Travel Guides Outdoor Adventures
Daniel Feininger
Spelunking and cave camping remain in a somewhat fringe adventure sports realm. But if you’re willing to unearth, either one can make for an unforgettable outdoor voyage that offers breathtaking natural scenery and a totally novel experience with each new adventure, even when exploring the same cave system on repeat journeys. Spelunking — sometimes called caving — sees adventurous explorers traversing the bowels of a cave complex. Many caves in the United States offer tens or even hundreds of miles of underground pathways and passages, many of which have still yet to be explored by caving enthusiasts.
Some of the most spectacular U.S. National Parks involve gigantic labyrinthine cave systems, like Mammoth Cave National Park or Great Basin National Park. Still, more parks and landmark sites cover subterranean cave structures that make for phenomenal exploration and even camping opportunities.
The art of spelunking requires patience, planning, a marked calmness, and a certain baseline level of stamina and strength. But for those who are ready to brave the darkened depths of the Earth, there’s nothing quite like this unique adventure sport that combines a natural curiosity with a specialized and unforgettable terrain that so few get to experience.
Spelunking isn’t the same as a guided cave tour
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The first thing that a beginner spelunker should understand is the difference between caving and a cave tour. Touring a cave involves descending into the Earth with an experienced cave guide. Guides will walk visitors through every step of a preplanned route through the cave system. These tour routes may even be marked inside the cave to make the adventure more controlled. Touring a cave is a great way to get into the game, but it’s not the same thing as true spelunking or caving.
Instead, cavers will be responsible for planning and executing their own route through a cave system. The caves they explore may be marked out with signs, rope lines, and other features, but the adventure is a sort of choose-your-own experience rather than a guided exploration padded out with bubble wrap. Cavers carry maps and often try to memorize as much as they can of the caves they plan to explore. Then, in groups, spelunkers venture into the depths to get closer to nature in a gritty and tactile way. Spelunking involves climbing, crawling, swimming, and squeezing through passages.
It’s active exploration at its finest, and sees brave adventurers depart from the beaten (and lit) path to strike out on their own journey of discovery — often adding a bit of self-discovery into the mix as well. It’s no wonder then why spelunkers are drawn to the sport.
Caving can be dangerous, but it doesn’t have to be
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The thrill of walking into a cave without a guide may seem like an extreme sport that might kill you. But the reality is that caving doesn’t actually have to be very dangerous. The unexpected terrain and tight spaces can cause injury, certainly, but mortal danger doesn’t often factor into the exploration of cave systems. This isn’t because spelunking isn’t dangerous.
Caving is absolutely surrounded by a layer of hazards throughout the experience. To mitigate risk, meticulous planning and preparation are required for serious cavers looking to embark on a successful journey into the Earth’s lower regions. Planning makes caving safer, and for most people exploring these spaces, the endeavor is stamped more by preparation and safe procedural exploration than by dangerous maneuvers or hazardous cavern chambers.
Experts in the sport note that caving carries a lower risk of injury or fatality than driving in traffic, but some specific risks do factor into the experience, and cavers should be wary of them. For instance, drowning can happen in caves that include watery passages. Water is a particular hazard because of the lighting conditions and unknown terrain of a cave. It’s possible to end up trapped beneath the water or swim into a cavern with a much longer submerged section than expected. Similarly, rockfalls can injure or trap cavers, but this isn’t a common feature of well-known cave sites. Hypothermia and exhaustion can also sap a caver’s energy and put them at risk.
Why camp in a cave?
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Beyond the “standard” exhilaration of spelunking, some cavers take their adventure a step further and actually camp in the cavernous environments that they’ve chosen to explore. Camping in caves is a sort of return to primitive human existence. Some of the most enduring expressions of human (and protohuman species that walked the Earth even earlier) artwork and communication take the form of cave carvings, drawings, and stains. Adding their stamp to the human narrative has left modern scientists with a clearer image of what life may have been like all those millennia ago.
Today, campers looking to brave the wilds of the world retreat into cave systems to explore and camp, bringing them closer to an otherworldly snapshot of nature. Caves often appear physically divergent from the structures and patterns that are found in any other part of the Earth, so camping underground in these environments brings cavers into a truly spectacular universe that almost no one else will ever experience.
