Artistic Impression of a Cave Tour By Joel BarkerYou must obtain copyright permission for use.
Some of the first visible formations you will see entering the cave will be cave popcorn.
Formations like soda straws start with a single drop of
water.
Endemic springtails can be found on the deepest known Douglas Fir
tree root.
A light shining through the translucent cave bacon shows the banding.
A fault line at the Belly of the Whale creates the look of a whales backbone.
A section of the historic tour route that is no longer in use is visible in the Dry Room.
The Imagination Room is also located above the historic tour route. Fifty years ago you would have been climbing up and down iron ladders and
crawling over rocks.
The twilight zone located at the 110 opening is a natural exit, most bats including the Townsend Big-Eared bat can be found
here.
The Grand Column can be viewed as you venture down the spiral staircase.
In the 1930’s an historic wedding took place in Miller’s
Chapel.
The largest room, called the Ghost Room, contains the most complete set of jaguar fossils found in North America, believed to be 38,600 years
old.
Paradise Lost is a dome pit that is highly decorated with draperies and worth the climb to see.
At Angel Falls you can watch luminescent formations glow under an ultraviolet light.
Along the exit trail you can see how the cave marvelously preserved black bear bones for over 3000
years.
Oregon Caves National Monument has much more to offer then just the caves. There are 6 miles of adventurous trails through 480 acres of old
growth forest. See you soon!