Deep, Dark, and Bat-Tastic: My Descent into Carlsbad Caverns

If you’ve ever wanted to feel like you’re crawling into the Earth’s mouth, only to be rewarded with jaw-dropping beauty and a whole bunch of very dramatic bats, Carlsbad Caverns National Park is your kind of place.

Tucked away in southern New Mexico, this park isn’t about towering mountains or glittering lakes. It’s about what lies beneath — and spoiler alert: it’s basically nature’s version of a chandelier-filled palace. With wings.

🕳️ The Big Room… Is Big

Let’s start with the obvious: the cave is massive. Like, “how is this not one of the seven natural wonders of the world?” massive.

I chose to walk in through the natural entrance, which felt a little like descending into a villain’s lair — but with more handrails and fewer death threats. It winds down for over a mile, slowly revealing a world of limestone drapery, soda straws, stalagmites, and formations that make you go, “Wait, that’s not man-made?”

Eventually you reach The Big Room, which is the size of 14 football fields and somehow still cozy in that “Mother Earth is tucking you in with rocks” kind of way. It’s beautiful. Quiet. Humbling. Like walking through a stone cathedral carved by time itself.

🦇 Then Came the Bats

But let’s be honest — I came for the bats. I hate bats, PTSD from childhood I think.

From late spring through early fall, hundreds of thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats live in the caverns and take flight at sunset in one of the most dramatic nature shows I’ve ever seen. I grabbed a seat in the amphitheater outside the cave entrance, watched the sun dip behind the desert hills… and then the sky came alive.

Thousands of tiny wings fluttered out in spirals, like nature was unspooling thread made of shadows. No phones allowed (to protect the bats), but trust me — it was a full-body goosebumps moment.

They flew out in waves, heading off to hunt in the night like tiny furry superheroes. And we all just sat there, silently watching, collectively amazed. And maybe a little jealous we can’t fly. Unfortunately, they are VERY strict about recording of any kind, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

A Few Tips for Your Bat-venturous Journey:

Go for sunset (May–October) to catch the bat flight. Get there early — seats fill fast.
Bring a sweater — the caves stay around 56°F (13°C) year-round.
Walk in, take the elevator out (unless you’re a hero, but there was no way these legs were hiking back out).
No photos of the bats! Be a responsible visitor — it’s their show, not ours.
Don’t skip the Visitor Center — the exhibits are awesome and explain all the weird and wonderful cave formations.

Final Thoughts

Carlsbad Caverns is one of those places that reminds you how little you know about the world beneath your feet. It’s quiet, eerie, and full of wonder — like the Earth whispering her secrets if you just slow down and listen.

And when those bats take flight?
It’s a little spooky.
A lot magical.
And 100% worth the drive into the New Mexico desert.

~Kel