While the bats are sleeping in the front of the cave, we will be entering into the back of the cave after a quarter mile hike to the cave entrance. Bat Cave is a completely wild cave with the exception of the cave gates. This trip is a combination of walking, duck walking, scrambling over breakdown piles, creek crossings, belly slides, and hand and knee crawls. You get the whole package with the cave being a combination of dry, muddy and wet. How wet you get depends on how merciful your guide is.

Bafflement, Discombobulation?.Surprise!! These are just a few of the words that could potentially describe this free-for-all trip into Carter Caves State Resort Parks largest cave system! 40 spaces??.2 sets of guides??choose your adventure!! You get the whole package with the cave being a combination of dry, muddy and wet. How wet you get depends on how merciful your guide is.

This trip will show you that Bat Cave does not have to be a cave for beginner cavers. On this trip you will visit most of the tight long crawl passages found within the cave. This trip consists of some walking passage, extended hand and knee crawls, rock scrambling, and belly crawls that will leave you wet, muddy, sore and exhausted.

Take a trip into Cascade Cave and see it like the old timer's (e.g. John Tierney) back in the day. We will go caving in Cascade Cave with only carbide lamps, and ONLY old-style carbide lamps. No newer type carbide generators, LED's or battery-powered lamps will be allowed. This trip will show you how the cave looked to the early explorers of the area when all they had was flame-type carbide lamps. We will tell you the history of the carbide lamp and how its simple design brought dependable light to miners and cavers throughout Kentucky back in the early 1900's. We will show you the exact spot where back in 1923, John Tierney scared a hibernating bear and then accidently blew out his carbide lamp and was stuck in the cave for two days until he was rescued by park staff. This is but one of many stories associated with this cave. If you have an older type carbide cap lamp that is in working order please bring it. We will also supply carbide lamps for the rest of the group to use. There will be some stooping, bending and crawling involved so level 2 caving equipment is required minus the lights.

This is an extensive cave system with many dusty crawling and walking passageways. The dust will be flying in the crawls so if you have breathing problems this is not the trip for you. Highlights include encountering the famous Bills Crawl, a 100 ft. belly crawl utilizing only your elbows and toes. The trip to the cave entrance is a 300 ft. climb up a 30 degree banking, so you should be in good health to participate in this trip and have past caving experience. This cave is one with a long history including a short stint as a commercial cave in the late 1800s. In case of cold weather, it is suggested you wear a coat to the cave entrance and leave it until the return. Note: 20 miles of car travel roundtrip. These caves are on private property and we have permission to visit them during Winter Adventure Weekend Only!

Cascade Cave has been developed for commercial tours, but the fun begins when you head into the darkness and leave the tourist route behind. Participant will get a chance to walk the commercial routes and enjoy the formations along with scrambling over breakdown, attempting some duck walking, and experiencing some hand and knee crawls. Cascade is one of the largest caves found at park, and in my opinion, this tour is one of the best ways to appreciate its size. This tour, unlike the commercial tour, will cause some of those assorted aches and pains associated with caving.

On this Friday Night Crawl we will be warming up Bat Cave for the weekend. After a 1/4 mile walk into the dark forest you will enter the dark underground world of Bat Cave. Plenty to see on this trip with a mix of walking passage, rock scrambling, hands and knee crawls, belly slitherin all with a taste of mud and water. After all is said and done this trip will get you itchen to get back to cavin the rest of the weekend! .

Find some hidden secrets in these wild and once often-visited park caves. Dripping dome rooms, scalloped rock passages, huge breakdown, a belly-crawl connection between caves, and a room filled with dozens of mini bathtub-like dams are just a few of the treasures you'll discover. These caves contain active streams. Be prepared to have wet feet, wet hands, possibly more if you slip! Water bottle/snack suggested. Total outdoor hike of at least 1.5 miles required over hilly terrain, so be mindful of the weather and dress appropriately!

A trip to one of the less well-known caves in the Park. Discovered in 1984 and originally named Coon-in-the-Crack Cave, this short and less-known-and-visited cave has both crawlway and pit entrances (pit negotiated with a ladder). The western half of the cave is vaguely suggestive of how Saltpetre Cave must have looked prior to mining and commercialization. The trip will include a hike to and from the cave.

Prepare for an expedition into the depths of the earth and your imagination. We'll take a mock multi-day cave expedition to a base camp in the ancient cave system of the Cascades. Cavers will team up with Sherpa's to setup a deep base camp as we spend one Friday night in the cavern. Once camp is set we will take off and do some exploring of the unknown passages that lies ahead. We will likely encountering passages requiring stooping bending and crawling so level 2 cave gear is required. All overnight gear is to be supplied by the participant including a required 3 sources of light. Gear must be limited to cold weather camping gear and a tarp or piece of plastic to keep your gear on. Bring caving stories, caving questions, and caving lies to share around the base camp. All participants 17yrs and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, no exceptions!

