An underground cave tour is
a “cool” way to spend the afternoon.
Story by Scott Staats
IMPENETRABLE DARKNESS. TOTAL SILENCE.
I flicked off the light and was engulfed by blackness. Not the kind you might expect on a moonless night—there were no stars, no distant lights. The darkness was absolute, total. I could not even detect my hand a few inches from my face.
Water dripped nearby with a constant tempo of a drop per second. The chilly air hung heavy with humidity and the underground volcanic walls seemed to close in around me. I flicked the flashlight back on and could see my breath.
I had joined a small group of cavers exploring Boyd Cave, a lava tube almost 2000 feet long located just southeast of Bend. Before going into the cave, Amy Davidson, our guide from Wanderlust Tours, talked about the high desert ecology, including the interaction of plants, animals, and climate.
Leaving the hot sunshine, we then made our way down a set of metal stairs and were immediately greeted with cool air hitting our faces. When warm air hits cooler air, the end result is moisture. This accounts for the interesting and unique vegetation at the mouth of the cave, which creates its own mini-ecosystem.
As we flicked on the lights and made our way into the 1860-foot long lava tube, Davidson explained its formation. Thousands of years ago, lava swept down from Newberry Volcano and flowed like rivers over the land. The edges of the flow cooled more rapidly than the center and started to rise, creating a levee. Eventually, the lava cooled to a point where a roof began to build over it. Think of a river freezing in winter where the water continues to flow, although the surface is frozen.
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Tour pauses to hear from interpreter in Boyd Cave (above). The lava tube caves southeast of Bend are ideal for kids of all ages (below).
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After the lava flow ceased, the last of the lava flowed out of the tube, leaving it empty. In places, the cave resembles a lava bowling alley, with gutters on the sides where the lava drained from the tube. Collapses in lava tubes can occur from cooling and shrinking, from freezing water that dislodges rock, or from earthquakes. Without these collapses, the caves would not have been discovered.
There are about 400 lava tubes in Central Oregon, according to Larry Chitwood, geologist with the Deschutes National Forest, though most people know only about the more popular ones. They were first used by Native Americans, most likely for ceremonies (many artifacts have been found in them), and later by white settlers as refrigerators. Remnants of whiskey stills have been found in some, and the government even looked at a few of the caves for use as bomb shelters.
Bats also make use of the caves, hibernating in most of them from October through April. At that time, people should stay out of the caves. During hibernation, a bat’s metabolism slows to only a few heartbeats per minute. If disturbed, they quickly use up their fat stores by flying around in the cave, which means that they won’t have enough to last the winter and will probably die. If they fly out of the caves in winter, there are no bugs for them to eat and they can die of starvation. Boyd is the only cave that people are allowed to go in year-round, since it doesn’t have bats.
There were a few places where we all had to get on our bellies and crawl through smaller passageways. Anyone suffering from claustrophobia may want to remain in the larger portions of the cave. Through these small openings, we could feel the air blowing by us. As the barometric pressure changes outside, the air moves in and out of the lava tubes. It’s almost like the caves are alive and breathing.
 Just about everyone’s favorite part of the day occurred at the end of the lava tube, where we all turned off our lights and sat immersed in blackness and silence for a minute or two. Few people ever experience such quiet, stillness, and complete darkness. Before we started back toward the entrance, Davidson told us about a spider-like creature that calls the cave home.
It’s about five feet long and has large claws and sharp teeth and… No, just kidding!
Actually it’s called a harvestman and is very similar to a daddy longlegs. Not long after explaining it to us, Davidson spotted one and pointed it out. The harvestman is not a true spider; it has 10 legs with the front two used to capture its prey.
We also saw some rootlets hanging down from the roof of the lava tube, which were most likely from large ponderosa pines. The cave floor at the entrance is about 30 feet below the surface while the end of the cave is about 60 feet below the surface.
After being in the cave for an hour or two, coming back to the warm surface felt like walking from winter right into summer. No matter the temperature outside, the lava tube remains a steady 45 degrees F year-round, so be sure to dress warmly and wear a sturdy pair of hiking boots. A headlamp and a small flashlight are suggested, and watch for low-hanging rocks if you don’t want to come back out with a lump on your head. There are a few collapsed sections that make for more difficult walking.
Wanderlust Tours leads two half-day cave tours each day. Cost is $42 for adults and $37 for kids under 12. Besides Boyd Cave, they also explore Skeleton and Wind caves, each near 3000 feet long. Each of the three caves offers a different level of ability—easy, moderate and difficult. (800-962-2862; www.wanderlusttours.com) |
Oregon
Oregon Caves National Monument
A local hunter discovered this unique cave system in 1874 when his dog chased a bear into a hole in the side of a southwestern Oregon mountain. There are about 3.5 miles of mapped passageways in this marble cave.
