Lewis And Clark Caverns: Lighting the way
Author: Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Lewis and Clark Caverns: Lighting the Way
Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Candlelight tours at Lewis & Clark Caverns are just one destination for winter Park visitors
HELENA – Need an idea to keep your Christmas company entertained and challenged, with maybe a little education thrown in? Take them on a candlelight cave tour at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park. The tour provides an intimate look at cave formations, known as speleothems. Visitors will visit Decision Rock, the Cathedral Room, the Pit, Garden of the Gods, the Brown Waterfall Room and the Paradise Room.
The 2-hour, 2-mile tour gains an elevation of 300 feet, ascends more than 100 stairs and descends about 500 stairs. Hikers should expect the route to be wet and slippery.
Tours are scheduled for Dec. 19-21 and again from Dec. 26-28. Tickets will be available to purchase online on the Monday after Thanksgiving (Dec. 1); they will not be sold at the park visitor center.
What to expect:
Candlelight tours follow the entire developed cave route, with a ¾-mile uphill walk on a potentially icy and snowy path to reach the cave entrance. Visitors must complete this within 30 minutes to be eligible for the tour. Participants are encouraged to be prepared for winter conditions on roads and trails at the park.
Walking the ¾-mile underground trail involves turning, bending, duck waddling and a slide. The first half will use the cave lights, and the second half will use the glow of candle lanterns.
The tour concludes with a flat, half-mile walk back to the visitor center on a potentially icy or snowy path. The total walking distance is 2 miles.
During the tour, visitors will pass near hibernating bats. White-nose syndrome, a fungus that affects bats but not people, has reached Montana. Bat mortalities from the disease have exceeded 80 percent in some areas. Managers require precautions from visitors to reduce additional stressors to this fragile cave resource. Visitors cannot bring any clothing or other items that have been to another cave or mine in the past five years.
All tours are led by a trained guide. No self-guided tours are available. The cave has an average temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit and over 90 percent humidity year-round, regardless of outside weather. Most areas are dimly lit, and some are narrow and enclosed. Visitors should consider bringing a warm jacket, good walking shoes and bottled water. Pets, strollers, backpacks and purses are not allowed.
Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is about 15 miles southeast of Whitehall, along Montana Highway 2. For more information about the park, call 406-287-3541.
A link to purchase tickets will be posted on the FWP website on Dec. 1. For more information, visit fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/lewis-and-clark-caverns
Many Montana State Parks have a lot to offer during the colder, darker months. While some parks close in November, many offer shelter from the cold at their visitor centers. Those include Bannack, Chief Plenty Coups, First Peoples’ Buffalo Jump, Lone Pine, Makoshika, Pictograph Cave and Travelers’ Rest.
Parks without visitor centers but still fun to visit in winter are Lake Elmo, Missouri Headwaters, Giant Springs and Spring Meadow Lake.
Article Images
Click on Image Thumbnail(s) to view fullsize image
_3.jpg)
