Carlsbad Caverns National Park
United States National Park in the Guadalupe Mountains in southeastern New Mexico / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American national park in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. It is in the Delaware Basin. Most people come here to see the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike down the natural entrance. They could also take an elevator from the visitor center.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park) | |
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[1] |
Established | May 14, 1930 |
Visitors | 440,691 (in 2019)[2] |
Governing body | National Park Service |
Website | Carlsbad Caverns National Park |
Type | Natural |
Criteria | vii, viii |
Designated | 1995 (19th session) |
Reference no. | 721 |
Region | North America |
The park entrance is by US Highway 62/180, roughly 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.[3] Roughly two-thirds of the park has been set aside as a wilderness area. This means that there will be no future changes to the habitat.
Carlsbad Cavern has a large limestone chamber, named 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.[4]