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Local experts talk about favorite caving spots in Utah
Written by Megan C. Wallgren
Friday, 22 August 2008
If spending the day in the dark is your idea of fun, there are a surprising amount of opportunities for spelunkers in and around Utah. Local cave photographer and cartographer Brandon Kowallis estimates there may be 600 caves in Utah. These cave experiences range from guided tours to dangerous expeditions best left to experienced spelunkers.
Kowallis said many of Utah’s caves are vertical, some as deep as 1,230 feet. Others are desert caves more accessible to people with less technical experience.
Fee-based guided tours are available at Timpanogos Cave in American Fork Canyon, Minnetonka Caves in Idaho near Bear Lake, and Lehman’s Cave just across the border in Nevada. These tours are accessible to all ages and are not overly physical.
Timpanogos offers an introduction to caving tour that takes beginning spelunkers to Hansen’s Lake, not on the regular tour. The tour is available to those in good physical condition age 14 and over. Tickets are $15 per person and the group is limited to five people. For information visit the Timpanogos National Monument page at NPS.gov.
Timp guide Barbara Reese says her favorite cave is Crystal Ball Cave near Gandy, Utah. Calcite crystals and other formations cover most of the cave walls and floors. “I love the cave crystal, it’s everywhere so it sparkles.†Reese said.
“It’s like walking in a geode,†said Kowallis.
Crystal Ball is also a guided tour experience for a $5-per-person fee. For more information, contact Jerald Bates at (435) 693-3145.
Kowallis’s favorite is the Main Drain cave he’s been exploring in northern Utah where he’s found 250-foot pits with waterfalls going down the sides.
Kowallis said the best way to get into spelunking is by joining a grotto of the National Spelunking Society. There you can get technical instruction and join experienced cavers on expeditions.
There are a few different grottos in Utah. Visit caves.org to find one close by.
“Cavers mostly keep the locations a secret because it’s something we value a lot and we hate to see someone go in and trash it,†Kowallis said. “It’s something that took millions of years to form and if you trash it, it’s gone.â€
There also are safety concerns with inexperienced people going into caves. Kowallis and his brother have been called out to many search and rescues, a good number at Nutty Putty caves, a popular place for beginners to cut their teeth.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing you can get seriously hurt,†he said.
Kowallis said spelunking attracts people with a wide variety of interests. You’ll meet geologists, biologists, archaeologists and historians all interested in what the caves can teach them.
The one thing they have in common is an appetite for adventure. “It’s a chance to go somewhere where no one else has been. They are some of the last unexplored places on the planet,†said Kowallis.
Written by Megan C. Wallgren
Friday, 22 August 2008
If spending the day in the dark is your idea of fun, there are a surprising amount of opportunities for spelunkers in and around Utah. Local cave photographer and cartographer Brandon Kowallis estimates there may be 600 caves in Utah. These cave experiences range from guided tours to dangerous expeditions best left to experienced spelunkers.
Kowallis said many of Utah’s caves are vertical, some as deep as 1,230 feet. Others are desert caves more accessible to people with less technical experience.
Fee-based guided tours are available at Timpanogos Cave in American Fork Canyon, Minnetonka Caves in Idaho near Bear Lake, and Lehman’s Cave just across the border in Nevada. These tours are accessible to all ages and are not overly physical.
Timpanogos offers an introduction to caving tour that takes beginning spelunkers to Hansen’s Lake, not on the regular tour. The tour is available to those in good physical condition age 14 and over. Tickets are $15 per person and the group is limited to five people. For information visit the Timpanogos National Monument page at NPS.gov.
Timp guide Barbara Reese says her favorite cave is Crystal Ball Cave near Gandy, Utah. Calcite crystals and other formations cover most of the cave walls and floors. “I love the cave crystal, it’s everywhere so it sparkles.†Reese said.
“It’s like walking in a geode,†said Kowallis.
Crystal Ball is also a guided tour experience for a $5-per-person fee. For more information, contact Jerald Bates at (435) 693-3145.
Kowallis’s favorite is the Main Drain cave he’s been exploring in northern Utah where he’s found 250-foot pits with waterfalls going down the sides.
Kowallis said the best way to get into spelunking is by joining a grotto of the National Spelunking Society. There you can get technical instruction and join experienced cavers on expeditions.
There are a few different grottos in Utah. Visit caves.org to find one close by.
“Cavers mostly keep the locations a secret because it’s something we value a lot and we hate to see someone go in and trash it,†Kowallis said. “It’s something that took millions of years to form and if you trash it, it’s gone.â€
There also are safety concerns with inexperienced people going into caves. Kowallis and his brother have been called out to many search and rescues, a good number at Nutty Putty caves, a popular place for beginners to cut their teeth.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing you can get seriously hurt,†he said.
Kowallis said spelunking attracts people with a wide variety of interests. You’ll meet geologists, biologists, archaeologists and historians all interested in what the caves can teach them.
The one thing they have in common is an appetite for adventure. “It’s a chance to go somewhere where no one else has been. They are some of the last unexplored places on the planet,†said Kowallis.