Most Spectacular Caves in the US
Carlsbad Caverns ©Mathieu Lebreton/Flickr
The United States of America are famous for the extent and beauty of their mountains. But their undergrounds can also be surprisingly beautiful. Actually, the US is the country with the biggest cave known to man: Mammoth Cave. But you can find interesting, bewitching caves in many parts of the country. Some of these are only accessible to speleologists, but many of them are open to the public and can be admired in their full splendor by anyone willing to step in this underground world. Here’s a selection of the most spectacular caves in the US, which are open to the public:
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
It might take you ears to explore all the underground chambers and passageways that make up the Mammoth cave system in Kentucky. A rough estimation would total the length of all its passageways at 400 miles! In reality, only a small part of this complex cave system is open to the public, but it is still enough to offer you the most memorable underground experience. Apart from walking through the enchanted chambers with stalactites, stalagmites and other amazing formation, you can even take a boat trip on a subterranean river.
Mammoth Cave formations© Navin75/Flickr
Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
This cave system in New Mexico is known for the beauty of its natural decorations, but also for its huge bat colony. The caves require a descent of about 700 feet, so you’ll have to take the lift. There is a choice of several cave tours (each promising a different experience of the caves), one of the most popular being the King’s Palace. The Big Room is not only impressive due to its dimensions, but also for its huge columns.
Carlsbad Caverns ©Mathieu Lebreton/Flickr
Jewel Cave, South Dakota
With less than half the length of Mammoth Cave, the Jewel cave is still the second largest in the world. Here the attractions are not so much the stalactites and stalagmites, but the tiny crystal caves which line the cave walls – the smallest source of light make them sparkle as diamonds. Although the cave formations here are not very impressive in terms of size, they are very diverse and there are even some types that are endemic to Jewel Cave.
Jewel Cave ©Abeeeer/Flickr
Lost Sea Caverns, Tennessee
The Lost Sea Caverns might seem to have a strange name for a cave, but this is really what this attraction is all about: a huge underground (lost) lake (sea). The experience of visiting this cave is indeed very unique: instead of walking on the bottom of the cave, you will be floating on its crystal-clear lake, sited comfortably in a glass-bottom boat.
