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  Whipple Cave Tradition dictates that you drive all night to get there and camp. We always did. The little scrub brush bushes that we saw in our slides were now 4 foot tall and very solid anchor points. I defaulted to rigging there and backing up to a rock. There were two bolts there, but I didn't trust them, never do. The cave was nice and cool and the passage was about 40 by 60 feet. This place always reminded us of Mexican borehole but it peters out after about 1200 feet.
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West Virginia
West Virginia will always be special to Don and I as this was our first trip back east to attend a caving convention. The motto then for the state was "West Virginia is for Lovers" and we loved being there for the caves. I was quickly struck by how easy the caves were. You can easily stroll along with a lantern if so inclined. The caves see a lot of water so they are conveniently solutioned out for ease of exploration. We were used to the faulting activity of California caves which contain lots of squeezes and canyon climbing. West Virginia caves are more like wild commercial caves with nature's own trail path built in.
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Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Timpanogos Cave National Monument sits high in the Wasatch Mountains. The cave system consists of three spectacularly decorated caverns. Helictites and anthodites are just a few of the many dazzling formations to be found in the many chambers. As visitors climb to the cave entrance, on a hike gaining over 1,000 ft in elevation, they are offered incredible views of American Fork Canyon
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Tennessee
Don and I went caving in Tennessee during a National Speleological Society convention. Of course it rained a lot but that is the reason for their spectacularly large cave systems. We went into Logging Road Cave and Cedar Ridge Crystal Cave, both in Tennessee. We also did a trip into Russell Cave in nearby Alabama during that convention. I love caving in TAG country, TAG affectionately referring to Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia in the caving community for the borehole passages in the caves of those states. In Russell Cave, we saw a bat in the stream. Our friend Patty saved it from drowning, warmed its wings in her hands and eventually it flew off. You just never know what you'll see in a cave.
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  Subway Cave Subway Cave is a huge lava tube with borehole walking passage that is ideal for all ages to enjoy. It is located off Highway 89 in Lassen National Forest. The gentle passages can be easily explored with flashlights. Cavers always have at least 3 light sources. As you can see from the map at the entrance, Subway extends about 1300 feet meaning you will encounter total darkness in the passages. That is because Subway is the largest accessible lava tube in the area, formed during a lava flow about 2000 years ago that covered the Hat Creek valley. When hot lava flows, the top begins to cool into rock. The hot lava continues to pour through, creating a large drain in essence, leaving a crust of lava that becomes a cave. The roof of Subway Cave can range between 8-24 feet thick of lava rock. The cave temperature averages a cool 46 degrees all year round. Admission is free for Subway Cave and there are self-guided trail signs throughout. Plan to visit late May - October when the cave is open. It is closed during the winter.
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Snake Creek Cave
Snake Creek Cave is the most popular wild cave in Great Basin National Park. The cave is known for its spectacular aragonite anthrodite and frostwork formations. Signatures from Morrison and Roland in 1886 show a long history of the cave's visitation. The Snake Creek Cave entrance is at an elevation of 6700 ft, and the cave is approximately 1700 ft long.
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Roppel Cave
The cave is in close proximity to Mammoth Cave National Park and the cave connection discovery linked the two caves together. It was always a caving joke then that the commercial Mammoth cave would pass the 500 mile mark.Roppel Cave became an official project of the NSS. In early 2004 the cave had 70 miles of surveyed passage. At present, the cave maps out at 96 miles and continues to grow.
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Pinnacles Cave
In the dry, mountainous region of the Mojave Desert there's a particular technical cave that is regarded in caving circles as something of a classic. That cave is Pinnacles Cave. It's located on a shoulder of one of the high peaks in the Spring Mountains. The meandering cave passage eventually leads to a passage that dead ends and you have to retrace your steps to get out.
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Oregon Caves National Monument
The Monument is located at an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) and nestled in the wooded slopes of the Siskiyou Mountains. The Siskiyou Mountains are part of the coastal mountain range of Oregon and California. When you visit, expect comfortable summer temperatures, snowy winters, and rain during the spring and fall.
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Mitchell Caverns
Mitchell Caverns are limestone caves that feature a wide variety of formations. Trips through the caverns are conducted by guided tours only and last about 1 1/2 hours. Although the tour is not strenuous, there is a half-mile walk to the cave entrance from the visitor center and another half-mile walk throught the caverns on uneven ground. The area became a California State Park in 1956 and still contains the only limestone caves in the California State Park system.
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Cave of the Madonna Carlsbad Caverns National Park
This cave is not to be taken lightly. It starts off with a very small gate and opens into swiss cheese with no floor. The first drop is roughly 250 feet, with at lest 200 feet of that in the wide open air of a stadium sized room. On one side, completely hidden in the blackness is a crack that leads the rest of the way to the bottom of the known cave.
