Suggestion for New England caving?

[Ralph E. Powers]

I gotten this PM from another discussion board and would like to help the gal out... any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

so I went onto AIM hoping you were on but you weren't so now I'm PM-ing you. Any how my family is going on a trip up the east coast in a couple of weeks and my brother and I want to do some caving. I was wondering if you could suggest any place like Maine, Vermont area that may have some areas with guided caves. I'm not experienced enough to venture on my own but I love to go when i can. I went online and have not been sucessful in finding anything other than rock climbing which I've never done but am tempted to try. If you could point me in the right direction if you know of any I'd appreciate it.

Asking for show caves but one with a "wild-tour" woudl be cool for her first time.

[Stridergdm]

I gotten this PM from another discussion board and would like to help the gal out... any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

so I went onto AIM hoping you were on but you weren't so now I'm PM-ing you. Any how my family is going on a trip up the east coast in a couple of weeks and my brother and I want to do some caving. I was wondering if you could suggest any place like Maine, Vermont area that may have some areas with guided caves. I'm not experienced enough to venture on my own but I love to go when i can. I went online and have not been sucessful in finding anything other than rock climbing which I've never done but am tempted to try. If you could point me in the right direction if you know of any I'd appreciate it.

Asking for show caves but one with a "wild-tour" woudl be cool for her first time.

Try http://www.howecaverns.com/

This in NY. They now have a wild tour I just heard about.


Also, depending on the size of the group and when, I might be convinced to take them into a wild cave for free.

[erebus]

There are no commercial caves in New England, and damn few of the other kind. Traveling up along the coast is a good way to be as far from those caves as possible; the're all off on the west side of NE. I think Howe is the closest commercial cave to the NE coast, and it's a four-hour+ drive.

[icave]

There are some really cool sea caves on the Maine coast, but nothing I'd recommend for a beginner. Erebus, you should go to Acadia and check out Anemone Cave if you want to see a nice coastal cave. It's still pretty easy to find if you know where to look. You do have to hit the tide right to get into the cave. You can guess what kind of critters you'll find from the cave's name. It's been one of my favorite NE caves and is well worth the trip. You can also drive around the island and hit Sand Beach and Thunder Hole on the same day.

- Mike Spencer

[erebus]

Mike, I've been there several times. It's interesting, but not much of a cave. There's a crack up in the back you can make dark if you jam yourself into it, but that's the only spot that can get dark in the daytime. I don't recommend it, because the wildlife is getting beat up by all the visitors, even long after the Park Service took it off their maps. There are some impressive sea caves up near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia called The Ovens, owned by Harry Chapin's family. (Yes, I know that Acadia has some too, but the NS ones are something else again.)

I did remember something more like caving, Polar Caves, in NH. It's still a long way from the coast.

[icave]

I agree that you need to be VERY careful when entering Anemone Cave due to the wildlife. That's the main reason I wouldn't recommend it to someone new. I know that as far as a "caving" cave it's not much, but the tidal pools are spectacular. When we were there, my wife described it as a National Geographic moment. When we came home, sure enough I was able to get a copy of an old National Geographic issue with the cave in it. I'm also a sucker for a nice big entrance with a great view.

I've heard of the Ovens, but if I remember correctly, it's best to get there via sea kayak.

Back to the original question. If there are going near Pennsylvania, they could visit Lost River Caverns in Hellertown, or Crystal Cave in Kutztown. Lost River isn't too far out of the way (right of Rt 78) and it's a nice cave for Eastern PA. Also, up the road from Howe Caverns is Secret Caverns. Secret Caverns has some of the best advertising artwork out of all the commercial caves I've been to. If they go to Howe, they should consider hitting Secret also.

- Mike Spencer

[erebus]

I've heard of the Ovens, but if I remember correctly, it's best to get there via sea kayak.

Some of them have entrances opened into them from above, with fenced galleries for visitors. I think I'd pass on the sea kayak approach. The Ovens I looked at would chew up a kayak in a couple of wave cycles. They have big, storybook entrances, and some, at least, go well back into the cliff. The waves coming in are violent.

Secret Caverns has some of the best advertising artwork out of all the commercial caves I've been to.

Secret and its "90-foot Underground Waterfall" are the subject of some Boston Grotto lore, involving a pond on the surface, some fluorescein dye, and the light switch the guides use to control the lighting (and, it seems, other things). Haven't been there in many years, but they used to be one of those "colored lights and a little reflecting pool would look good here - put 'em in!) places. Howe is of the other school.