rope!

White City is at the base of the mountain/park....so allow probably another 20
minutes or so of driving to get from there to the actual cave...slow, curvy
road with lots of critters and brain damaged tourists...so be careful!

Carlsbad also offers "wild caving"

One type is where a ranger takes you to parts of Carlsbad that are generally
off limits and off trail....pretty cool and pretty easy generally...

They also offer lead trips into another cave in the park near the main
cave...its called Spider cave....and you get to do some REAL caving
there....crawling, squeezing, going through mazy areas...but it isnt too
tough....but I'd ask em if they thought the kids could handle it...

Then, they offer a guided tour of a big cave way south of the park, but still
on park land....its called "New Cave" (the old name) and now I think its
refered to as Slaughter Canyon Cave....though its a "wild cave" tour.....it is
VERY easy...you just basically walk around in this very big and pretty
cave....kinda like walking around in Carlsbad..except with your own
lights...dont let the Klansman get ya!

If you do the last one make sure you allow enough time for driving and
hiking....IIRC it takes about an hour to drive to Slaughter Canyon, then
another hour to hike up to the cave entrance.....and IIRC the time the tour
starts is the time they EXPECT you to be at the entrance of the cave .....and
remember in the desert you almost cant carry or drink too much water.....

And I think they may supply the equipment you need for some/all of the wild
tours...besides good shoes/boots, food/water, and a change of clothes...and you
generally have to have reservations for these wild tours, though you might be
lucky and find empty slots....and again I recall the prices being pretty
reasonable for them....

And yes, definitely stay for the bats! And dont leave the minute you see a few
like most people...it generally takes a good while for the bats to get REALLY
flowing....also ask if the bats are there yet/still....they migrate to mexico
for the winter/summer? And the "bat talk" by the rangers is usually pretty good
and worth listening to for awhile you wait for the cute little fellas...

If you only have one day....you might be able to fit in a decent tour of
carlsbad, one of the wild caving trips, and the evening bats too.....you'll
just have plan out everything well...ask about all the opening/closing times
and driving distances/times for stuff....

Im sure they have website....search it for the info (and more) that Ive
discussed here...

And if you actaully want to spend a couple days in the area I can point out
some other stuff you could do in the area that are pretty cool and could easily
eat up another day or 2....

take care

Blll "former lint picker" Fshh

DONT eat in the underground lunch room... the food is expensive and
bad....unless you just wanna say you did it

Agreed, the food is mediocre and the prices are high -- BUT, to be able to
say that you ate in a cavern/cafeteria -- and a politically incorrect one at
that -- is worth it, IMHO.

I remember eating there as a boy with my parents, and being in absolute awe
of the experience. Fast forward 35 years, and I had my own kids down
there -- and they were equally awed. It's just a very weird feeling.

The amazing thing is, it looks EXACTLY the way I remembered it, right down
to the tables. I guess it's pretty expensive to remodel such an
inaccessible room -- but I sure didn't expect it to be totally unchanged
three decades later!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

As Blll elaborated below, the big cave can be explored by oneself. All
other tours can only be made by guide with reservation. Depending on
time of season some of these tours have to be booked well in advance.
But if you are lucky you can book the special tours on the same day.

The King's Palace tour is easy and nice with many stalagmites and
stalagtites (as everywhere anyway).

The lower cave is fun. You see some part of the lower cave from the big
cave. There is also a squeaze through section which you can avoid if you
don't want to. Otherwise the lower cave as similar grande dimensions as
the big cave.

King's Palace, lower cave and I think the white giant (which I haven't
made yet and which seems to be more difficult) are all accessible from
the big cave (with guide).

Spider cave is a different cave nearby. As Blll mentioned, you will
crawl through many narrow tunnels. And at least with my physiology ;*)
this meant both belly and butt touches rock. Test it out in the lower
cave if you could. handle it

Cvaeat, if you wnat to do some other tours in excess of the big cave,
plan ahead and spend more than one day there.

Chris
PP-ASEL
Glider Pilot
New Mexico

BllFs6 wrote:
Yes....

Spend ALL day touring the cave....or at least a half day

DONT take the elevators down.....walk in/down the natural entrance... very
impressive....listen to the beautiful sounds of the cave swallows at the
entrance..

TAKE your time walking down the trail, stop, look around/up etc and notice how
BIG things are and how much you can see when you really look....

DONT eat in the underground lunch room... the food is expensive and
bad....unless you just wanna say you did it....the eating place at the main
building is much better...and its a handy place to have breakfeast, lunch, and
dinner when your trying to do alot in one day...and IIRC the prices were pretty
darn reasonable....