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Lehman Caves National Park
Lehman Caves is a beautiful marble cave ornately decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone, popcorn, and over 300 rare shield formations. Lehman Caves may only be entered with a guided tour. Cave tours are offered daily, year round, except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Park rangers lead all tours, explaining the history, ecology, and geology of the caves
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Lava Beds National Monument
I've always felt that the Lava Beds National Park was one of California's best kept secrets. Even during a holiday one can easily find miles of land to enjoy without having to share. This is a paradise for those who like to play above and below ground. The park is filled with accessible lava tubes close to parking. Cave Loop is the ideal spot to spend the entire day hiking in and out of the designated lava tube caves. For those wanting a more wild experience, simply keep walking past the caves with names, to explore more lava tubes off the beaten trail. Guaranteed you will poke your head into holes that go. You don't have to be an avid cave explorer to enjoy the underground activity at Lava Beds with its more than 350 known caves.
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Thousand Steps Beach sea cave
There's a well kept secret beneath the cliffs of Orange County. Even if you know where the beach access is while traveling on the Pacific Coast Highway, it's still easy to miss. At the foot of the cliff lays a 214 foot sea cave with multiple entrances so you don't need light. Don and I were members of the survey team "Southern California Sea Cave Survey" that our friends formed many moons ago whose mission was to map all the sea caves along the California coast. We have the Thousand Steps Beach sea cave map hanging in our stairwell. The name Thousand Steps Beach is very appropriate as you must walk steep steps down the cliffs to get to the ocean. As you step off, head towards the left and you can't miss the cave. We suggest you visit during a low tide to be able to explore more safely
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Kickapoo Cavern State Park
Kickapoo Cavern State Park, formerly the Seargeant Ranch, is located approximately 22 miles north of Brackettville straddling the Kinney/Edwards county line. It comprises 6,368.4 acres of the southern Edwards Plateau. It was acquired in December 1986, and was opened to the public on a limited basis in 1991. There are 20 campsites, most with water or water nearby. We anticipate installing electricity in some of these campsites, pending design and funding. Restroom facilities are centrally located with one shower on each side. Development of trails and facilities will continue. The park abounds with wildlife including song birds, armadillos, turkey, ringtails, bobcats, deer, Mexican free-tailed bats in season, and many other species of wildlife can be observed.
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Jot Dean Cave
Don and I have been going to Jot Dean Cave for so long that we even have a picture of the signage when it was once called Jot Dean Ice Cave. We prefer the old name ourselves. That is because the old lava tube is still filled with surprises, including an ice wall with a small room behind it filled with ice crystals. For years the cave was naturally closed due to frozen ice blocking the entrance. Now you can crawl in and explore the cave, but be warned, you will most likely get a little wet from belly-crawling. As you can see from our recent slide show, the cave has major ice formations. Be sure to grab something warm to wear as you venture into the cave. It is a great way to stay cool on a hot day. Plus make sure your shoes have good traction. It's very easy to slip on the ice floor of Jot Dean Cave. But if you enter prepared, you will have the time of your life
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Indian Burial Pit Great Basin National Park
One of Great Basin National Park permitted caves, this cave is a natural trap and subsequently is of archeological interest. There is no natural rigging around the entrance so you will see us using our truck. The total drop is about 60 feet. The cave is short and sometimes has a snake waiting for the first person to descend. On each trip to Great Basin we make this a must see.
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Horsethief cave
While in Wyoming we were taken on a side trip near Cody. The road that we wound up on was incredibly bad, but waiting at the ned was an incredible gift. One of Wyoming's longest the total extent of the passage went unknown by the horse theives who occupied the entrance area. Horsethief cave was discovered in the early 1940's and was later gated and locked in 1972. Bighorn cave is due east of Horsethief, it was later discovered that the two caves were connected. The connection point has been plugged off due to the passage being before the gate in Horsethief. Horsethief was considered minor in size when compared to Bighorn cave, until a group of cavers discovered Denise's crystal crawl. That led to many people rushing to map and explore the new found passages.
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Kona, Hawaii
Don and I have been to Hawaii five times to explore the lava tubes. We don't really visit the usual tourist sites, we find our own caving trips take up all the time we have on the islands. But one time we did make it out to a wild animal park on Molokai. You can see us feeding the giraffes, which was such a treat. We also got great close up shots of the animals. When I think of Hawaii, I envision the lava tubes underground and the colorful, friendly fish that come up to you while snorkeling. I put my hand out while swimming and watched the parrot fish come up to me looking for food. One parrot fish even gummed me and that made me laugh out bubbles from my snorkel.
