8 National Parks and Monuments For Cave Lovers

By Courtney Johnson

One amazing part of the geological history of the United States is the formation of caves and caverns. There are approximately 17,000 caves in the U.S., according to the Geological Survey. Today, many of those caves and caverns are protected and designated as national monuments or established national parks. Here are some of the best national parks and monuments to visit if you enjoy caves.

Note: As of publication in February 2021, many cave tours are on hold due to social-distancing restrictions. Check each monument or national park website before venturing out for a tour, and for information on how to help curb the spread of White-Nose Syndrome when you visit, which is currently leading to a decrease in the bat population. 

Blanchard Springs Caverns, Arkansas National Forest

Owned by the United States Forest Service, the Blanchard Springs Caverns is a three-tiered cave system. Made from limestone rock from ancient seas over 350 million years ago, one of the best features of Blanchard Springs Caverns is that these are living caves that continue to evolve. Calcite continues to grow from the seeping water, changing the cave system over time. 

To see the living caves, you must book a cave tour. The easiest tour is the Dripstone Tour, which is half-mile in length and available year-round. This tour takes you 240 feet below ground, through rooms of soda straws and flowstones. This is the only tour that is wheelchair and stroller accessible. The Discovery Trail is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day and features 700 stair steps over 1.2 miles, making this a tour recommended for heart healthy and active visitors only. It travels past campsites once used by early explorers and by the natural entrance where explorers once dangled by rope. Visitors will also see a cave stream. The more adventurous types may enjoy the Wild Cave Tour that requires scrambling and crawling through red clay and up steep slopes to catch a view of the stalactites and stalagmites.  

In the heart of the Ozarks, there are many recreational opportunities in the area from fishing and hiking to swimming in crystal clear streams and mountain biking. The Blanchard Springs Recreation area is recommended for camping, trout fishing, and hiking the cascading hills to multiple waterfalls. The “Folk Music Capital of the World,” the town of Mountain View boasts a lively music scene. Stop by the Ozark Folk Center State Park to learn about traditional Ozark Mountain crafts and music and maybe some fun on the zipline course in the park. Hear some live folk music on the weekends at the Jimmy Driftwood Barn. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit one of the many specialty and gift shops including The Dulcimer Shoppe and Mellon’s Country Store. The over 100 year old Swinging Bridge is also a sight to see. 

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Carlsbad, New Mexico

There are 119 known caves at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, formed from the sulfuric acid erosion of limestone. Visitors can explore on their own on self-guided tours through the Natural Entrance Trail, where they can see the Devil's Spring, the Whale's Mouth, and Iceberg Rock. Parts of the Big Room Trail are wheelchair accessible and the trail features a rope ladder used by explorers in 1924. Carlsbad Caverns National Park is one of two UNESCO-recognized caverns in the U.S.

Book a cave tour for a more in-depth view and explanation of how the caves were formed. Some of these tours require clean clothes (not clothes worn into other caves) for entry to stop the spread of White-Nose Syndrome, which causes sickness and death for bat residents. Some of the tours available include Slaughter Canyon (be ready for some crawling) and Hall of the White Giant and Lower Cave. The park even offers special events including bat flight tours. 

Beyond visiting the caverns, there are many things to do and see in Carlsbad. One recommended place to visit include the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park where you can see the plant and animal life of the Chihuahuan Desert region. Antelope and Bison can be viewed in pens along with snakes and a variety of amphibians. The Carlsbad Museum and Art Center is free to visit and contains artifacts, documents and art detailing life in the Carlsbad region. A 0.7 mile hike in the Lincoln National Forest will take you to see a series of very unique waterfalls called the Sitting Bull Falls southwest of the national park. If you want to cool off, the Lake Carlsbad Recreation Area with adjacent water park is perfect for swimming, fishing and water sports or Brantley State Park. 

Craters of the Moon National Monument, Arco, Idaho

UPDATE:

All Caves are Closed

The park is assessing the status of the caves due to seismic activity north of the park. All caves remain closed until further notice.

