It is VERY important that you read and understand the procedures about White-Nose Syndrome which are listed under the CAVES heading. Going into ANY cave in the Guads requires decontamination against the spread of WNS BEFORE you enter the first cave of your ICP Meeting trip. It is only through our assurance to the cave management offices (Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management) that all gear is and will be decontaminated that we have been allowed to obtain these permits. Thank you for your understanding.
During the ICP Meeting, we will be headquartered at Camp Washington Ranch on the plains below the Guadalupe Mountains where the caves are located. Some of the caves we will be visiting are within Carlsbad Caverns National Park and are close by whereas others will be higher up in the mountains and a longer drive to reach. Some of the caves require vertical gear to enter, others are horizontal caves. Each day, we will have choices for you to make in terms of which caves to visit and photograph in. We will be posting more detailed information and photographs of the caves on the website shortly. In the meantime, here is some general information about the caves, where they are located and what to expect.
New Mexico is a very dry and hot state. Even in late April, temperatures can climb into the 90s F (Fahrenheit) or even higher at times. Be sure to drink plenty of water to saturate yourself before beginning your caving trip. Carry plenty of water with you for the long hikes that may be involved. While there is water located in some caves, it is NOT drinkable due to long periods of contamination. At least two liters of water per person per day is the minimum amount to bring with you and frequently even more than that is recommended. Some people on long hikes and hard caving drink Gatorade to help replace lost electrolytes from sweating. Cave food is also recommended to bring with you. When eating, be sure to eat over a large plastic bag so that crumbs from the food do not fall on the cave floor and create mold. Most important and an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY is to bring and USE a PEE BOTTLE with you. Peeing in a cave without using a pee bottle will have you expelled immediately and permanently not only by the the ICPM gathering, but also from the Park and/or Forest Service entities which issue the cave permits. It may even end the ICP meeting for EVERYONE if ANYONE is caught peeing in any cave anywhere in the Guads. Please recognize this as the serious event it could be and which might have us all banned from ever caving in the Guads again!!!
For more detailed information, see the Climate and/or Gear subheadings in the CAVE heading of the Navigation bar on the website.
| Cave temperature: | 56 F |
| Driving time: | 30 minutes |
| Hiking time to entrance: | 3 minutes |
| Type of cave: | Horizontal with paved walkways, elevators, underground lunchroom, visitors center. Off trail areas require hardhats, lights and trip leader. |
| Photography options: | The cave has recently replaced its old lighting system with consistent LED lighting. This makes the light sources comparatively uniform, although there are small differences in some areas with a mix of warm LED and cool LED lights. Lights are not in the ideal location for photography, but they can work for some images. Flash photography can be used during our special after hours trip on Wednesday evening. We are still determining whether we will have off-trail access to some parts of the cave. We will let you know if we are given permits for those areas at a later time. |
| Cave temperature: | 58 F |
| Driving time: | 20 minutes. Close cave to Camp Washington Ranch |
| Hiking time to entrance: | 45 minutes up a 750 foot elevation gain trail |
| Type of cave: | Horizontal with marked trails. There are many large rooms with a variety of large formations, some of them very dramatic. The Monarch is a 110 foot high stalagmite! Bring your wide angle lenses!! There are remnants of the bat guano mining industry inside the cave. |
| Photography options: | Primarily flash photography. There is an entrance photo that can be taken using sunlight with long exposures. Many wonderful opportunities for taking photos in this beautiful cave in different locations. One day in the cave may not be enough for some photographers. See info about Wen Cave below. |
| Cave temperature: | 58 F |
| Driving time: | 20 minutes. Close cave to Camp Washington Ranch |
| Hiking time to entrance: | 45 minutes up a 750 foot elevation gain trail |
| Type of cave: | Vertical. Wen Cave (New spelled backwards) is right next to Slaughter Canyon Cave (which was originally named New Cave in the early 1930s). There is a rappel into the lower portion of the cave which is photogenic. Be sure to check if the drop into the cave is pre-rigged or a rope is necessary to bring with you. |
| Photography options: | Wen is a cave with interesting popcorn covered formations in the lower portion of the cave. The floor and walls are quite dark in color, so a wider aperture or brighter flashes is suggested. Wen is very small and generally should be considered as a cave to do when also visiting the much larger Slaughter Canyon Cave right next to it. |
| Cave temperature: | 58 F |
| Driving time: | 20 minutes. Close cave to Camp Washington Ranch |
| Hiking time to entrance: | About 60 minutes |
| Type of cave: | Vertical Helen's Cave is located on the opposite side of Slaughter Canyon from where Slaughter Canyon and Wen Caves are. The trail is somewhat vague to reach it. There is a short rope drop into the cave. Be sure to check if the drop into the cave is pre-rigged or a rope is necessary to bring with you. |
| Photography options: | Helen's is a comparatively small cave with a few interesting areas to photograph. Some sunlight comes in the entrance in the first room area. Because the cave is small, it might be best to consider going to Helen's in the morning, then a bit farther up the canyon to visit Christmas Tree Cave in the afternoon. |
| Cave temperature: | 58 F |
| Driving time: | 20 minutes. Close cave to Camp Washington Ranch |
| Hiking time to entrance: | About one hour and 15 minutes |
| Type of cave: | Vertical. There is a short drop into the cave that is sometimes considered as just a hand line drop. Be sure to check if the drop into the cave is pre-rigged or a rope is necessary to bring with you. |
| Photography options: | Christmas Tree is a small to medium-sized cave farther up Slaughter Canyon from Helen's Cave. Consider doing both caves together on the same day. There is a formation in the cave that does have the appearance of being a Christmas tree. Multiple strobes are advisable. |
| Cave temperature: | 60 F |
| Driving time: | 25 minutes. Cave is located half a mile or so down the gravel loop road beyond the Visitors Center |
| Hiking time to entrance: | 30 - 40 minutes along a trail |
| Type of cave: | Vertical Vertical cave with a 15 foot entrance downclimb on a rope and 50 foot free rappel (requires a 150 foot rope for safe rigging) into one room with a very flat floor. There are two cave entrances, but be sure to enter through the lower entrance. Use a stick to poke around and listen for potential rattlesnakes within the entrance. The lower entrance is a tight squeeze and nearly vertical so lowering gear is advisable. Ropes will be rigged in advance for the drop. Be sure to check with trip leader to confirm that ropes are either rigged or will be brought along for the trip. |
| Photography options: | Flash photography or continuous lighting if shooting videos. The ascent out of the cave makes for some interesting potential lighting setups and shots. Some interesting formations as well. |
| Cave temperature: | 65 F |
| Driving time: | 25 minutes. Like Chimney Cave, the parking area is on the gravel loop road just beyond the Visitors Center |
| Hiking time to entrance: | 20 minutes along a trail |
| Type of cave: | Horizontal. The entrance is in the bottom of a drainage and is built up with rocks above the floor of the shallow valley where the gate is located. The first 50 feet or so is the reason the cave has its name: the walls can be covered with daddy longlegs spiders! They are completely harmless, but it can be a bit nasty to crawl through them on the way into the cave. Crawlway is tight and requires dragging or pushing your pack through the tight entry passage. |
| Photography options: | Flash photography. Spider is a cave with multiple passages. The most interesting parts and photogenic areas are of the helictites, some of which are thick and puffy, with aragonite and gypsum crystals. There was a new and very significant discovery made in the cave a few years ago which may or may not be available for us to visit. The trip will be led by a Park Ranger and is limited to .... |