18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Stairway to Darkness

Carlsbad Caverns are in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. It features more than 100 caves. The most popular route, the Big Room, is the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. Spectacular views, cave formations of all shapes and sizes, and a rope ladder used by explorers in 1924, fills your mind and senses at every turn.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 09.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: New Mexico, United States of America
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Copyright: © Lynn Levitt