Known as a “volcanic wonderland,” Craters of the Moon National Monument features five caves (actually lava tubes) opened for exploration along with miles of hiking and backpacking trails. All the cave visits at Craters of the Moon National Monument are self-guided, allowing for visitors to explore on their own, at their own pace. The Caves Trail is a 1.6 mile loop hike that features four caves including Indian Cave-the largest and easiest cave to explore on the loop and offers natural sunlight through “skylights” created by weathering and erosion. Witness total darkness in the Beauty Cave when you shut off your flashlight. The Boy Scout Cave is difficult and more rugged, with a rocky entrance. The 1.8 mile loop Broken Top Loop Trail takes you to the Buffalo Cave with a rocky entrance, some crawling, and tight squeezes.  

Take a drive on the Peaks to Craters Scenic Byway, a 140-mile stretch passing by Craters of the Moon National Monument, Mt. Borah and Mackay Dam and Reservoir. Take in the hang gliders and paragliders launching from King Mountain or give it a go yourself if you are brave enough. Idaho is a rock collector's heaven, so be on the lookout for gems like granite and topaz in areas where rock collecting is not prohibited. Visit the world's first nuclear power plant now turned museum, the EBR-1 Atomic Museum. The Arco Science Center Museum dictates the town’s history and role in nuclear power. You can also see the USS Hawkbill (SSN-666) nuclear submarine science center, and submarine war memorial. Two hours from the national park is the adventure town of Sun Valley Idaho, home to world-class skiing, mountain biking and a tour of some of Hemingway’s haunts. 

Jewel Cave National Monument, Custer, South Dakota

The third longest cave in the world, Jewel Cave National Monument features more than 195 miles of passages passing by aragonite frost and cave bacon. A solution cave, it is the large calcite crystals that give it the “jewel” name that bring over 140,000 visitors to the park a year.

The only way to explore the caves is by guided tour (currently on hold through summer 2021). The regular tours cannot be pre-booked and are first-come, first-serve in a variety of formats from lantern tours, discovery talks and longer scenic tours. One of the most unique experiences for adventurers 16 and over is the Wild Cave Tour where advanced booking is recommended for a tight, dark and crawling experience. The surface of the monument is also rich in geology and can be explored year round without a guide on the numerous trails. 

Beyond a visit to Jewel Cave, visitors should also add a tour of Mt. Rushmore and some animal spotting and recreation at Custer State Park to the to-do list. Wall Drug has been a must-stop place on the road since 1931, for drinks, snacks and souvenirs. A cluster of national parks and monuments are worth the drive from Jewel Cave including Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Monument (also featured in this article) and even Devil’s Tower National Monument, depending on the direction of your travel. 

Lava Beds National Monument, Tulelake, California

UPDATE: All Caves are Closed

The park is assessing the status of the caves due to seismic activity north of the park. All caves remain closed until further notice.

Created by volcanic activity, Lava Beds National Monument has 700 caves within the park. Depending on restrictions, visitors can explore 18 or so caves self-guided ranging in difficulty and length. Clean gear must be used in each cave to stop the spread of White-Nose Syndrome amongst bats. The caves once served as a hideout for the native Modoc people during the California War. 

Mushpot Cave, near the visitor center, is the only lighted cave and contains exhibits within it. Valentine Cave with its lavacicles and Symbol Bridge and Big Painted Cave with cave paintings and pictographs are popular caves to explore. The pale blue and green ceiling bring visitors to the intermediate Blue Grotto cave while the Golden Dome features gleaming walls when hit with a flashlight. The Catacombs Cave- a labyrinth of more than a mile of turning and twisting passages and Hopkins Chocolate with numerous arches are some of the most difficult but popular caves. 

Lava Beds National Monument is pretty isolated, which is all the more reason why the caves are so interesting. Within the park, be sure to see Captain Jack’s Stronghold—the site where the Modoc Captain Jack and his meager amount of warriors held off the U.S. Army for months. Worth a visit especially for bird lovers, the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1928 by President Calvin Coolidge to preserve habitat for birds and other animals. It is presently a staging area for migratory birds. Within the Modoc National Forest is a herd of over 4,000 wild horses managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Be on the lookout if you fish in the local streams or lakes. You may catch a few on a hike, or while biking through the forest. Grab a permit or stay under the five gallon bucket statute and go rock hunting and gold panning in the forest, known for its diverse minerals and rocks. 

