Afternoon D-Light

During the summer months, the late afternoon sun lines up with the Natural Entrance to Carlsbad Cavern. A ray of sunlight pans slowly across the cave floor, briefly illuminating the formations along the trail and heralding the end of another day. Cool, moist air from deep inside the Cavern, meets the heated air of the dry desert above, creating a swirling cloud of mist at the confluence. Meanwhile, hundreds of cave swallows, nesting in the protected stone canopy of the natural entrance, dart in and out of the shadows. Over a dozen birds leave traces of their flight paths in the light, while a visitor to the Caverns gazes up at the spectacle.