Carlsbad Caverns Big Room Photography: The Primordial Formations
The colossal limestone columns and stalagmites of the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Sculpted in Darkness: Inside the Big Room of Carlsbad Caverns
Two years ago, I finally made it out to Carlsbad Caverns National Park for the first time—a trip my grandfather had always wanted to take me on, though sadly it never happened. When I got there, I decided to tackle the natural entrance (the hard way), walking down through a series of switchbacks and a long trail that left me with about six miles clocked on my phone by the end of the day. There’s also an easy way to quickly get down to the heart of the caverns and that is by elevator from inside the visitor center. Descending 750 feet underground reveals a staggering subterranean world, and what blew me away most on that initial visit was that the park actually allowed photographers to use tripods inside on the narrow pathways. Ok, so why not? I put mine to good use in the darkness of the cavern that day, making sure to step aside for fellow hikers, though I learned on a later trip with my son Ryan that the policy has since changed to a strict "no tripods allowed" after someone accidentally damaged a formation. Can't really blame the rangers for locking down the rules on that one.
This particular shot captures one of the main features in the Big Room, a striking cluster of massive stalagmites that always pulls a crowd and reminds me of a primordial Buddha swamp. Fun fact about these subterranean chambers: despite being hundreds of feet beneath the New Mexico desert, the entire cave system maintains a constant, cool 56 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, sculpted entirely by a slow, relentless dissolution of limestone by sulfuric and carbonic acid over millions of years. It is an incredible place to witness earth's quiet alchemy up close, and while this formation gets plenty of well-deserved attention, my absolute favorite photo from that same day that reminds me of a hungry T-Rex dinosaur. I titled it "Predator" and it’s waiting for you to view over in my New Mexico gallery.
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