In 1900, two men discovered a hole about 14” in diameter
with wind blowing from it.
They enlarged
the hole and found a cave.
Thinking it
would surely contain gold they quickly filed a claim.
They soon learned that the cave’s rock
(calcite spar crystal) was a type that did not contain gold. This is the third
largest cave in the world and spans more than 181 miles to date. Much has not yet
been explored.
The guided tour takes you
down 379 feet via elevator then you walk trails, stairs and catwalks to get
back to a shorter elevator ride.
It’s 48
degrees inside so you want to dress warm and wear good shoes—they won’t let you
in with flip flops!
It’s a good idea to
reserve tickets ahead as they sell out on summer days.
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| you can see the calcite in white and it's actually about 6-8 inches thick |
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| water drips on the calcite causing the cones |
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| catwalk inside |
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| platform on the tour, there are lights throughout the cave |
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| entry and visitor center in the background |
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| map of the passages |
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| bacon calcite creates a drapery effect, orange color is due to iron content |
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