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Groaning Cave
Groaning is a phreatic cave meaning it was made by solutioned water under the static water table. In speleogenesis, phreatic action forms cave passages by dissolving the limestone or marble via the cracks or joints in the rock in all directions. So in other words the cave passages were carved underwater. The action left behind passages resembling a grid that makes it easy to get turned around. It's a high altitude maze that is confusing and easy to get lost in. The cave was discovered in 1968 and was officially surveyed in 1975. By 1995 it had 8.8 miles of surveyed passages. On the 2010 World's Longest Cave List, Groaning Cave came in at number 242 with a total surveyed length of 11.15 miles/17951 meters and a depth of 149 feet/45.4 meters. The cave sits at an elevation of 9800 feet and has a temperature of 38 to 42 degrees.
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Great Expectations
We had company last night and showed them our trip to Great X in Wyoming. I had just scanned those slides and Don and I were excited to revisit this highly sporting cave. It's so cold we had to wear wet suits. The cave has eroded in such a way that the dolomite has these tendrils that grabbed on like blackberry thorns to anything it could. To help protect my wet suit I put a tee-shirt over it. That was a mistake. Our friend Joe put nylon sweats over his wet suit that got shredded to ruin. But it was worth it…the cave has an incredible room called the Cephalopod Malt Shop with a white soda straw low ceiling and floor filled with ancient cephalopod fossils that are enormous. Cave temps are the annual average and this cave is freezing. So cold that Bob Montgomery, our leader on the trip, had to warm his camera batteries by rubbing his hands so he could take pictures. Luckily ours was working and we all got great shots in the Great Hall. You can't miss this room. It measures a quarter mile long. To demonstrate we took a multi exposure photo where Joe and I walked each side flashing blubs.
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Fossil Mountain
Where else to start but with one of my favorites and that's Fossil Mountain Ice Cave in Wyoming. We did this cave in our prime and it was still quite the feat. Don and I were both raised by the beach, at sea level. Doing the great alpine cave with all its altitude took our breath away literally and physically. The cave is tucked away in the Grand Tetons carefully protected with a steep scree slope. With every step up, one slides down two. It's much easier to enjoy this fine cave through this slide show. Taking camera equipment into high mountains to go underground into caves can add quite the pounds to a backpack, but seeing the photos, we're glad to take the endeavor. When you look at the slideshow you will see a spectacular ice cave. We couldn't stay in it for longer than 15 minutes as our body heat raised the temperature of the cave and it started raining ice crystals on us.
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Devil's Sinkhole
Devil's Sinkhole is an icon among cavers. Although the cave has been fully explored, when it is open for visitation cavers go nuts. It has also been featured in car commercials. The main attraction is the Devil's Sinkhole itself. It is a vertical cavern with an opening measuring approximately 40x60 feet and a vertical drop to the main cavern of about 140 feet. The main cavern is circular and reaches a total depth of 350-400 feet. Access to the park can be obtained only by contacting Devil's Sinkhole Society to prearrange a tour. Tours are by reservation only. The Devil's Sinkhole Society now offers Evening Bat Flight tours throughout the summer and Guided Nature hikes on the first and third Saturdays of every month except during hunting season. Day tours can be arranged with a minimum of three days notice. Reservations are required.
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Crystal Cave
One of the more challenging caves is located at 6232 feet elevation in Mountain Home State Forest in California. We have always referred to it as a climbers cave with its multiple rope drops in a wet, cold environment that has the reputation of giving cavers hypothermia. The extreme climate and vertical topography has lead to tightly controlled access by the park system. Cavers must go through a permit system and rigorous gear checks prior to entering the cave. Two people must also stand watch at the entrance in case of complications in the cave. The entrance is a culvert in the middle of a collapsed sinkhole with a 15 foot steel ladder. Several steep climbs lead to the first rope drop. Don and I were on the survey team for this cave that took a total of three trips and 19 cavers to complete. Total surveyed traverse was 621.6m, 2041 feet with a total depth of -126.3m, 415 feet. The most significant aspect of the cave is The Mountain Room, one of the largest underground rooms in California. This room also has beautiful white flowstone and a large white angle wing which you can see in the slideshow. Outside on the surface in the area we parked, there is a convenient giant sequoia tree which we used as a dressing room to suit up for a caving trip. The cave is freezing and challenging but I always couldn't wait to get in.
