Caves

[AustinBoston]

There are more than a few caves and caverns in the National Park system.  Several parks and monuments have caves as their centerpiece:

Carlsbad Caverns National Park - NM
Jewel Cave National Monument  - SD
Mammoth Cave National Park - KY
Oregon Caves National Monument - OR
Russell Cave National Monument - AL
Timpanogos Cave National Monument - UT
Wind Cave National Park - SD

In addition, many National Park facilities, while not centered on caves, contain caves.  Parks such as Acadia National Park in Maine, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin, Craters of the Moon National Monument in Oregon, Lava Beds National Monument in California, Hawai

[ScouterMom]

I'm a little claustrophobic - so most caves don't interest me.  much.  

But I did stay at Mammoth Caves on my honeymoon, and it was beautiful and so amazing!  

A few years ago, my mom, son and I  drove down from IL to Lake Seminole Ga to visit my aunt.  Jon and I were very interested in the many cave places in KY and TN, but were not able to explore with my 80 yr old mother in tow. (We didn't have the camper then, and stayed in hotels )

Our Boy Scout troop loves caving.  But the caves in the midwest are dissapointing, at best.  I guess the glaciers make for great scenery above ground, but they packed everything too tight underground!  The few caves available to the boys are vastly over used, abused and worn.  or they are very small and only allow touring on a guided, railed 'trail' tour.

The troop would love to do some caving where they can get down and crawl thru the muck with headlights.  they used to go to a private place in Indiana, where someone let them got thru a cave on his property - but it became an issue of safety ( no trained people to take the boys thru), and that some of the caves people were exploring from his entrance, were not on HIS property.  The place shut down, and we haven't found a good place for the boys to go since.  It's further difficult because if the boys go on a weekend, when parents and leaders can go with them -  it has to be within a reasonable driving distance. the troop used to have an old bus, and Will remembers the old Indiana caving trip taking a LOOOONG time (he says it seemed like about 10 hrs!) but that could have been partly due to the distance, and partly due to the old bus!  

Do you know of any decent caving that the boys might be interested in around the midwest? say within a 4-5 hr drive of Chicago?

thanks -

Laura

[AustinBoston]

Do you know of any decent caving that the boys might be interested in around the midwest? say within a 4-5 hr drive of Chicago?

These two (one in a state park) are tourist caves.  I don't think they would be able to vary from the "railed trail" as you call it.  They are in far southeastern Minnesota.

Niagara Cave is a modest cave in Harmony, MN, near the Iowa/Wisconsin border.

Mystery Cave is part of Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, again in far souteastern Minnesota.  The state park includes camping (about 5 miles from the cave itself).  I don't know if there are any off-trail tours.

I have seen both of these caves, and while I would not rate either of them as A+ caves, they have their interesting points.  I don't know if they are within 4-5 hours of Chicago; you would take I-90 all the way.

Austin

[austinado16]

Been to the Oregon Caves several times.  Very cool!

Also, there are caves in Ely, Nevada a couple-o-hundred miles north of Las Vegas.  Very cool as well!!!

[haroldPE]

Very nice write-up.  I've been spelunking in Indiana, outside Bloomington years ago - Bucner's, Salamander, Coombs, etc. - I undersand many of those caves are not open any longer(?).  Fantastic journeys and the thrill of spelunking is unmatched by guided cave touring.