You would never know that beneath the surface of the Chihuahuan Desert and Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico and west Texas there was a series of over 300 underground caves!
The stalagmites and stalactites were formed about 500,000 years after much of the caverns had been formed. They were formed by water dripping down the cave absorbing carbon dioxide gas and the mineral calactite. It finally formed a crystal of calactite.
This formation is called Whales Mouth and is located near the Natural Entrance.
Near the Natural Entrance is this huge amphitheatre where crowds gather to watch the flight of hundreds of thousands Mexican-freetailed bats that form a cloud in the sky.
Visitors can either use the natural entrance, a tiring 750 foot descent, or the elevator to enter the caves.
(above: formation called Witch's Finger)
The temperature in the caves is about 56 degrees Fahrenheit.
The "Big Room" is a natural limestone chamber that is almost 4,000 feet long, 625 feet wide, and 350 feet high at the highest point. This cave chamber holds the record for the second largest cave in the world.
Activities include:
- Many exciting cave tours
- Hiking and back country camping
- Attending programs in the visitor's center
Watching the thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats in the summer
