Carlsbad Caverns National Park, home to one of the world’s most prominent caverns, is celebrating the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary with week-long events Aug. 21-26.
As part of the centennial celebration, the park will also offer free admission Aug. 25-28.
“We are very excited to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service,” said Doug Neighbor, superintendent of Carlsbad Caverns. “We are looking forward to sharing this exciting time with visitors with activities and programs to commemorate this special occasion.”
Centennial celebration programs include:
Aug. 21-27: Throughout the week of the centennial, visitors will have the opportunity to share morning coffee with rangers to learn more about the caverns and the park, local wildlife, how the park is managed, and more.
Aug. 24 and 26: At 6 p.m., there will be a vertical ropes demonstration. The demonstration will showcase cave climbing and rope techniques by expert climbers in the cave’s Natural Entrance.
Aug. 25: An enlightening program by cave specialist Rod Horrocks about Lechuguilla Cave, a cave only open for scientific research. More than 136 miles of passages have been mapped in Lechuguilla Cave, making it among the longest caves in the world. An afternoon program about how parks are funded will feature Paul Cox, Carlsbad Caverns’ fee manager.
Experience the Bat Flight at the outdoor amphitheater nightly at 7 p.m. Reservations are not required, and the program is free. For more information on the Bat Flight Program, call 575-785-3012. The visitor center’s summer hours are 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. through Labor Day and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. the rest of the year. For more information on centennial events, park regulations, visitation or park tours, call 575-785-2232 or visit www.nps.gov/cave.
