Suggestions for Carlsbad area please

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
Badlad and I will hopefully be visiting Carlsbad Caverns in Autumn as part of the 3D laser scanning project.

We plan to spend a few days in the area - any suggestions of places to visit much appreciated, thank you  (y)
 

rhychydwr1

Active member
Just woken up:

Taking the full tour of Carlsbad Cavern is a must. Do the full walk down the Natural Entrance and the full walk through the Big Room at a minimum. If you want still more caving, take the Lower Cave tour of they offer it to you. If you want some true caving, take the Hall of the White Giant tour as well. Depending on when you arrive, if they offer the Slaughter Canyon Cave tour and can survive the 750' climb to the entrance on a very hot day, take that guided tour as well. SCC is quite beautiful with very strange and beautiful formations, as well as remnants of the bat guano mining operations in there until the mid 50's.

Outside of caving, a visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park is also beautiful. It will likely be very hot (it was 115 F hot over this past week....) and so you may not want to hike anywhere. However, McKittrick Canyon is beautiful if you can survive the heat. GUadalupe Peak is also gorgeous, especially for sunset shots of the weather is clear. There is a location at the bottom of the long decline in elevation off the pass right across from the road turn off to Van Horn, Texas. Nice rocks slightly off road for great foreground contrast to the Peak.

In the city of Carlsbad, you should go to the Carlsbad Museum and Art Centre in the downtown area. It is the Centennial of the National Park Service and there is a great display of the history of both Parks I mentioned.

In the surrounding areas, up to four hours away, is White Sands National Monument west of Carlsbad. Quite unique and beautiful. A good way to reach there is to drive up to Roswell, head west in the centre of town towards Ruidoso. Ruidoso is a beautiful high desert mountain area with lots of shops and restaurants. You can drive down out of there towards Alamogordo to White Sands. Almost forgot The Living Desert park on the north end of Carlsbad city. AND you should at least see the National Cave and Karst Research Institute in the city of Carlsbad. If you know George Veni through UIS and ICS conventions, he is the Exec Director of it. Nice building with much growth potential.

More to follow when I find my notes.
 

rhychydwr1

Active member
You should visit Sitting Bull Falls.  Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area is an oasis hidden in the midst of the desert where a beautiful 150 foot waterfall pours over canyon walls. You will also find cabanas with picnic tables, charcoal grills, drinking water, toilets, and paths  through the canyon ending at the falls. There are 16 miles of canyon land paths for hiking, biking and horseback riding
 

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
Brilliant - thanks so much - tickets booked and having read your posts above, really looking forward to it now  (y)
 

mrodoc

Well-known member
We were  also recommended to visit Cottonwood Cave but there were issues with access and trips available. The Living Desert exhibition is worth a visit as Tony says.
 

Amy

New member
Stop over in Huntsville and hang out with me for some TAG caving is my suggestion. After all, out west there are no caves to speak of.  :ang:
 

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
Amy said:
Stop over in Huntsville and hang out with me for some TAG caving is my suggestion. After all, out west there are no caves to speak of.  :ang:

Hi Amy, maybe next time we'll stop over in TAG  ;)
 

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
Many thanks to every one who has posted here and sent me e-mails/messages with offers of help and advice - including from cavers across the pond, very kind  :)

Thanks also to Nick Williams who gave me two books when I saw him recently - Roadside Geology of Texas and New Mexico - thanks, Nick  (y) (y)

Geology here I come.....
 

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and offers for help for our recent trip to New Mexico & Carlsbad Caverns  (y)

Badlad and I had a great time and I would recommend a visit to the show cave to any caver - there's something surreal about exiting a lift, 750ft down and walking into a cave chamber complete with concession stand  :eek:

I would also highly recommend a 'road trip' around New Mexico - here are some of our highlights:

Roo Walters & Andy Eavis at the lift ready for an evening's scanning after the public have left for the day.  The whole team were made very welcome by the National Park staff, especially Rod Horrocks who accompanied us for hours and hours and hours....

wl


Must have been one heck of a lot of work to dig those shafts:

wl


This is what you see as you leave the lifts - hot food is no longer cooked underground, however you can buy drinks and sandwiches etc.  Some would like to remove the stands, however some believe they are now part of the cultural history of the showcave.  I was shocked to hear this was the case as they were over fifty - officially an 'antiquity' - I'm 51 next birthday, so am already an antiquity!  :cry:

wl


There's an extensive visitor center and souvenir shop - indeed am supping my tea from my new Carlsbad mug as I type  :coffee:  Saw many kids wearing the brightly coloured cavers - excellent, introduce them to caving young :)

wl
         
wl


The visitor center was informative, however needed a cut out of a female caver too!  Don't think that stal was real...

wl
     
wl


Yes, I know - rubbish shots - I blame Chunky for not coming with us!

wl
   
wl


Waiting for the bat flight...

wl


The 'Natural' way in - a long, very steep walk - on the last day the lifts were being serviced (Don't often have that as a problem for cave access!) so we had to walk in and out - glad I wasn't carrying the scanner or batteries  ;)

wl


A holiday snap  :)

wl




 

Pegasus

Administrator
Staff member
White Sands National Park - New Mexico - an astonishing place, dunes of white gypsum where ideas of 5 mile walks are soon quashed as the heat was brutal...

wl


wl


The Very Large Array - couldn't be more different from cave exploration...

wl
   

wl


Cabel Car up Scandia Peak - best one I've ever been on...

wl


Art in Sante Fe - some caving related art including chairs made of rocks ;)

wl
 
wl


Loooong straight roads - this one showing 'El Capitan' and the Guadalupe Mountains behind, within which are the caverns.

wl
 
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