| Carlsbad Caverns 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, US |
| Nearest city | Carlsbad, New Mexico |
| Coordinates | 32°10′31″N 104°26′38″W / 32.17528°N 104.44389°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 | nps |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, viii |
| Designated | 1995 (19th session) |
| Reference no. | 721 |
| Region | North America |
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is a national park of the United States 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.
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.[3] 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.[4]
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".[5]
- ^ "Listing of acreage – December 31, 2011" (XLSX). Land Resource Division, National Park Service. Retrieved March 6, 2012. (National Park Service Acreage Reports)
- ^ "Annual Visitation Report by Years: 2009 to 2019". nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ^ "History & Culture". National Park Service. Retrieved May 31, 2007.
- ^ "The Largest Underground Chambers by Surface Area". Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "What to know about Carlsbad Caverns National Park". Deseret News. Retrieved July 17, 2023.