Laurel Caverns

Do not think of Laurel Caverns as a typical tourist cave. As a calcareous sandstone cave, the typical stalactites are geologically replaced by highly sculptured sandstone walls pre-designed by wind currents millions of years ago. Laurel Caverns is one of the deepest caves in the United States; so the traditional tour, has the feel of a real cave adventure.  On the traditional tour there are stairs and sloped floors to walk down as well as walk up; so, the tour can be very strenuous for some. The elevation from the visitors’ center to the lowest point on the traditional tour is 150 feet (and this is only a third of the way to the cave’s lowest point). The presence of steps and the natural sandy floor of the cave make the use of strollers and wheel chairs impossible. Shoes appropriate to such a terrain are strongly recommended. Never wear high heels to a cave. The cave temperature is 52 degrees year around, so a sweater or jacket should be worn. Laurel Caverns is a large natural cave located 50 miles south of Pittsburgh. Most of the passage ceilings in its three mile labyrinth are between ten and twenty feet high (many as high as 50 feet) with an average width of over twelve feet. This makes it the largest cave in Pennsylvania. The cave itself is situated beneath a 435 acre privately owned geological preserve.   Our traditional guided tour lasts about one hour and covers all those passages that can be reached without climbing down or up over rocks. All passages on the traditional guided tour are lighted. There are no age restrictions on this tour and no special equipment is needed. However, Laurel Caverns follows the natural slope of the mountain. The total underground walking distance on the traditional tour is about 3,000 feet, covering about 20% of the cave’s three miles of passages. Because this property is at the top of Chestnut Ridge, all of the water that enters the cave is pristine. The cost of maintaining this preserve is only funded by cave admissions, program admissions, and our gift shop. No local, state or federal tax dollars are used for either the support of this private preservation initiative or for the support of its educational programs. For this reason your patronage is greatly appreciated. Because of its size, Laurel Caverns is also the largest natural bat hibernaculum in Pennsylvania. In commitment to its preservation mission, the cave is closed during the primary months of the bat hibernation season, November through April. The cave is essentially empty of bats from May through October.