Early visitors descended to the caves via an old mining bucket. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed Carlsbad Caverns a National Monument and, in 1930, the Carlsbad Caverns National Park was established. Carlsbad Caverns National Park Carlsbad Caverns National Park contains a section of an ancient fossil reef from the Permian age, and also includes one of the only protected areas of the Chihuahuan Desert eco-system.