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The Grotto
Don and I have lived in Southern California all our lives, but we had yet to see The Grotto. The recent Malibu fires renewed our interest in the area and we went to visit The Grotto. It was a pleasant hike in with vegetation around. We followed the creek stream down about a mile and found interesting slot canyons and The Grotto. It's not in total darkness as the name implies, but you do get a good sense of being in a cave, especially with the waterfalls. There's also good exercise involved with all the boulder hopping, climbing, scrambling and dodging of the stream involved in getting to The Grotto. Located near Malibu and the ocean, the drive to and from adds to the pleasure of this trip
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Church Cave
Church Cave is like a second home to Don and me. It was the first wild cave we found together as a couple (he knew where to look). We did this cave on our honeymoon and landed jobs as cave naturalists. Two weeks after our wedding we were working at the commercial cave Boyden Cavern in Kings Canyon National Park in California. The cave has several entrances and miles of passages, so we never became bored. It was a different caving trip every night. Sometimes we crawled in one entrance and walked out another dripping wet from a waterfall climb. Other times we could be adventurous and rappel down a 300 foot drop to exit an hour and a half later, one of the faster routes in the cave. There was also the Circuit route which has a series of meandering "s" turns in a tight canyon with multiple climbs, chimneying and crawls; this is by far the longest and most strenuous of all the routes in the cave.
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Chumash Painted Cave
A fun place to visit that is off the beaten path of Santa Barbara is Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park. You can only peer into this splendid little sandstone cave but don't let that stop you from visiting. Inside the cave holds treasures in the way of well preserved drawings made by the Chumash Indians. The shelter cave is located near the road. On the other side of the road we heard water and went to explore. We followed a creek for a distance and discovered some nice watering holes for a swim. It was cold and foggy that day so we hiked back up the stream to the car. After visiting Chumash Painted Cave, our reason for the trip, we headed to Solvang and enjoyed walking around the city. Solvang is a dutch delight and it left us feeling like we were in a different country after walking back in time.
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Caverns of Sonora
Growing up near the ocean, I had never felt blistering heat until I went to Texas. During the day it was 120 degrees and the people we passed looked like they were melting. Driving into the state in the wee-hours we encountered thunder storms. It was the first time I had seen spectacular lightening storms, five different ones scattered in the night time sky. It made me uneasy to drive in it. They say everything is bigger in Texas and I believe it once I saw the humongous grasshoppers. The saying is also true when it comes to the caves. I saw some of the most unusual and largest wild cave entrances in Texas. The commercial Caverns of Sonora are worth the trip. The cave is beautiful and houses a famous formation that looks like a butterfly. The camp ground is home to elegant and very loud peacocks which are amusing to watch. Most campgrounds have squirrels, but in Texas at Caverns of Sonora, you get peacocks.
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Carlsbad Caverns National Park
There are many reasons to go to New Mexico and the most popular is for Carlsbad Caverns and the famed bat flight. The cave is exceptional for its easy access underground with wide trails and self led tours. Carlsbad goes for miles with different passages so it can be easy to find yourself alone and away from the large groups, once you get near the Boneyard, which is also the area where they filmed the original "Journey to the Center of the Earth" movie with Pat Boone in the 1950s. There's also a cafeteria below ground where you can purchase lunch box meals, and an elevator for the way out.
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Baker Creek Lehman Caves National Park
In 1958, Arthur Lange investigated the caves of the Baker Creek area for the Western Speleological Institute and concluded that there was once only one system that was cut through the Baker Creek area (Bridgemon 1964). Ice, Crevasse, and Wheelers Deep Caves have been physically connected through cave exploration. Model, Systems Key, and Dynamite Caves have been shown to be connected to Ice-Crevasse-Wheeler Deep hydrologically. Lehman Caves may only be entered with a guided tour. Cave tours are offered daily, year round, except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Park rangers lead all tours, explaining the history, ecology, and geology of the caves. When we entered the Baker Creek Caves we did so with the Rangers at headquarters full knowledge and were permited to do so.
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Ape Cave Mt St Helens Volcanic National Monument
Gather up three sources of light, a helmet with chin strap, warm clothing, boots, and head out to Ape Cave in Washington. The cave was constructed by a pahoehoe flow of molten lava that originated from the southwest flank of Mount St. Helens. Ape Cave is 12,810 feet or 3.9 kilometers and you can do a complete through trip from one entrance to the other. If you plan to do this, make sure you are up to a canyon up climb that requires actual climbing up and over large piles of rock. The lower cave is an easy 0.75 mile hike that takes about a hour.
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Anza Borrego Mud Caves
With nearly 500,000 acres Anza-Borrego is the nation's second largest state park. It is a low desert with its lowest part 100 feet below sea level, rising 6,000 feet at the high point in the San Ysidro Mountains. The park gets its name from explorer Juan Bautista DeAnza who pioneered a route through the vast rugged wilderness to Alta California from Mexico in 1774. The park has 600 miles of mostly unpaved roads. There is a lot to see in Anza, including mud caves.
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