Imagine a quarter million or more bats swirling tornado-like from a gaping maw, out of the earth…
Meanwhile…. RVoyager dry docked at White City RV Park.
- $24 to dry dock Pricey
- Dirt and grass parking with ruts.
- Broken glass in places
- Sites with Full hook-up are nice
You will have to imagine the blackish whirlwind scene, because we did not take photos as instructed by the Park Service Staff. Remain silent and in awe, because clicks and clacks could disturb the bats.
If you go, you won’t need any photos or videos, either, because you will never forget this twilight flight of mammals en masse.
Beyond the bat cave, we marveled at the Carlsbad descent of 80 stories. The trail from the natural entrance drops deeper than the Empire State Building stands.
We got permission from the businesses at the main road in Whites City to park RVoyager in front of the hotel and detached Delta Flyer.
After a fairly bland but gradually ascending drive of dry desert scenery, we stopped to admire the blooming of the prickly pear and several other scrub brushes such as Mariola on a short overlook trail off a pullout.
We chose the Natural entrance to descend the caverns. The walk in offered several spring blooms and many fact-filled signs.
For this hike, we recommend
- in spring or summer, bring warmer clothing layer on in the caverns
- wear sturdy, slip proof hiking shoes
- camera with ability to turn off flash
- water but no food
Path to the natural entrance. 
Desert flora, ocotillo 
American Indians knew of this entrance and left behind artifacts. In 1898 Jim White is credited as first anglo to explore the caverns. 
Switchbacks 
Last direct light. 
Bats only. Mexican free-tailed hanging back there. 
The very last light trickles. 
Copper contamination thrives nearer to the surface. 
Not a spring and easily contaminated by food for that coppery green. 
Stalactites and stalagmites. 
Curtains 
The whale ate the apostrophe. 
Formations like clouds inspire us to imagine. Lion? Bulldog? 
Different minerals drip into different shades. 
Down one Empire State Building. Elevator and lunchroom ahead. This segment: 1.25 miles. 
Seeps of calcium bicarbonate when exposed to air release carbon dioxide and deposit calcite. Drip-hollowed stalactites are “soda straws.” 
Broccoli? Ceiling popcorn? 
Into Hall of the Giants with formations of 40-60 feet. 
A curtain’s fabric close up. 
AJ dressed for 56 degrees 
ekaL rorriM 
Bottomless up to 140 feet 
Pretend it’s bottomless and lean over 
Wonders along the Big Room trail. 
A shiny, wet, live formation. 
Crystal Spring Dome 
Bill at what must lead to spelunker paradise. 
Some of the rooms soar over 250 feet high
Food is available in the Underground Lunchroom about 750 below, after maybe an hour’s hike. We bought sandwiches that might not have been much to love on a typical day anywhere else, but after the long descent, tasted miraculous.
Souvenirs and restrooms also are available in this area.
From there, you may return to the Visitor’s Center by elevator.
For a less strenuous walk or to save time, some choose to ride down in the elevator and only explore the Big Room, probably the most gorgeous section of the cave, about a mile walk. We added this marvelous mile. Everything IS bigger and like a lot of caves offers the cliche’ “Bottomless Pit,” too.
We rode the elevator up to the Visitor Center, rather than return 80 stories to the natural entrance.
We still had a couple hours before dusk and the bat flight, so we drove the Walnut Canyon Desert Drive, a scenic loop of a little less than 10 miles.
We stopped for a snack at an overlook of the Guadalupe mountains.
As we looped back toward the Visitor Center and bat flight parking area, we saw a herd of deer and a big horn sheep. The moon was bright in the sky, too.
The bat flight highlights the entire experience.
We learned a lot about bats while we waited for the flight to happen. We saw about a quarter million swirl out of the cave and away for insect dining. Their exit took about 45 minutes. As summer progresses, a million or more will make home in the caverns and entertain summer visitors with even longer exodus.
The best word to describe the bats flight is TORNADO. The sound is swoo swoo like the whirring of a powerful exhaust fan.
After that thrilling experience, we returned exhausted to RVoyager. We paid about $24 to pull into the Whites City RV park and dry dock.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad, NM
575-785-2232
Official Park Website
RVoyager 
Spectacular photos! Carlsbad Caverns — wow!!
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