CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

In 1898 the cave entrance was discoved by 16-year-old, Texas-born cowhand Jim White when he saw Mexican free-tailed bats rising like distance smoke coming out of the ground. The cave is formed in limestone and may be as young as 12-million years old. Jimmy found the entrance where the roof had collapsed a few million years ago and exposed the underground passage. Carlsbad is #15 in the US for longest cave at 32-miles. Carlsbad Caverns National Park was initially created as a National Monument in 1923 and designated by Congress as a National Park in 1930. The United Nations designated the cave a World Heritage Site in 1995 confirming the worldwide significance of this spectacular natural resource.

The images were created by an EOS 5DIII, tripod, Speedlite 580EX II, remote switch, and the EF 16-35L and EF 50 f/1.8 lenses. I checked and there was no limitation to using a tripod and I visited on a foggy (above ground) Tuesday between Christmas and New Years. I was able to take exposures from 5- to 20-seconds at ISO-100. But, if there had been more foot traffic, I probably couldn't have worked with exposures so long. The flash was manually controlled separate from the camera and fired to add a fill light against the long exposure.

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Carlsbad Caverns National Park by Paul Sager, on Flickr
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park
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insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

Very nice.

allanj Loc: New York City

Great pictures. I was there many years ago; the pictures remind me how spectacular it was.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Great captures! My favorite cavern.

Dan R Loc: Way Way Way Upstate NY

Those are amazing!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you insman1132, allanj, UTMike, Dan R! I didn't realize how remote a trip into the SE corner of New Mexico would prove to be. The Big Room in the cavern is amazing with spectacular speleothem every step of way. I was there from 8:30am till close including 90-minutes on a guided tour into an now closed from the self-guided area. Imagine touring pre 50s when getting into the cave was a rickety wood stairway ... Glad you enjoyed the resulting images.

Bill Munny Loc: Aurora, Colorado

When I was in junior high school in the late '50s, I belonged to the NSS (National Speleological Society) and the Colorado Groto Club. As a gov't experiment, we were recruited (because of our size and ignorance to danger) to spend a week in the caverns to map a bunch of "leads" going east to see if Mammoth Cave and Carlsbad were ever connected. We mapped a lot more than the so-called 32 miles. I think that between the 3 different groups that were mapping and some succeeding explorers, we did more than 100 miles of tubes or "leads". We used carbide lamps like the miners used. No true evidence was found to suggest the two were ever connected, but there are a lot of collapsed caves in line with Carlsbad and Mammoth. When I was in my early twenties I was part of the Rocky Mountain Search and Rescue Teams and my group specialized in "Cave Extractions" or rescuing morons/idiots who got injured or lost in caves around the country. There are some really bizarre features in Carlsbad Caverns. Too bad they are more than a day's walk in the caverns so some of the more adventurous public could view them.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

The last time I was to Carlsbad Caverns I was shooting with a Canon A1. Think I went thru 5 rolls of 36 exposure extachrome. Still have the negatives and prints in a box somewhere in the house. Your photos definitely bring back some good memories. We were on a cross country motorcycle trip when I was there. Anyway, nice photos.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Neat shots!

Katydid Loc: Davis, CA

Wonderful! I hope I get to go back some day.

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

Excellent and a very beautiful set, Paul!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you rmorrison1116! I was surprised how "remote" the SE corner of New Mexico proved to be. I wish I'd left more time to have more than 1 day in the area. Next time ...

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Great story and memory Bill! From the Wiki Page for the park, they're still discovering new rooms off the main cave. They've also discovered a massive 120+ mile cave, Lechuguilla Cave, a recently as 1986. Alas, Lechuguilla Cave is not open to the public.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Thank you Swamp-Cork, Katydid, Longshadow! Glad you all enjoyed.

achesley Loc: SW Louisiana

Nice and thank you for bringing back memories of a trip there in the '90's.