Carlsbad Caverns National Park

http://www.carlsbad.caverns.national-park.com/" TARGET="_blank">http://www.carlsbad.caverns.national-park.com/  Carlsbad Caverns National Park New Mexico Most national parks celebrate natural beauty found aboveground. At Carlsbad Caverns, the show takes place underground. More than 85 caves underlie the park, two of which ? Carlsbad Caverns and Lechuguilla Cave ? are among the largest and most magnificent underground formations in the world. Amateur spelunkers of all ages are transported back in time to an episode in Earth's history far more volatile than our own ? The Jerry Springer Show notwithstanding. Carlsbad Caverns National Park One of the most extensive cave systems anywhere, Carlsbad Caverns is actually a Permian-age fossil reef. Over a period of millions of years, sulfuric acid ate away at fissures in underground limestone and fossil shelves that were at one time under a vast sea. At undetermined dates partial cave-ins occurred and created immense underground chambers, like the Big Room ? 25 stories high and a third of a mile wide. So, you may be wondering, is there anything else to Carlsbad Caves besides caves? You betcha. The park is home to the http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_national_park/nm/wil_carl.htm" TARGET="_blank">Carlsbad Caverns Wilderness Area, which at 33,000 acres boasts enough hiking trails to keep you busy for an afternoon, or a week. The park is part of the northern Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem, where grassland vegetation and desert shrub give way to pine woodlands at the highest elevations. You'll find a dazzling palette of desert flowers if you set out after a recent rainstorm. Wildlife abounds-with luck, you may see golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, even elk or cougar tracks.   Carlsbad Caverns National Park was established to preserve Carlsbad Cavern and numerous other caves within a Permian-age fossil reef. The park contains 83 separate caves, including the nation's deepest limestone cave -- 1,597 feet -- and third longest. Carlsbad Cavern, with one of the world's largest underground chambers and countless formations. It is also highly accessible, with a variety of tours offered year-round. The evening flight of Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana) from the entrance of Carlsbad Cavern is one of the park's principal visitor attractions. Free-tailed bats are a colonial species that feed entirely on insects. The colony at Carlsbad is comprised primarily of females who give birth to their young from June through July before migrating south in October to winter in Mexico.