CAVES

November 30, 2018 8:07 PM

I recently went caving (spelunking) for the first time and it was so fucking cool. Where are some places in the US that offer caving tours/trips?

First, I know how to use Google, and of course I've searched for this. However, I noticed that the place where I went caving (Laurel Caverns in Pennsylvania, if it matters) did not show up in my searches, either directly or in any of the articles and lists I found, and it was only because I happened to be in the area that I went there and then found that they had a caving tour. So I wonder if there are other places around the US that aren't showing up in my searches.

Second, to explain what I mean by caving: It was basically a hike through a cave, scrambling over and under rocks, going down 450 feet into the cave, the only source of light our headlamps and flashlights. There was a guide/leader. What I don't mean by caving is walking on a flat, well-lit path through a cave.

Stuff with rappelling or kayaking is good too. I don't know how to scuba dive so nothing like that. Thanks!

posted by unannihilated to Travel & Transportation (15 answers total)

Most visitors to Carlsbad Caverns walk on paved paths, but there are other options. It's a big cave system so there is a lot more than just the lit paths.

You might also want to look for caving clubs in your area. Some caves are on BLM/NF land and private groups can visit but there are not commercial tours available. Some caving clubs even search for undiscovered caves! If you don't live near any caves, you might still look for caving clubs as it's common for people to travel for caving even if they do live near caves.
posted by yohko at 8:38 PM on November 30, 2018

In the St. Louis area you can kayak through an abandoned underground mine. Not technically a cave but definitely the adventurous spirit you described! Did it this summer with a friend and it was a hoot.

Missouri is "The Cave State" so I'd expect you'd find a lot of options around the state, although I'm afraid I don't have specific suggestions to offer. (Maybe someone else will.) I have fond memories of spelunking while in scouts growing up.
posted by inatizzy at 8:43 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]

Stuff with rappelling or kayaking is good too

Look at canyoneering and see if that floats your boat. Check Arizona and Utah for canyoneering tours.

Also, if you want to get into caving outside of guided tours, please do check into clubs. It's much safer to go with others, and you'll also learn important things about how to protect the wildlife and environment of the caves you are visiting.
posted by yohko at 8:44 PM on November 30, 2018

There's the wild cave tour at Mammoth Cave National Park. Definitely not for the claustrophobic. Reservations required.
posted by kickingtheground at 9:29 PM on November 30, 2018 [1 favorite]

Natural Bridge Caverns in Texas (near San Antonio) offers several caving tours.
posted by neushoorn at 12:05 AM on December 1, 2018

Jewel Cave in South Dakota have a Wild Caving Tour which has lots of fun crawling and walking. When I went, we squeezed through a small, windy hole called Hurricane Corner. (Before you can sign up for the trip, they make you crawl through a hole in a concrete block to make sure you're small enough.) There's also a Lantern Tour which is about halfway between a spelunking tour and a modern well-lit tour; you bring your own lights and have some scrambling to do.

I've also been on the Mammoth Cave tour mentioned by kickingtheground. It is 6 hours long and strenuous, including some rope-assisted climbing, blind crawling, and one part where we stuck our legs out to the side and straddled a long pool from one end to the other. It was great!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 2:00 AM on December 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

I did a spelunking trip at Organ Cave in WV as a teenager. It was a lot of fun, and it looks like they're still offering the sort of option you're looking for.
posted by jon1270 at 3:47 AM on December 1, 2018

(The website for Organ Cave is kind of a mess, which I find reassuring because maybe it means they're still a relatively informal operation. I remember the office being basically an old wood-frame house with wind chimes, but it was ~30 years ago. Use this link for the sort of options you're asking about.)
posted by jon1270 at 3:56 AM on December 1, 2018

Seconding Mammoth Cave.
posted by LoveHam at 6:28 AM on December 1, 2018

The default for this in the Pacific Northwest is Ape Caves, a bit outside of Portland. Bring your good headlamp, dress warmly, then enjoy some hipster brews and donuts; I keep skipping out on it but everyone I know has enjoyed it.
posted by batter_my_heart at 6:33 AM on December 1, 2018

There is a wild cave spelunking tour based at Cloudland Canyon State Park located in Northwest Georgia. The closest big city, for reference, is Chattanooga, TN. The trip is guided by G3 Adventures

My husband and daughter went this past summer and loved it. Cloudland Canyon is beautiful to hike as well!
posted by ZabeLeeZoo at 10:39 AM on December 1, 2018

I grew up in a caving family -- even if you are only going in commercial caves, please educate yourself on white nose syndrome in bats which has been devastating for bat populations in the US and has been spread, heartbreakingly and unwittingly, by spelunkers who love caves and cave ecology.
posted by frobozz at 2:36 PM on December 1, 2018 [4 favorites]

Thank you for sharing that frobozz, I've only gone caving with clubs and made overly generous and optimistic assumptions about how careful commercial operators are about white nose syndrome and other environmental issues.
posted by yohko at 2:50 PM on December 1, 2018

You can join The National Speleological Society.
posted by dum spiro spero at 6:44 PM on December 1, 2018

I’ve done this a few times; the Wild Cave Tour outside of Mammoth Cave was exactly what you described (sans the spelunking). Definitely belly crawling, shimmying up rocks, etc. I went with two other people and the cave guide and it was awesome.

I’ve also done this with a friend outside of Vail, CO. There’s a cave system there that you can hire guides to take you through.
posted by orangesky4 at 12:13 PM on December 2, 2018 [1 favorite]