Carlsbad Cavern, Eddy County, New Mexico

May 2021

Gate Type: BASIC, with swinging door

Carlsbad Cavern National Park personnel contacted us about replacing an increasingly-dangerous gate on the tour route. This gate was at the end of a tunnel blasted through the cave wall in order to bypass a precarious ledge where two previous visitors fell to their deaths trying to sneak into the cave. After all the permitting and review, we were given the green light. But we had to wait until after the tours finished for the day. And we had to be done before the evening bat flight programs began. This gave us a 3-hour window, turning what should have been a long day’s project into a four-day marathon. At the prescribed time, we would back the truck to the entrance and the CaveGators team would jump out, deploying extension cords, generators, welders, saws, drills, and other equipment like the pit crew at an F-1 race. Truly a marvel to watch. All photos © Jim Kennedy, except where noted.

It was quite a ways from the end of the Bat Cave parking lot, through the amphitheater, and down the numerous switchbacks to the tunnel. Photo courtesy of Ethan Perrine.
Side benefits included the return of the swallows at dusk, and the beam of sunlight illuminating the entrance chamber. Photo courtesy of Ethan Perrine.
We situated the new gate in the tunnel before the old Death Gate, to allow more space for the swinging door, and to give the bats more flight space.
Nothing sketchy here to see at all. Move along.
Eventually we could use the gate itself as an extension to our ladder.
Our swinging door worked really well. We even placed a anchor to lock the gate open. Photo courtesy of Amber Smith.
Amber did her usual kick-ass welding job. Photo courtesy of Ethan Perrine.
I, of course, mostly stood around and directed my crew, much like a symphony conductor. Photo courtesy of Ethan Perrine.
The nearly-completed replacement gate. Take a tour of Carlsbad Caverns so you can see it for yourself! Photo courtesy of Zachary Englebert.