In terms of practicality, however, shallow caves also offer themselves as a great place for a hiker looking to shelter from the elements. A hiker out in the backcountry might stop for a rest in a cave they’ve found to get in, and out of a torrential rain storm, or hide away from extreme winds. Depending on the environment, however, fire may be out of the question, so artificial lighting and cold-prepared meals are a must for anyone thinking of camping in an enclosure.
Some equipment considerations
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Your equipment needs will often depend primarily on the type of cave you plan to explore. On the whole, most spelunkers will do one of four types of caving: dry caving, wet caving, vertical caving, and diving in cave environments. Cave diving is particularly interesting and allows experienced scuba divers to explore some of the most pristine depths on the planet.
For most cavers, the experience will involve climbing around within the subterranean world rather than donning scuba gear and submerging into an aquatic underworld. Even so, wet caving will bring spelunkers into contact with some level of water inside the caverns and require additional clothing and other pieces of equipment to support warmth, grip, and other safety considerations. Regardless of the conditions inside the cave you’re targeting, a helmet, headlamp (and a backup), additional lighting, rugged boots, and a small backpack or waistbelt will act as packing essentials. A helmet will keep your head protected against sudden bumps off the cave ceiling — and will even provide padding if you fall while climbing a vertical wall.
No matter the cave, a good pair of shoes is a must. The last thing you want to do is tear a sole or puncture a shoe and then have to deal with wet, sharp, or cold surfaces and conditions. As well, for campers, many caves won’t be conducive to creating fires. Inside a deep cave system, there’s no way for the smoke to escape the chamber. This means that accidental asphyxiation is a real concern if you light one. Cold prep meals are therefore the norm when preparing for an extended stay in these environments.
Additional packing considerations
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In addition to the typical packing lists, cavers need to bring additional padding, water, and maps of the environment they’re exploring, if possible. For climbers, a harness, ropes, and carabiners are added to the packing list. Maps are a key resource in any caving environment, as a map of the subterranean space can help you return to the surface. These natural environments weren’t built for navigation by humans. Instead, caves showcase a randomness that presents both a unique challenge and an exciting accomplishment for those who enter its depths. Many caves have been mapped out by previous explorers, and while it may be impossible to highlight every inch of a cave’s network, cavers are constantly adding to the library of known spaces.
Beyond the detailed maps, there are a few added pieces of gear that cavers will want to add to their list. Elbow and knee pads round out the protective mission that your helmet starts, and a third backup lighting solution will ensure that you never find yourself shrouded in darkness and pawing around in an attempt to escape a cave’s depths.
Clothing specifics will be unique in every cave environment, but a basic set of principles should always be adhered to. Layering up is a must, and your outer layer should be rugged and durable to provide as much skin protection as possible. You may end up tearing items on sharp rocks, for instance. Breathable fabrics that offer some water resistance (or lots) are a good idea, too. Warm, but not hot, is your happy medium when slogging through a cave.
Understand the challenges and go with the flow
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Caving isn’t an activity that should be undertaken lightly. Anyone who finds themselves spending time in a cave will be intimately familiar with the challenges and demands of this adventure sport. For one thing, spelunkers know that from nearly the instant you enter a cave, you’ll become immensely dirty. The level of dirt and grime coating your body and clothing will only progress as you continue to maneuver through the space. For those who might not like the idea of trekking around covered in dirt and soaked in water, sticking with more straightforward cave tours might provide the best exposure without the full nitty-gritty experience.
In addition to dirtying yourself up while traversing a cave system, spelunkers will need to remember that these natural constructions come in all shapes and sizes. Climbing up walls, squeezing through gaps, and jumping down holes are all part of the experience. The most enjoyable times you’ll have while caving often involve some of the more adventurous maneuvers. It’s important to understand the challenge that any cave poses when preparing to explore its depths. If you remember this and can simply go with the flow — not stressing over the little things or the challenges your route creates — you’re more likely to look back fondly on the trip.
Avoid hazardous maneuvers and never go alone
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First and foremost, no one involved in the sport of caving should ever take on an environment alone. The consequences can be extreme, even as a result of minor difficulties or small setbacks. On a lighter note, the adventure that comes from spelunking is one best shared with others. Interacting with a cave on your own won’t create the rich memories of overcoming obstacles and defying the natural barriers standing between you and your group’s progression across the terrain.
