A Hiking Trip To New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns National Park

Viewed from the outside the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico are anything but impressive and consist of a few gray rock formations and a bit of scrub brush covering a less than impressive cliff. But, inside this is one of the most wondrous landscapes anywhere on Earth and, with more than 100 limestone caves for you to explore, you could wander here for years without ever seeing the cave thing twice.

The Bat Cave is not for the feint hearted and is home to of many thousands of these flying mammals. The Bifrost Room is breathtaking and, named after the Bifrost bridge into Valhalla from a Scandinavian myth, the colors truly echo those of the rainbow spectrum of this mythical crossing. The largest open chamber in the system is The Hall of Giants which covers a staggering 360,000 square feet. Within all of these, and the many other rooms, you will discover some of Mother Nature's most creative work.

A giant stalagmite – The Witch's Finger – is a corkscrew formation that is more than five times the height of the average person and the Rock of Ages is even more impressive as it makes stationary rock appear to move and the multitude of outcroppings of flowstone look like a demon's lair glowing from within.

Within the caverns you can choose self guided or staff guided tours which vary in their degree of difficulty from simple walks through large open spaces to tackling ten foot high walls and crawling through narrow openings into large chambers.

One particular takes you through a section of Lechuguilla Cave which, at over 1,600 feet below ground, is the deepest cave in America. This cave covers a total of more than 112 miles winding through the Guadalupe Mountains.

If you are not quite so active then you can travel to the Big Room by elevator which descends 900 feet and look up to be awestruck by this 25 story high open space. You can then walk around this 1,800 foot by 250 foot room that is filled with astonishing rock formations. Also take the time to visit the Temple of the Sun and see the dozens of eerily lit underground pools.

If you do want to see the bats however you will need to visit between the months of April and September as the 300,000 Mexican free tailed bats who live here fly south for the winter. A half mile hike from the entrance leads to a plateau from where you can descend the 750 feet into the Bat Cave.

And do not forget to pop on your favorite pair of waterproof hiking boots and take a look at the area around the caves as there are a number of fascinating things to both see and do. Despite its name, hiking along Rattlesnake Springs you are much more likely to come across dozens of harmless reptiles and birds than you are to encounter the dangerous snakes which give this place its name.

Another favorite with visitors to the area is the 10 mile scenic drive through Walnut Canyon. This drive travels along Guadalupe Ridge and the views are quite simply spectacular.

Of course the Carlsbad Caverns are merely one of the splendid hiking areas in the United States and rank alongside such other great pleasures as Yosemite day hikes.