Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American national park in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natural entrance or take an elevator from the visitor center.
| Carlsbad Caverns National Park | |
|---|---|
IUCN category II (national park) | |
The cave is well-known for its many calcite formations such as this column and array of stalactites | |
Location in state of New Mexico Location in the United States | |
| Location | Eddy County, New Mexico, United States |
| Nearest city | Carlsbad, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 32°10′31″N 104°26′38″W |
| Area | 46,766 acres (18,926 ha) 339 acres (137 ha) private |
| Established | May 14, 1930 |
| Visitors | 440,691 (in 2019) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Carlsbad Caverns National Park |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, viii |
| Designated | 1995 (19th session) |
| Reference no. | 721 |
| Region | North America |
The park entrance is located on US Highway 62/180, approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The park has two entries on the National Register of Historic Places: The Caverns Historic District and the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District. Approximately two-thirds of the park has been set aside as a wilderness area, helping to ensure no future changes will be made to the habitat.
Carlsbad Cavern includes a large limestone chamber, named simply the Big Room, which is almost 4,000 ft (1,220 m) long, 625 ft (191 m) wide, and 255 ft (78 m) high at its highest point. The Big Room is the largest chamber in North America and the 32nd largest in the world.
In 1930, Carlsbad Caverns was established as a national park and was also recognized as a World Heritage Site in 1995. According to The Travel, it is renowned globally for being "one of the most accessible and best-preserved cave complexes in the world".