new mexico cave projects
Some of the longest and best decorated caves in the world are located in New Mexico. Lechuguilla Cave, Carlsbad Cavern and Fort Stanton Cave are all spectacular in their own way.
Lechuguilla cave
Probably the best known cave in the world, by cavers. Widely considered the most beautiful and well-decorated. It’s also the 8th longest cave in the world at just over 150 miles in surveyed length. Access is controlled by Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
Carlsbad Cavern
The centerpiece of Carlsbad Caverns National Park is the spectacular Carlsbad Cavern. Roughly 37 miles in length, it is the 3rd longest cave in New Mexico and 13th longest cave in the US. The cavern sees approximately 300,000 visitors each year. There continues to be active exploration and survey in many areas of the cave. I have been working on three sections: the Guadalupe Room Complex, New Mexico Room, and Chocolate High. There have also been climbing and survey efforts in areas like the Big Room, Main Corridor, and Left Hand Tunnel.
Fort Stanton Cave
Fort Stanton Cave contains the world-famous Snowy River passage, which is the longest cave passage in the world, and contains the longest and largest cave formation (the Snowy River formation). It also has, by far, the most remote cave passages of any cave in the world - in terms of distance that must be traveled from its sole entrance. The most remote areas are roughly 11.8 miles from the entrance, so getting there and back requires traveling nearly 24 miles underground! The Snowy River passage floods frequently, which prohibits exploration, but small windows of opportunity have allowed significant progress in 2018 and 2019. The cave is now just over 40 miles in length and is expected to soon become one of the 10 longest in the US.