Other Attractions
Three hiking trails and an unpaved drive provide access to the desert scenery and ecosystem. The developed portion around the cave entrance has been designated as The Caverns Historic District.
A detached part of the park, Rattlesnake Springs Picnic Area, is a natural oasis with landscaping, picnic tables, and wildlife habitats. As a wooded riparian area in the desert, it has a remarkable variety of birds—over 300 species have been recorded—which makes it "the unofficial Mecca of New Mexico birders". (About 500 species have been recorded in the whole state of New Mexico.) Rattlesnake Springs is designated a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Audubon Society has designated Rattlesnake Springs an Important Bird Area (IBA). The natural entrance to the caverns is also an IBA because of its colony of Cave Swallows, possibly the world's biggest.
Read more about this topic: Carlsbad Caverns National Park
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