Page 232 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Southwest USA & National Parks

230  NE W MEXIC O SOUTHERN NE W MEXIC O  231

s Carlsbad Caverns National Park VISITORS’ CHECKLIST f Roswell
Road map F4. * 48,300.
Located in the remote southeastern corner of New Mexico, Practical Information n 912 N. Main St. (575) 624-7704.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park protects one of the world’s Road map F5. 3225 National Open 8am–5pm Mon–Fri.
largest cave systems. Geological forces carved out this Parks Hwy, Carlsbad. Tel (575) ∑ roswellnm.com
785-2232; (877) 444-6777 (tour
complex of chambers, and their decorations began to be reservations). Open late May– Once a small ranching town,
formed around 500,000 years ago when dripping water early Sep: 8am–7pm daily; early Roswell is now a byword for
deposited drops of the crystalized mineral calcite. Native Sep–late May: 8am–5pm (Natural aliens and UFOs, due to the
pictographs near the Natural Entrance indicate that they Entrance); call for last entry times. Roswell Incident. The Inter­
Closed Dec 25. & 7 partial.
had been visited by Native peoples, but it was cowboy 8 ∑ nps.gov/cave national UFO Museum and
Jim White who brought them to national attention, after Underground Lunchroom Transport Research Center is devoted
A paved section of the cavern is home
to the investigation of visitors
exploring them in 1901. The caverns were made a national to a popular underground snack bar, k to Carlsbad. @ to White’s City. from outer space and features
park in 1930, and a United Nations World Heritage Site in and restrooms. an extensive collection
1995, one of 21 in the US. of newspaper clippings,
Natural Butterfly and lobelia flowers, Living Desert photographs, and maps of
Entrance State Park the crash site. A 70-minute
film contains over 400
d Carlsbad
Visitor Information Center interviews with people
Road map: F5. * 28,000. n 302 S. connected to the crash.
Canal St. (575) 887- 6516.  Roswell’s highly respected
∑ carlsbadchamber.com Museum and Art Center
houses a collection of 2,000
Bat Cave The town of Carlsbad artifacts on the history of
Most summer evenings is located just 20 miles the American West. The
at dusk, clouds of free- (32 km) northeast of fascinating Robert H.
tailed bats emerge from Carlsbad Caverns Goddard Collection
the bat cave to cross the National Park. It has a details 11 years of his
desert in search of food. relaxed, small-town experiments (see p191).
King’s Palace Tour atmosphere, and there
This tour takes in the deepest Doll’s are plenty of hotels as Roswell’s Alien E International UFO
cave open to the public, 830 ft Theater well as opportunities Zone symbol Museum and
(250 m) below ground. for outdoor activities. Research Center
The Pecos River winds through 114 N. Main St. Tel (575) 625-9495.
The Boneyard is a complex town, there are three lakes, Open 9am–5pm daily. 7 &
maze of dissolved and fishing, boating, and water- ∑ roswellufomuseum.com
limestone rock. skiing are popular pastimes. E Roswell Museum and
At the northern edge of town, Art Center
the Living Desert State Park 100 W. 11th St. Tel (575) 624-6744.
has exhibits focusing on the Open 9am–5pm Tue–Sun (from 1pm
ecology of the Chihuahuan Sun). Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving,
Queens Chamber
and Papoose Desert (see p24). Dec 25. 7 ∑ roswellmuseum.org
Room
The Roswell Incident
Near midnight on July 4, 1947 an unidentified airborne object crash-
landed during a storm in the Capitan Mountains, 75 miles (120 km)
Doll’s Theater northwest of town. Jim Ragsdale was camping nearby and claims to
This small cave is named for its size. have seen a flash and a craft, 20 ft (6 m) in
The Doll’s Theater resembles a fairy diameter, hurtling through the trees and the
grotto, filled with fine, luminous Painted bodies of four “little people,” with skin like
soda-straw formations. Grotto snakeskin. However, Ragsdale did not tell his
story until 1995.
The US Air Force issued a statement that a
0 meters 100 flying saucer had been recovered, and the
story spread around the world. By July 9,
0 yards 100
however, they said it was just a weather
The Big Room Tours balloon. Witnesses were allegedly sworn to
A self-guided tour secrecy, fueling rumors of a cover-up and
takes in the 14-acre Big Room route alien conspiracy theories to this day.
(5.6-ha) Big Room Rock of Ages Natural Entrance route
and passes features King’s Palace tour
such as the (Ranger-guided only) Officers examine “alien” material
Bottomless Pit. Bottomless Pit
For hotels and restaurants see pp242–3 and pp260–61

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Date 12th July 2013
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