Sandy Cave has a huge and long trunk passage that is part of the Cascade Cave system. It also provides some interesting areas that are accessed by crawling and climbing. The entrance is through a karst window with a 70-foot pool of deep water at its bottom. The guides intend to lower a john boat to the pool and offer a boat ride to dry land. This is subject to cancellation if potential flooding conditions occur. Participants must help carry the boat through the woods for 1/2 mile to the cave on Friday afternoon trip and from the cave on the 10:00 Sunday morning trip. This cave is only accessible during Winter Adventure Weekend!

Tucked back in the woods of Carter Caves State Park is a cave that is noted for its large passages. Instead of electric light we will explore this cave, like the explorers of yore, in the soft ambiance of lantern light. Although you should bring your electric lights for safety purposes we request that they remain off during this trip. Past experience has shown us that adults appreciate this particular trip more than children. This is subject to cancellation if potential flooding conditions occur. This cave is only accessible during Winter Adventure Weekend!

This trip into Bat Cave is perfect for first-time cavers of all ages! We will see a little mud, a few puddles, and maybe a bat or two; learn some safe-caving guidelines; hear some spooky cave stories; and find out the REAL reason caves are dark. It is mostly walking with a short crawl, and you will never be more than five minutes from the entrance if you decide that caving is not your thing. If you do not have a helmet and headlamp we can provide that for participants upon request. This will satisfy the requirement for a helmet with a chin strap and headlamp.

A BIG cave, with numerous entrances, and just getting there is a challenge. You'll hike about a half mile to the cave through cow pastures and steep sloping hills and maybe snow and ice, and then you must decide, "How wet do I really want to get?" Understand that eventually you'll be making that half mile hike back to your vehicle. Wet gear is recommended if you want to get really wet, but most will choose only to get their boots wet. There are only a few short necessary crawls, but for those of you that love to crawl, opportunities will be available. Bring a change of clothes for afterwards. NOTE: This trip attempts to avoid as much water as possible. NOTE: 25 miles of car travel round trip. The cave is on private property and we have permission to visit the cave only during Winter Adventure Weekend!

The group will hike from the Welcome Center to the back entrance of Horn Hollow Cave, visiting other cave entrances and karst features during the trip. Caving techniques, equipment, how the caves formed, and associated geologic features will be discussed during the trip. A low 100-foot belly crawl in Horn Hollow Cave is optional. There will be a total of 1.5 miles hiking above ground which includes several long, steep hills. Be prepared to dress appropriately for the weather and your feet may get wet in the cave. A helmet with a chin strap and headlamp can be provided upon request for those that don't have their own.

Get ready for the cave experience you never knew you needed? with Tutus and Glow sticks! On this unique trip through Cascade and into Sandy Cave via a 1/4 mile walk in the forest, we will share trivia around the history of dance, art, and entertainment in caves. Did you know? a 9,000 year old cave painting is the earliest proof of human dance? Or, that the art of flamenco came from people living in excavated caves in Spain? Join our trip and learn more fun tidbits as we walk through large trunk passage, and scoot through optional side tunnels for anyone itching for a hands and knees crawl! At the end of the trip we will have hot chocolate waiting. This trip is appropriate for all ages and comes with a free tutu to keep. The Sandy Cave portion of this trip is only accessible during Winter Adventure Weekend.

This hiking and caving trip will take you into the beautiful Tygart's Creek Gorge. This trip will consist of 1 1/2 hours of scenic hiking through rough terrain and steep inclines around Tygarts Creek. Along the way you will get to see two - three different wild caves. Skyscraper Cave is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful in Carter County. On this trip you will have to navigate through a very narrow canyon passage and a very tight S-turn side crawl for about 15-20ft. But the formation filled room at the end makes it well worth the crawl getting there. After Skyscraper Cave you will venture off to another cave or two found within the Tygarts Creek Gorge. The caves are on private property and we have permission to visit the cave during Winter Adventure Weekend Only!

Wilburn cave is located near the top of a big ridge. The trip to the cave entrance is a strenuous 250 foot climb up a 30 degree banking, so you should be in good health to participate in this trip. There is little to no walking passage found in the whole cave and it is known for plenty of nasty little crawls. At one point in the cave you will have to straddle over top of a 20 foot canyon to navigate through the passage. The park will provide transportation to and from the cave. The cave is on private property and we have permission to visit the cave during Winter Adventure Weekend only!