Carlsbad Caverns

Our family took a trip to Carlsbad Caverns back in the end of May (we are a bit behind on our blog posting!) The drive was a little over two hours long, and was pretty uneventful except for when we got pulled over for having our license plate in the front windshield instead of attached to the front of the van. The kids did very well, the babies napped and the big kids watched shows on our built in DVD player.

There was nothing between El Paso and Carlsbad Caverns except for the deserts of the wild west.

When we got there we unloaded the van and prepared for the hike around the caves. Andrew wanted  to help carry the babies, but ultimately that task fell upon mommy and daddy.

The parking lot and entrance to the cave was at the top of some hills/mountains. There were very nice vistas of the surrounding desert.

Inside the visitors center was a model of the caves. Seeing this got us excited for our journey below.

There was no line at all to take the elevators down to the caves, so we quickly made the 750 foot  descent and started our adventure. 

We got an electronic audio guide from the visitors center and listed to interesting facts about the caves at numbered stops around the path. 

It was amazing seeing all the different rock formations, drop offs, and pools of water throughout the cave

These pictures don't really do it justice, but the size of the caves was so amazing, it was so cool and interesting everywhere you looked.

The big kids had an absolute blast exploring the subterranean wonder land. Everyone is instructed to whisper while in the caves since the sound traveled so well, and the kids very obediently contained their excited voices to whispers the entire time.

The babies did so well during the trip, and we alternated which baby was in the baby back pack taking a nap, and which baby was snuggled up with mommy nursing while in the moby wrap.

We explored the caves listening to the audio guide for about two hours. Near the end of the path there was a good spot to sit down, rest our legs a little, and get a family picture taken!

We hurried through the last little bit of the cave though, we had been out and about for quite a while and knew it would take a while to get back to the surface, so we wanted to get going before the kids started to reach their limits and threw fits. 

By that time the line to take the one working elevator back up to the surface was so long it would have taken nearly an hour and a half to wait through. The signs said it would only take an hour to walk up through the path to the natural entrance of the cave, so we decided to hike out instead of wait for the elevator!

That ended up being a great idea. After sitting down and eating some snacks and explaining to the kids we had a lot more walking to do, we headed up the path to the entrance. Nearly everyone we passed said they were very impressed that we were braving the long walk up with so many little kids. Tyler had to carry Sylvia a few times, but for the most part the kids did an amazing job of walking all by themselves, and we made it back to the surface in 45 minutes - 15 minutes faster than Carlsbad Caverns thinks it would take an average person!

Part of the reason the kids were so motivated was because we told them there would be lots of bats up at the cave entrance. When we started to see daylight breaking through we saw lots of creatures flying around in the light, but it ended up just being small birds. The bats didn't come out until night I guess. The kids were a little disappointed, but we were still amazed overall at how well everyone did.

Andrew blazing the trail out of the caves. There was lots of bird and bat droppings on the path and the surrounding rocks. It didn't smell very good that's for sure.

We made it! It was a very nice day to be underground in a cave, but also above ground in the sun also.

These are some cool stone buildings near the entrance. We aren't sure if they are some sort of historical recreation or cool looking office space for the Carlsbad Caverns employees, but they sure looked cool and fit well into the surroundings environment. 

All the kids did so well the entire trip, but they were definitely ready to kick back, relax, and enjoy some shows and air conditioning on the drive back home. We were hoping to get a big lunch at a McDonalds or something on the drive home, but there really was nothing between the caves and El Paso but a few gas stations. So we bought some burritos, pizza slices, and a slushee from a gas station on the way back home. 

Andrew was really into bats around the time we went to the caves and he really wanted a bat stuffed animal as a souvenir. Here he is with his bat collection which include the bat we got at Carlsbad Caverns on his head, a Stella Luna stuffed animal bat Rachel had when she was a child, and a a toilet paper craft bat which somehow survived since last Halloween.

Carlsbad Caverns was definitely worth the drive. We had so much fun during our trip and would highly recommend it to anyone who visits this part of the country!