The United States is home to extraordinary underground caves, from enormous chambers hidden beneath national parks to limestone passageways filled with unusual formations. Exploring them offers a completely different perspective on the landscapes we see above ground.
Some caves are explored on foot. Others require descending deep underground. And one particularly memorable Pennsylvania cavern is explored entirely by boat, something I had the opportunity to experience while filming Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine.
Here are six fascinating underground caves in America worth adding to your travel list.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico is home to an enormous network of caves hidden beneath the Chihuahuan Desert.
The best-known is Carlsbad Cavern, where visitors can explore massive underground chambers filled with stalactites, stalagmites and other formations created over thousands of years.
One of the highlights is the enormous Big Room, which gives visitors a remarkable sense of just how expansive the underground world can be.
Depending on the season and tour availability, visitors can experience different parts of the cave system and learn more about the geology and wildlife that make Carlsbad Caverns so unusual.
Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
Located in central Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park protects the world’s longest known cave system.
Hundreds of miles of passages have been mapped beneath the landscape, and exploration continues as researchers learn more about this enormous underground network.
Visitors can choose from a variety of ranger-led cave experiences, ranging from relatively accessible routes through historic passages to more adventurous tours.
The sheer scale of Mammoth Cave makes it one of America’s most remarkable natural attractions.
Lehman Caves, Nevada
Lehman Caves can be found inside Great Basin National Park in Nevada.
The cave is especially interesting for its intricate formations, including stalactites, stalagmites, columns and unusual shield formations.
Unlike some of America’s enormous cave systems, Lehman Caves offers a more intimate underground experience. Guided tours take visitors through rooms and passageways while introducing the geology and history of the cave.
Above ground, Great Basin National Park offers an entirely different landscape of mountains, ancient trees and wide-open Nevada scenery.
Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota
Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota is known for both the enormous cave system beneath the ground and the prairie ecosystem above it.
One of Wind Cave’s most distinctive features is a rare formation called boxwork, which creates delicate honeycomb-like patterns along cave walls and ceilings.
Visitors can explore portions of the cave on guided tours while also experiencing the wildlife and landscapes of the national park above ground.
That combination makes Wind Cave an interesting destination even for travelers who aren’t dedicated cave enthusiasts.
Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota
Also located in South Dakota, Jewel Cave National Monument contains another remarkably extensive underground cave system.
Its name comes from the sparkling calcite crystals found along portions of the cave walls.
Visitors may encounter unusual formations with equally unusual names, including cave bacon and dogtooth spar.
Guided tours offer different ways to experience Jewel Cave, allowing visitors to learn about the geology, exploration and ongoing discoveries taking place underground.
Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park, Pennsylvania
Penn’s Cave was completely different from the other caves on this list, and I know that firsthand.
While filming our Happy Valley, Pennsylvania episode of Love Eat Travel with Michelle Valentine, I had the opportunity to explore Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park in Centre Hall.
What makes the experience so unusual is how you explore the cavern: by boat.
Rather than walking along an underground trail, we boarded a small motorboat and traveled through the limestone cavern along its underground waterways. With rock formations surrounding us and the water beneath us, it was unlike any cave experience I had encountered before.
Our guide navigated through the cavern while sharing stories about its geology, history and local legends. Eventually, the boat emerges from the other side of the mountain before making the return journey through the cave.
And the underground experience isn’t the only reason to visit.
Penn’s Cave & Wildlife Park also offers a wildlife experience above ground, creating an interesting combination of underground exploration and Pennsylvania countryside.
Filming there gave me an entirely new appreciation for cave attractions. Seeing photographs of an underground cavern is one thing. Floating through one in a boat is something else entirely.
Which American Cave Should You Visit?
Each of these caves offers something different.
Carlsbad Caverns impresses with enormous underground spaces. Mammoth Cave amazes with its sheer scale. Lehman Caves showcases intricate formations, while Wind Cave and Jewel Cave reveal completely different geological features beneath South Dakota.
And Penn’s Cave offers something particularly unusual: the opportunity to experience an underground cavern from a boat.
Whether you’re fascinated by geology, searching for unusual attractions or simply looking for a travel experience that’s a little different from what you’ll find above ground, America’s caves reveal an extraordinary world beneath our feet.
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