As you enter Carlsbad Caverns the sheer enormity is a bit overwhelming, but it’s hard to really grasp what’s you’re up for until you notice the walkway switchbacks going down, down, down….

Then as you pass out of the range of sunlight, you realize that it is still going down….

Oof.

Due to COVID restrictions, there are no guided tours, but they do have an excellent audio tour that guides you through fifty stops along the way. There was so much great info shared — it was completely worth the few dollars it cost and answered pretty much every question in my head. Naturally, we learned about stalagmites and stalactites, but tons of other bits of info as well. We took our and strolled around for more than four hours, a thousand feet underground.

Theres an easy path to follow which meanders around with a few areas that you walk under the stalactites. There’s nothing like looking up to see this to make you really hope that they’re right about the lack of earthquakes.

It’s a long way down on the hike, but if you prefer, there’s also an elevator that takes you down to a little place to grab a snack, some water and a potty break.

Which we did. Seriously, if you get the chance to go to Carlsbad Caverns, do it!