Carlsbad Caverns - Walnut Canyon

Spring wildflowers and prickly pear cactus grow in abundance in Walnut Canyon near the park entrance at Whites City. Fossiliferous limestone beds of Permian age crop out throughout the park area and are host to the cavern systems at Carlsbad Caverns. The layered sandy limestone rocks in the lower part of the canyon are part of the Yates Formation, whereas the upper more massive fine-grained limestone rocks in the canyon are part is Tansill Formation (Hayes, 1957).