Mammoth Cave National Park, Cave City, Kentucky

Mammoth Cave has more than 400 miles of passageways, making it the world’s largest cave system. Still today, the miles of passageways continue to grow as more is discovered. The system is stable made from limestone capped in sandstone. Five types of bats live in the caves as well as a sightless endangered albino shrimp called Kentucky cave shrimp. It is a recognized Unesco World Heritage Site. 

Currently, there are two main cave tours that visitors can reserve to explore the system with a guide. The Broadway Tour is a two-hour tour passing the Rotunda, the mining ruins at Booth's Amphitheater and Giant's Coffin. For those who do not like tight spaces or for younger or older visitors, the Mammoth Passage Tour takes guests past artifacts from prehistoric and historic people and to the larger rooms in the cave system. The Mammoth Passage Tour can also become a self-guided exploration. 

Before it became a national park, the area was home to over 30 rural communities. Visitors may be interested in seeing the historic churches and cemeteries from this time period. Next to the park is also Diamond Caverns with four tours available daily. The Kentucky Down Under Adventure Zoo puts you up close to kangaroos instead of caves. You can also mine for gems there. Dinosaur World features hundreds of life-sized dinosaurs and interactive exhibits. A visit to Big Mike’s Rock Shop is a must for geology lovers and collectors where you can cut your own geode and see the world’s largest fossilized mosasaur skull. Built like a cave, the Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum has 14,000 square feet of museum space and features exotic and sometimes rare animals including snow leopards, butterflies, bison and more.

Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Highlands, Utah

Well worth the 1.5 mile hike up a paved trail with 1,092 ft of elevation gain, a tour of Timpanogos Cave requires the accompaniment of a guide. As you head up to make your tour time, stop along the way and take part in heart-healthy activities, watch how time periods change with signage along the route, and take a photo at the very spot where visitors have been taking photos since 1922. 

The cave tour takes about one hour, with viewing of three solution caves connected by man made tunnels. Hansen Cave, Middle Cave and Timpanogos Cave feature many speleothems including cave bacon, ice cream, popcorn and the “Heart of Timpanogos,” a 5.5 foot tall calcite heart. 

Near Sundance Resort, you can find top-notch skiing, fishing and mountain biking as well as hiking to the two tiered Stewart Falls and to the summit of Mt. Timpanogos. A fall drive through American Fork Canyon brings some of the best aspen color in the United States. A short drive from the monument, Thanksgiving Point is a wonderful stop with children to see the butterflies and insects and visit the Museum of Natural Curiosity. Lehi Mills is a historic mill and features a store with yummy goodies including baking mixes, flour and breads.  

Wind Cave National Park, Hot Springs, South Dakota

The first cave in the world to be recognized as a national park, Wind Cave National Park is recognized as the densest cave system in the world. Open year-round, the park receives over 650,000 visitors a year. 

Home to the most complex formation of boxwork in the world (honeycomb), the caves at Wind Cave National Park, can only be viewed by private ranger tour. Basic tours run from 1 hour to 1.5 hours and vary in length and difficulty from ⅓ mile to 1k with 150 to 450 stairs. All tours offer visitors the chance to see boxwork and cave popcorn. They also offer specialty tours including exploring by candle light, the 16 years old and up Wild Cave tour, and wheelchair accessible tours.  

The prairie lands around the park are home to bison, pronghorn and elk. Be sure to enjoy some time exploring other parts of the park beyond the caves. Beyond a visit to Wind Cave, visitors should also add a tour of Mt. Rushmore and some animal spotting and recreation at Custer State Park to their to-do lists. Wall Drug is again, a must stop. A cluster of national parks and monuments are worth the drive from Wind Cave including Badlands National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument (also featured in this article) and Devil’s Tower National Monument, depending on the direction of your travel. 

Courtney Johnson is a freelance sports and parenting writer based in Erie, Colorado. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband AJ and six-year-old daughter Emma. Follow her adventures at http://adventureswithmylittleray.com.

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