Cavechat.org

Just saw this news story:

http://www.lanereport.com/66660/2016/08/carter-caves-state-resort-parks-reopen-for-self-guided-tours/

Step by step, normalcy returns...

Normalcy will never completely return. Many caves are now gated off, most states closed all their caves, my state is more
control hungry than others. Many states require permits to enter government owned caves. The simplicity and ease of
access will probably never be the same due to government bureaucracy and their controlling nature.

tncaver wrote:Normalcy will never completely return. Many caves are now gated off, most states closed all their caves, my state is more control hungry than others.

Normalcy never "returns". It just changes.
I've just returned, by the way, from a week of caving on government land in your state. Access was very simple indeed.

GroundquestMSA wrote:

tncaver wrote:Normalcy will never completely return. Many caves are now gated off, most states closed all their caves, my state is more control hungry than others.

Normalcy never "returns". It just changes.
I've just returned, by the way, from a week of caving on government land in your state. Access was very simple indeed.

Good for you GroundquestMSA. I have had practically no luck with the state. I contacted Stuart Carroll (Falls Creek Falls Ranger)
twice about the permit process and I've yet to receive any permit information from Stuart Carroll. He seems like a nice guy
but he has not been helpful whatsoever acquiring permits to go caving in Falls Creek Falls Park.

Speaking of caves on state land, I just read a short post about the sad situation at Burgess Falls. The state owns that land
and the stairs down to the falls are pretty much deteriorated or removed to the point where no one can go down to see the
falls to the bottom any longer. Yet the state continues buying up vast acres of land to close off caves, raods and trails or access to the caves or the land to the general public. I think it is a travesty the state is using tax payer funds to buy land
and yet not make that land accessible to the general public. Another example is the Pogue Creek Natural Area in PIckett County
TN. It has been owned by the state for about 8 years but only one very short trail with limited parking is available to the public.
However, the state continues to buy land all over the Cumberland Plateau. Plenty money to buy land but little money to make improvements but all at taxpayer expense. Something is rotten here..

tncaver wrote:Good for you GroundquestMSA. I have had practically no luck with the state. I contacted Stuart Carroll (Falls Creek Falls Ranger)twice about the permit process and I've yet to receive any permit information from Stuart Carroll. He seems like a nice guybut he has not been helpful whatsoever acquiring permits to go caving in Falls Creek Falls Park.

No, my requests for permits and permit information were redirected and ignored also. But access was simple. One foot in front of the other.

Carter Caves' decision to reopen Horn Hollow and Laurel caves is largely irrelevant. Both these and many other caves within the park have continued to be heavily and openly trafficked throughout the closure.