Calling all amateur spelunkers! While there’s plenty of gorgeous Guadalupe Mountain scenery surrounding Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, the biggest attraction is way underground. The Carlsbad Caverns are the most extensive cave system in North America.
The movement of mineral-rich water over millions of years has carved caves that gleam with gypsum (a type of crystal) and feature sculptural formations called stalactites and stalagmites that create an eerie, underground "forest."
Stand in awe inside the Big Room, the largest single-cave chamber in North America, and the Hall of the White Giant, an enormous white stalagmite rising from the cave floor. The entrance fee includes access to explore the majority of Carlsbad Cavern on your own; ride the elevator down or hike all the way. But be dressed to get dirty — some of the cave explorations require crawling through narrow passages!