More importantly, however, problems in a cave can arise without warning, and in the most extreme of circumstances, they can come with dire consequences. If your light fails, for instance, finding your way out of the cave becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible. If you’ve packed properly, the likelihood of this occurring is incredibly slim, but with a group of cavers who each carry additional backups, the threat of a blackout is virtually nonexistent. Additionally, it’s possible to slip and fall, potentially requiring support from others as you continue through the cave or to make your way back out. Going solo means that this support system won’t be in place and even a small hiccup can balloon into a problem that’s far more difficult to manage.
Consider these guided spelunking adventures to whet your appetite
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Guided tours are the best way to whet your appetite for a more comprehensive caving adventure. As is the case with any new hobby or sports participation, you’ll need to ease into the full nature of the experience. A guided tour through a well-established cave will bring you down into the environment and give you a chance to marvel at the unique spectacle that is the subterranean world beneath our feet.
Destinations like the Louisville Mega Cavern in Kentucky, or Mammoth Cave National Park near Bowling Green and Brownsville make for a wonderful entry point with marked trails and knowledgeable guides who will both lead visitors through this space and answer any questions concerning the cave system itself or the sport of spelunking in general. Jewel Cave, a space named for its shimmering spar crystals, is another fabulous place to get into the spelunking game. Near Custer, South Dakota, the cave’s 215-plus miles of tunnels and passages make for a sight you’ll be hard-pressed to forget. Tours include a discovery adventure or a wild tour that brings adventurous visitors off the manicured walkways and into a more challenging, but still marked-out path.
The Mega Cavern in Louisville, Kentucky, is perhaps one of the least “wild” underground spaces a visitor might explore, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great option. The cave is actually classified by the state as a building. Inside, visitors will find a teeming hall filled with passageways with pillars that echo the environment of past miners. Here, you can rope climb, brave the obstacle courses, and participate in many other adventurous activities inside this space that functions almost as a theme park of sorts.
Spelunking across the USA
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Once you’re ready to take on the challenge of spelunking on your own, the task quickly turns to finding caves that you and your partners can traverse. Mammoth Cave’s enormous system makes for both a great beginner’s jumping-off point and a welcoming cavern that green spelunkers can venture into on their own. The National Park Service offers a Wild Cave Tour that retains the experienced guides but departs from the well-trodden path of the main tour areas. Here, cavers can voyage through some of the cave’s most impressive natural formations, untamed by footpaths or walkways. This type of tour is the perfect transition for those looking to get into spelunking.
Travelers also suggest the Caverns of Sonora (a National Historical Landmark) on Tripadvisor, about three hours west of San Antonio, Texas, as a great transitional spot for budding spelunkers. A wild tour includes squeezing through tight gaps and rappelling down to lower sections of the cave floor. For those who have scratched the itch and begun a new life of spelunking, the best opportunities will come through conversation. Any chance you get to speak with fellow cavers will grow your knowledge base and help you find new and exciting caves to explore — you might even add a few like-minded friends along the way who will join you in your pursuit!
American caves with the best camping opportunities
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Cave camping remains a fabulous recreational activity. From Mammoth Cave’s Mammoth Cave Lodge to the cavernous innards of subterranean systems across Oregon, Florida, and the central expanse of the United States, camping or reserving a room in a built-up cave hotel makes for a spectacular night. Appalachian Trail hikers suggest a variety of cave systems along the East Coast’s crown jewel of outdoor adventure, including Pinnacle Cave in Pennsylvania, Emily’s Cave in New Hampshire, and Ellison’s Cave in Georgia.
That said, Appalachian Trail hikers (both thru-hikers and segment explorers) often find themselves straying away on side explorations and camping under the shelter of a rock face. Hikers will be quick to note, however, that their favorites often remain a bit of a secret — especially in online forums. The best way to uncover the trail’s most breathtaking cave camping environments is to traverse its length and speak to other hikers about places they’ve had the privilege of finding.
Other cave-based evenings can be found throughout the middle of the country. Tennessee sports the highest volume of caves in any American state (with roughly 10,000 spread throughout). It’s here that you’ll be able to find some great in-cave camping opportunities, including the truly breathtaking Cumberland Caverns. A night in the cave system requires a reservation, but you won’t need a tent and can book your evening with a large or small group.
