Best / Most Beautiful 'Beginner' Caves: Anywhere in America

[breravin]

Hi Guys,

I've always been interested in cave diving and caves in general, but I've never had the opportunity to take some time and pursue my interest. So, this summer (in the next couple weeks) I'm going to be taking a trip across the country (Boston to LA), and I thought this would be a great opportunity to get my feet wet.

What caves would you recommend anywhere in the US that are 1) beautiful / the 'best' (I know this is subjective, but there has to be a general consensus for at least a few caves) 2) accommodating to extreme beginners like myself. I don't even care if that means it's a really 'touristy' cave.

Right now I'm looking into Niagara Cave or the Meramec Caverns because not only do they have a decent reputation, they are located at a good 'halfway' point, and will fit nicely into my timeline and travel routes.

If anyone thinks those are bad choices, or would like to chime in and recommend better caves, please speak up !

[stairman]

Boston to L.A seems to me to be in the wrong direction.Id say Mexico or North Florida.

[Me]

Carlsbad, Meramac, Mammoth & Luray.

[breravin]

Boston to L.A seems to me to be in the wrong direction.Id say Mexico or North Florida.

Heh, unfortunately the beginning and end location can't really change .

I'll look into Luray. I knew about Mammoth but I have to go through Cleveland, and Mammoth would take me a bit off track. Not that it's out of the question.

I think you need to specify whether you mean dry caves or underwater caves. The ones mentioned above are dry caves.

To go in underwater caves (which is what this forum is all about), even as a beginner, you need to be an experienced scuba diver (which maybe you are).

Hope this helps.

[breravin]

I think you need to specify whether you mean dry caves or underwater caves. The ones mentioned above are dry caves.

To go in underwater caves (which is what this forum is all about), even as a beginner, you need to be an experienced scuba diver (which maybe you are).

Hope this helps.

Ahhh, interesting. I didn't actually know that :/. I thought 'cave diving' referred to any form of cave exploration. Is there a proper term for 'just dry' exploration? Just 'caving'? Underwater would be amazing, but I'm definitely not there yet. So to your question: dry caves. I apologize for my clear ignorance.

Still, I welcome more suggestions.

[RN]

What's your intended route? For dry caves, there are a lot in the southwest. Check out NM and AZ. Kartchner Caverns, in Benson, AZ, is still alive and growing as a "dry cave". It's actually not even really dry; it's just not underwater. There's also Colossal Cave in Vail, AZ and Carlsbad Caverns in NM. These are all pretty touristy. If you can make just one of those, I definitely recommend Kartchner.

[breravin]

Great, thanks!

The route is fairly flexible, but the basic plan is follow a somewhat northern route, then cut down:

Boston - Pittsburgh - Cleveland - Chicago - Rapid City - Denver - Moab, UT - Southern Rim Grand Canyon (AZ) - ??? - LA

[Webmaster]

I would suggest contacting local grottos along the way for suggestions as they will be the most familiar with caves in that particular area. You can find these in your member's manual if you are an NSS member, or at

http://www.caves.org/io/grottos.shtml

Just a hint, most of your route does not exactly take you through the most cave rich areas of the country. There's not generally that much to see in the glaciated areas. If you really want to see some caves you should swing farther south, at least VA, W. VA, KY, MO, AR.

And if you're concentrating on commercial caves, you should try to make Mammoth Cave in KY. It is the longest cave in the world after all.

There are also forums on the NSS site http://forums.caves.org/ that are geared towards caving rather than cave diving.

Marbry

[breravin]

Just a hint, most of your route does not exactly take you through the most cave rich areas of the country. There's not generally that much to see in the glaciated areas. If you really want to see some caves you should swing farther south, at least VA, W. VA, KY, MO, AR.

And if you're concentrating on commercial caves, you should try to make Mammoth Cave in KY. It is the longest cave in the world after all.

Marbry

Ya, that's why I wanted to ask. Like I was saying, the route is flexible, and if there are 1 or 2 caves that can't/shouldn't be missed, I wanted to find out so I could adjust accordingly.