Spelunking in RRG

Looking for some cave locations in/near RRG for spelunking. Heading to the red next week and the weather looks terrible so need some alternative activities...already planning a kayak trip down the upper red river and spelunking would be a nice addition. Haven't been able to find any specific information on cave locations and would like some.

Thanks,

Jake

Hey Jake, I'm no expert, but I believe that caving is frowned upon in and around the RRG, as they are trying to curb the influx of white nose syndrome that's becoming such an issue in the bat population.

The few caves that we used to go "explore" all have signs posted outside that cite white nose syndrome and ask people to stay out or face fines. I've even heard of rangers hiding out around the entrances to issue tickets on busy weekends, but who knows how true that is.

Not saying you can't find a place to go, but I would do some homework on access issues and the potential damaging impact of you being in there before just plunging into the first dark hole you come across. (couldn't resist)

Best of luck and hope you get some dry days.

There are 5 caves within 10 miles of my house so, FUCK THOSE BATS they should lay off of the meth that will keep their "noses" clean...These caves are not on government woods either

Try contacting one of these groups:

nssio.org/find_grotto_overv…

And say you are interested in "caving", not "spelunking" or you will be labelled as an infidel

Also, caving in the rain is frequently a bad idea. Make sure you know where you are going is safe....

I grew up caving in Indiana but gave it up when I started climbing....

Great Salt Petre and the surrounding area has a host of caves, it's due south of Lexington. As another poster commented I don't believe it is legal to go in caves at RRG.

Explored some caves there as a boyscout forever ago, well before I had any idea about climbing/etc. I'm way too fat now to fit where we went back then. Those were the days. I don't believe access was a big of an issue back then, but a couple/three decades have passed.

Mammoth Cave National Park is ~3hrs from Slade KY.. I haven't been there but it looks like an amazing place to visit.

Cavers are pretty protective about their caves. You are going to be hard pressed to find information online. Have you even went caving before? Do you know the basic dos and don'ts for caving? I would look these up then contact the local caving organizations.

Also, for the love of god, don't ask them to go spelunking.

Rich Bergstrom wrote:Mammoth Cave National Park is ~3hrs from Slade KY.. I haven't been there but it looks like an amazing place to visit.

If you've never done any caving, there are some options at Mammoth Cave-Intro to Caving Tour and Wild Cave Tours...

nps.gov/maca/planyourvisit/…

I am not as interested in a tour or anything guided...will take the family there when the kids are older. Appreciate the rec's though.

jcborin wrote:I am not as interested in a tour or anything guided...will take the family there when the kids are older. Appreciate the rec's though.

Yeah, I don't really like those kinds of things myself but they are good for people with no caving background or experience.

Have fun, whatever you end up doing.

Hi Jake,
Wondering if you ever figured out any accessible caves. I'll be cruising through KY and W VA on an upcoming trip. We plan to stop and do some clippy clippy and Red River and New River but have heard stories of amazing limestone caves in the area, or within a few hours.
For the rest of you, I'm an experienced big wall climber and guide from Yosemite with some caving exp. I would love to be shown or told about one of your gems without pissing off the locals, I can keep a secret and not thrash. I can even bring my 100m static 9mm and technical gear if needed. I'm not too interested in stairs or sidewalks, I like to get dirty.

Thank yeh

JoshP

Your best bet would be to talk to the guys at the Greater Cincinnati Grotto and hit up the caves in Rockcastle County. google.com/maps/dir/Red+Riv…

Josh,

I did contact the Cincinnati Grotto people and never heard back. I did somewhat extensive research and was not able to find anything that was substantial enough to make plans around. We did, however, kayak down an 8 mile stretch of the Red River which was awesome. There is some secret society of caving or something, it's a bit crazy by climbing standards. I do have a great cave to explore if you are ever in the Devils Lake/Baraboo Wisconsin area.

Best of luck and keep me updated if you find anything worth exploring!

Jake

jcborin wrote: There is some secret society of caving or something, it's a bit crazy by climbing standards.

That's putting it mildly.

I'm not quite on board with the secret society notion, I went to several meetings for the Greater Cincinnati Grotto and they were quite welcoming. I do think that Caver's are a bit more protective of their resources compared to climbers. Probably has to do with the barrier to entry, physically and technically, being lower for caving than it is in climbing. Anyways their is plenty of caving in Rockcastle county to make a trip worth it. 40 caves mapped on this website alone cavecartography.com/histori… and 100's more unmapped or on private property.
I would highly recommend checking out Pine Hill, a great caving excursion that would make the couple hours drive worth it. cavecartography.com/Old%20R…
If you're looking for more accessible/touristy or guided caves you might look at Mammoth Caves, the second largest caving system in the world.

Mark E Dixon wrote: That's putting it mildly.

I grew up in Indiana and started caving at age 12. I was a member of the NSS Grotto there &, yes, cavers are somewhat secretive, but I saw many of the more well known and popular caves in IN pretty much ruined by people who dumped trash, wrote graffiti on walls and intentionally broke off cave formations. To protect these natural resources, many cavers became very secretive.

Don't mean to be critical of cavers. I caved a bit here in Colorado a few years ago. Great folks, really enjoyed their company.

Got tired of the secrecy and got inspired to train for hard (for me) sport climbing so dropped out of the scene.

I get the vandalism risks, just seems like the secret handshake stuff is over the top sometimes.

Carter Caves State Park is close enough...

Mark E Dixon wrote:Don't mean to be critical of cavers. I caved a bit here in Colorado a few years ago. Great folks, really enjoyed their company. Got tired of the secrecy and got inspired to train for hard (for me) sport climbing so dropped out of the scene. I get the vandalism risks, just seems like the secret handshake stuff is over the top sometimes.

Yeah. I actually knew a guy in IN that would blindfold anyone he took on the drive to his "secret cave".
Cavers are a different breed in general.
I gave up caving a long time ago and never had any real desire to go since but to each their own...