The monument is home to numerous cave invertebrates, one of the largest assemblages of these cave-dwelling insects in the country. Some of the deeper chambers have turned up fossils of a grizzly bear and a Pleistocene jaguar.
Guided tours ($8.50 per adults) are conducted by National Park Service staff through about 0.6 miles of the cave. Tours last up to 90 minutes and visitors have to negotiate some low, narrow passages as well as about 500 steps. Temperatures inside the cave remain about 44 degrees F year-round, so dress appropriately. (541-592-2100, x262; www.nps.gov/orca)
Washington
Gardner Cave
Gardner Cave, the third-longest limestone cavern in Washington, is found in Crawford State Park, in the northeastern corner near Metaline Falls. Tours of this 1055-foot-long cave reveal stalactites, stalagmites, rimstone pools, and flowstone.
Free guided tours, led by an interpretive specialist, take place during the summer every two hours beginning at 10 a.m. (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Tours last about a half-hour and include information about the cave and the surrounding area. Guides can accommodate up to 25 people per tour. (509-238-4258: www.parks.wa.gov/parks)
Ape Cave
The next time you’re in the Mount St. Helens area, be sure to stop by and explore the third longest lava tube in North America. Ape Cave is 13,042 feet long and was formed almost 2000 years ago from a lava flow. Highlights include lava stalactites, stalagmites, and flow marks on the walls and floor of the cave.
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Visitors have the opportunity to explore two different routes. The lower cave is a relatively easy 0.75-mile hike that takes about an hour round-trip. The upper cave is a bit more challenging at 1.5 miles long, and requires some scrambling over large piles of fallen rock. This section can take 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
During the summer, a national monument interpretive naturalist leads tours through the lower part of the cave. Be sure to call ahead for conditions as Mount St. Helens is still active and closures could be enacted. (360-449-7800)
Montana
Lewis & Clark Caverns
One of the largest limestone caverns in the Northwest, Lewis & Clark Caverns features a 2-mile, (of which 3/4 mile is within the cave) 2-hour guided tour with views of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and helictites, which are curved or twisted stalactite-like forms. The caverns are located 22 miles west of Three Forks and 18 miles east of Whitehall. Cave tours are daily from May through September. Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for kids. The tour includes some stooping and bending as well as rising 300 feet and descending 600 stairs. Dress appropriately with walking shoes and warm clothes in the 50-degree F cave. (406-287-3541)
Idaho
Minnetonka Cave
Minnetonka Cave, in southeastern Idaho, is the largest commercially developed limestone cave in the state of Idaho, and one of the highest, with an entrance elevation of 7700 feet. The cave is located in the Caribou National Forest 12 miles northwest of Bear Lake.
The developed part of the cave contains nine separate chambers; the largest, known as the Ballroom, measures more than 300 feet across and 90 feet high. Some of the larger displays of stalactites and stalagmites have been given names such as “Bride and Groom,” “Three Sisters,” “Miss Piggy’s Tail,” and “Kermit’s Castle."
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Guided 90-minute tours that cover a half-mile are conducted seven days a week, every half-hour, from about mid-June through Labor Day. Cost is $5 for adults and $4 for kids. Children under 6 are free. There are 444 steps down into the cave, which remains at about 40 degrees F year-round. (435-245-4422)
Shoshone Ice Caves
Shoshone Ice Caves feel like being in a big natural refrigerator, with temperatures ranging from 18 to 33 degrees F even when outside temperatures reach 100 degrees. The cave is three blocks long, 30 feet wide, and 40 feet high. According to local legend, a princess named Edahow was buried under the ice long ago. Visitors often report hearing strange voices and footsteps that seem to come from nowhere. The caves are open from May through September with guided tours daily. Cost is $7 for adults, $4 for kids five and up. (208- 886-2058)
British Columbia
Cody Caves Provincial Park
For the more adventurous spelunkers, Cody Caves Provincial Park provides excitement for the entire family. Located near Kaslo, this natural limestone cave system was discovered in the 1890s by silver prospectors. Sculpted by glacier-fed streams, the cave features unique calcite formations such as soda straws, flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, and rimstone dams.
Hiad Venture Corporation offers one-hour guided tours for an introductory caving experience and three-hour adventure tours that pass through tight spaces while bringing visitors
to seldom-seen parts of the cave. Tours cost from $15 to $50 (Canadian). The caves are open daily in July and August. (250-353-7364; www.codycaves.ca)
Northwest Travel July/August 2007 |
