left hand tunnel tour

I went to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and did four of the tours they have available. The first one I did was the Left Hand Tunnel Tour. The particular tour I went to started at 1:30 pm on a Tuesday. I did not know what to expect when I signed up for this tour. I have never been to Carlsbad Caverns so I don't know what I was signing up for. First, we got an orientation of what to expect and a verbal liability waiver where we stated that we are doing this on our own free will and nobody coerced us to do it. Then we were handed out lamps...actual wooden lamps with candles inside. We were reminded that we would only have one free hand as the other hand will be occupied by the lamp at all times. Backpacks are not allowed in the tour. I was going to bring my DSLR but due to the limited use of both hands, I opted to leave the camera behind in the orientation room. They locked it up in the cabinet for me. The tour itself was very interesting as we are seeing the cave by candlelight. It is very intimate in a way that the only thing that stands between you and total darkness was one candle. During the tour we were constantly reminded of what it was like for the people who discovered the caverns to go through the cave without the convenience of battery operated flashlights or headlamps. There was an interesting portion of the tour where you sit around in a circle and you blow out the candles and be enveloped in darkness and silence. This last very several minutes. You get to enjoy the peace and quiet in the darkness. First it was unnerving but after awhile you get to appreciate the darkness and the quiet.Ranger Steve was fantastic in doing his tour. He was engaging and knowledgeable. He informed us about the different cave formations we encounter along the way. He shared personal stories and related them to seeing things from a different perspective. He was constantly making sure that everybody in the group is safe and happy. He was very direct and clear in his instructions. He engages guests and makes an effort to learn a little bit about each person in the group. I highly recommend going on this tour especially if Ranger Steve is leading it. If you are going to Carlsbad Caverns and you have time to do this tour, I highly recommend it. It does not involve ladders or ropes and it's very easy to navigate even with one free hand.

Carlsbad Caverns is spectacular all the way around. We loved the tour and seeing a different part of the cave!

This ranger led tour is pretty terrific. You carry a candle lit lantern to go on a tour of a side cave. Seriously, all of you carry one and that's the only light source!! Not as many formations as elsewhere but its a very intimate experience. If you can ask to go further back and see the Sherwood Forest formations - a larger tour group might prohibit this though due to time constraints. Really fun. And I think it cost like 7 bucks, totally worth it.

Our guide ERIC was great. This was a very unique and pleasant little adventure. We only came for the afternoon and that was not enough time. If you are coming to the caverns plan for a whole day. Make sure you have enough time for the natural entrance, the self tour, and a guided tour...or two!! Great, great day!! Thank you Eric, loved the tour.

Very enjoyable Ranger led tour at the Caverns. Not sure why this is listed under Carlsbad and not the cavern reviews, but maybe they will figure it out. This takes you by candle light only into an area away from the crowds. Great formations but I think the uniqueness of the candle lit journey makes it.

Reserve early! This tour fills up. It starts in a training room where they distribute the lanterns and give a brief orientation to the cave. Then it's down the elevator we go and through the underground lunch room to the dark "left hand tunnel" gate. The terrain was mostly flat, but there were several treacherous parts over rocky and sandy bulges. The lantern light gave an eery glow to the cave walls, but there were enough of us together that it didn't feel "dark". The most interesting part was seeing the shells imbedded in the cave rocks. I also enjoyed the "cave bacon".

Our ranger, Eric, was very informative, funny, and helpful. There were only 9 visitors when we did the tour, so it was very private. Best $7 you'll ever spend. The tour started on time, and ended around 11.15 am. Backpacks aren't allowed, but you can take a side bag (fanny pack). Only a couple of spots where you could trip over, but the ranger guided us through them and offered a hand, literally. We booked about 2 weeks in advance through the website.

All of the Carlsbad tours are very reasonably priced, and they are probably all a little dependent on the quality of the ranger guiding you. Ours was excellent, though it was regrettably her last ever tour there and she is off to Crater Lake for her next posting.My sons (9 and 13) were very interested in the concept of the tour, being that it is cave exploration as it would have been done 100 years ago. There are no electric lights, you carry lanterns with candles in them, and there are no paved trails.The ignominious history of Left Hand Tunnel is interesting, and the tour was a ton of fun after the very well-groomed hike into the caverns and around the Bog Room. There isn't a lot of dramatic stuff to see in Left Hand Tunnel, but the boys favorite part of the whole trip was blowing out the lanterns deep in the tunnel and experiencing absolute darkness.

The Left Hand Tunnel Tour was conducted by an extremely knowledgeable ranger. There were no questions that came up she could not answer. The tour is limited to a few people due to the physical restrictions of the cave. They do the tour with old fashioned candle light which is great. Sign up for this one early.

The left handed tour was fun and we enjoyed it. Our tour ranger was very young and not experienced and a little annoying but overall it was a great experience. The candle light lamps made it interesting and the terrain was pretty easy. Even though it is advertised as a easy hike, there were a couple older (70 years ) folks and a middle age women who was not in god shape that worried me. The older gentleman did fall at one point but seemed ok. Wear sturdy shoes and plan to watch your step.

This is a great tour of a part of Carlsbad Caverns that relatively few people get to see, and it's accessible for most able-bodied adults and older kids (elementary age or older). You walk through part of Carlsbad that leads to the deepest part of the cave, using only candle lanterns for light. There aren't many formations in this part of the cave, though there are some. The big attraction, though, is the history that you get from the ranger and the feeling that people must have had 100 years ago. Caves look a lot different in flickering candle light than they do lit up by bright electric light.I've been on the tour twice, once in 2010 and this year, and this tour wasn't quite as good - our ranger used her flashlight too much. However, the tour is still definitely worthwhile. It's about a mile of walking round trip, but nothing difficult - largely flat, with only a few places where you need to watch your step.Definitely a worthwhile tour to take in the cave, especially since it starts at 9AM: you're back by 11, in time for a largely full day, with plenty of time to walk around the Big Room and take the Kings Palace tour. Book early, since the tour fills up quickly - we got the last two spots when we booked 2+ weeks in advance.