Food/snacks/drinks are NOT allowed on the cave trail...so get a good breakfast
in you and the kids before you start...

The cave itself is pretty cool/cold (50ish? and a hundred percent humidity)
even though it may be 90 plus outside,... so take some warm
jackets/sweaters....cold hungry whinny kids can suck the fun outa justa about
anything ....

You can take the elevators up and out when your ready to leave....or if your
really adventurous you can walk back up/out the natural entrance or you could
enter by elevator and then walk up and out.... but remember you'll be changing
elevation by a 1000 feet or so....

Also ask the rangers about the "Lint Pickers", you will be surprised and
informed about the answer....and when your in the "Big Room"...ask a ranger to
point out the rope that leads to the "Spirit World" and ask em how they got the
rope up there.....then think about climbing that rope!

White City is at the base of the mountain/park....so allow probably another 20
minutes or so of driving to get from there to the actual cave...slow, curvy
road with lots of critters and brain damaged tourists...so be careful!

Carlsbad also offers "wild caving"

One type is where a ranger takes you to parts of Carlsbad that are generally
off limits and off trail....pretty cool and pretty easy generally...

They also offer lead trips into another cave in the park near the main
cave...its called Spider cave....and you get to do some REAL caving
there....crawling, squeezing, going through mazy areas...but it isnt too
tough....but I'd ask em if they thought the kids could handle it...

Then, they offer a guided tour of a big cave way south of the park, but still
on park land....its called "New Cave" (the old name) and now I think its
refered to as Slaughter Canyon Cave....though its a "wild cave" tour.....it is
VERY easy...you just basically walk around in this very big and pretty
cave....kinda like walking around in Carlsbad..except with your own
lights...dont let the Klansman get ya!

If you do the last one make sure you allow enough time for driving and
hiking....IIRC it takes about an hour to drive to Slaughter Canyon, then
another hour to hike up to the cave entrance.....and IIRC the time the tour
starts is the time they EXPECT you to be at the entrance of the cave .....and
remember in the desert you almost cant carry or drink too much water.....

And I think they may supply the equipment you need for some/all of the wild
tours...besides good shoes/boots, food/water, and a change of clothes...and you
generally have to have reservations for these wild tours, though you might be
lucky and find empty slots....and again I recall the prices being pretty
reasonable for them....

And yes, definitely stay for the bats! And dont leave the minute you see a few
like most people...it generally takes a good while for the bats to get REALLY
flowing....also ask if the bats are there yet/still....they migrate to mexico
for the winter/summer? And the "bat talk" by the rangers is usually pretty good
and worth listening to for awhile you wait for the cute little fellas...

If you only have one day....you might be able to fit in a decent tour of
carlsbad, one of the wild caving trips, and the evening bats too.....you'll
just have plan out everything well...ask about all the opening/closing times
and driving distances/times for stuff....

Im sure they have website....search it for the info (and more) that Ive
discussed here...

And if you actaully want to spend a couple days in the area I can point out
some other stuff you could do in the area that are pretty cool and could easily
eat up another day or 2....

take care

Blll "former lint picker" Fshh

where is this place at - NM ?


Jay Honeck wrote:

1) How long should you stay? Can you see much in one day? Would you
get bored after 1/2 a day?
2) Do you need to rent a car or is transportation available?

We flew there in 2002 with our kids, on the way home from the Grand Canyon.

I think a full day at the caverns is just about right. It's a huge place,
with an amazing array of things to see. And you absolutely, positively MUST
stay for the evening "show" -- over 1,000,000 bats flying out of the cave,
en route to their feeding areas some 15 miles away.

I had missed that when I went to the caverns with my parents, some 35 years
ago, and it is easily the most impressive thing to see at the caves.

Rent a car -- you'll need to get around to restaurants, etc. The area is
pretty sparse, and I don't think taking cabs is feasible.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jeff" wrote in message
...
where is this place at - NM ?


Yup, south central, out there where the map is basically empty.

John

J.M. Farrington wrote:
"Jeff" wrote in message
...

where is this place at - NM ?



Yup, south central, out there where the map is basically empty.

John


Well, that doesn't say mauch. With this respect NM consists of 99% empty
space. The rest is green chilli ;*)

Chris
PP-ASEL
Glider Pilot
New Mexico

I am from las vegas, everything around here (Nv, Az, NM) is empty space


Chris wrote:

J.M. Farrington wrote:
"Jeff" wrote in message
...

where is this place at - NM ?



Yup, south central, out there where the map is basically empty.

John


Well, that doesn't say mauch. With this respect NM consists of 99% empty
space. The rest is green chilli ;*)

Chris
PP-ASEL
Glider Pilot
New Mexico