US Deepest Vertical Pits List

[Caving Guru]

Does anyone know where to find a list of the deepest vertical pits in the United States?

[BenS]

I did a google search and found something numerous times. There is a website with the longest and deepest caves in the US and you can sort it however you want.

[GroundquestMSA]

There is a website with the longest and deepest caves in the US and you can sort it however you want.

That website (http://www.caverbob.com/) does not, however, list the deepest pits in the US. It does have the worlds deepest 40 pits (none in the US). I suspect Greg is already familiar with that page. I haven't seen any online US pit list, though someone could probably compile one from information scattered here and there on the web.

[Caving Guru]

Yes I am familiar with the website caverbob.com which doesn't have the deepest pits in the US listed.

[Caving Guru]

Maybe in a book?

[Chads93GT]

El capitan is the deepest ;)

[Cody JW]

El Cap, Fantastic, Incredible , Surprise, Dorton Knob, Mystery Falls, Just going by memory but I am not aware of stuff out west. Just for clarification El Cap is the cave pit in Alaska just a bit deeper than Fantastic and not to be confused with the much deeper El Cap cliff drop in Yosemite .

[Chads93GT]

Mega we'll is in there somewhere.

[Cody JW]

I forgot Mega Well it should go after Surprise and before Dorton Knob. Depending on how you measure Doodlebug is over 400 feet but has offsets. The world deep list can be confusing due to how measurements are done and offsets. I had read that someone has made the clarification that if one can safely get off rope it will be an offset and not be counted as a single drop. Not sure what the "official " determination is. Maybe some western guys can chime in and we can see what they got. I think there is a deep pit in Hawaii but not sure.

[Extremeophile]

Of course whether you call it a dome or pit is a matter of perspective. Topless Dome is 396. Kansas Twister is 410 or 535 depending on definition (535 is to the base of a long talus slope).

[Extremeophile]

There are also at least three 300'+ pits in the Virginias.

I may be a little off but I think they are;
Corkscrew - 332
Batman - 307
The Dutchman - 303

[Cody JW]

I had seen the photo of Derek in Kansas Twister but had no idea it was that deep. I also did not know of the Virginia (s) pits. Wow , this is getting interesting . I hope more can chime in.

[Extremeophile]

The world deep list can be confusing due to how measurements are done and offsets. I had read that someone has made the clarification that if one can safely get off rope it will be an offset and not be counted as a single drop. Not sure what the "official " determination is.

I'm not sure there's a standard convention. Probably the most common is the elevation difference between the rig point and floor. I read somewhere that if the pit descends at an angle that it should be the linear distance and not the elevation loss. I'm also aware of dome climbs that were measured from floor to ceiling. I've never heard of the getting off rope measurement system, but there are many pits that have multiple possible rigging options, so that definition seems a little arbitrary. Any definition is destined to have some subjectivity involved.

[Cody JW]

I think I had read about being able to get off rope in a pit in "The Great Caves of The World "book. They made the distinction that way due to deep pits with with offsets like the The Provitina in Greece vs something like Golandrinas that is all free fall. I guess they had to draw a line somewhere.

[UnderGroundEarth]

Depending on how you measure Doodlebug is over 400 feet but has offsets. The world deep list can be confusing due to how measurements are done and offsets. I had read that someone has made the clarification that if one can safely get off rope it will be an offset and not be counted as a single drop. Not sure what the "official " determination is. Maybe some western guys can chime in and we can see what they got. I think there is a deep pit in Hawaii but not sure.

For Doodlebug - our 2010 survey showed an entrance pit depth of 332. However, you go down 153 to a sloping ledge that is not safe to get off rope but you do have to use a rebelay to then go another 99 feet down. It is here that you reach a major ledge and can safely get off rope, walk around and see 700 feet of cave passage. From there the pit goes down another 80 feet. Because of the ledges the Alabama Cave Survey lists it as three pits.. Traditionally no one (except the surveyors) have ever really gotten off rope and explored the major ledge. If you had a rope long enough you could rig the entire series with one rope and encounter two re belays. If you were to drop a rock or fall into the pit from the entrance you better believe your ass or the rock will go all the way to the bottom...