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April 26, 2019 Slideshows » Arts

Beautiful Texas Caves You Should Explore Before You Die

By San Antonio Current Staff

        
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There's so much beauty to be explored in Texas, especially when it comes to breathtaking caves and caverns. So, consider this a bucket list specifically for enjoying the beautiful views at caves both near and far here in the Lone Star State.

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Cave Without a Name
325 Kreutzberg Road, Boerne, (830) 537-4212, cavewithoutaname.com
Just up the road you’ll discover a mysterious cave right in our backyard: Cave Without a Name. This limestone solutional cave is a national natural landmark, of course for its spectacular formations of stalactites, stalagmites, cave drapery, flowstones, rimstone dams and more. Oh, and the cave is 66-degrees year-round so you can visit whenever you please.
Photo via Instagram / b.d.maiorino

Cascade Caverns
226 Cascade Cavern, Boerne, cascadecaverns.com
Just up the road in Boerne you’ll be able to explore this “historically, geologically and biologically important limestone solutional cave.” It’s a show cave, allowing the public to tour it since 1932. This natural beauty keeps a cool 64-degrees and has plenty of fun facts you’ll learn about that make it a true wonder.
Photo via Instagram / kendallmckee

Longhorn Cavern State Park
6211 Park Road 4 S, Burnet, visitlonghorncavern.com
Two hours north of San Antonio you’ll find yourself at Longhorn Cavern. A guided tour allows you to learn about nearly a dozen spot highlighted, such as the Hall of Diamonds and the Moon Room. Come ready to crawl and climb through this wonderment that will seriously wow you. Take the Wild Cave Tour for a true adventure!
Photo via Instagram / chh90

Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area
101 N. Sweeten St., Rocksprings, (830) 563-2287, tpwd.texas.gov
Fans of the Mexican free-tailed bat should definitely plan a visit to the Devil’s Sinkhole, a natural bat habitat. The national natural landmark houses one of the state’s largest colonies of bats of this kind. And here’s another reason why this spot is so badass: the enormous cavern is vertical, meaning that the bats literally fly out of the ground. It’s so big that many consider it the largest single-chamber cavern in the Lone Star State.
Photo via Instagram / ranger_ross_

Inner Space Cavern
4200 N Interstate 35 Frontage Road, Georgetown, (512) 931-2283, innerspacecavern.com
While I-35 was being built way back in 1963, Texas Highway Department workers ended up discovering a karst cave in Georgetown. Speleological experts ended up drilling through 40 feet of limestone and exploring more than 7,000 feet, ranging from tight tunnels to cathedral-type rooms. So why not take a drive up our favorite highway and explore this cave?
Photo via Instagram / barerootz

Kickapoo Cavern State Park
20939 Ranch to Market Road 674, Brackettville, (830) 563-2342, tpwd.texas.gov
Since 1991, Kickapoo Caverns has welcomed visitors to explore 20 known caves – the two main attractions being Kickapoo Cavern and Stuart Bat Cave. The former is about 1,400 feet long and is the result of 4 million years of geologic change. The bat cave is somewhat shorter and is the seasonal home of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats.The park itself also offers hiking and biking opportunities, and is home to a variety of wildlife.
Photo via Instagram / sniperv

Colorado Bend State Park
2236 Park Hill Dr, Bend, (325) 628-3240, tpwd.texas.gov
Get away from it all and head to Colorado Bend. Make your way around the park and you’ll discover all of the karst features, such as sinkholes, springs and yes, lots of caves. It’s recommended that you explore with a guide since these are considered “wild” caves – especially the Gorman Cave.
Photo via Instagram / alex_stew.art

Caverns of Sonora
1711 Pvt Rd 4468, Sonora, (325) 387-3105, cavernsofsonora.com
A national natural landmark, the Caverns of Sonora is a world-class cave for its stunning array of calcite crystal formation, helictites in particular. Located about three hours northwest of the Alamo City, this attraction is where the Hill Country meets the Chihuahuan Desert. The result is one of Earth’s most revered underground treasures.
Photo via Instagram / cavernsofsonora

Wonder World Cave and Wildlife Park
1000 Prospect St, (512) 392-3760, wonderworldpark.com
A theme park focusing on natural amazements, Wonder World is located just a short drive away in San Marcos. The main attraction is the Wonder Cave, an ancient earthquake cave (located on the Balcones Fault Line) that is so amazing that it’s a historic landmark as designated by the state of Texas. Leave the man-made fun to the kids and let yourself be wowed by the fossilized life within these walls.
Photo via Instagram / wonderworldcave

Natural Bridge Caverns
26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Road, naturalbridgecaverns.com
Right in San Antonio’s backyard is the largest known commercial caverns in the state of Texas. In 1960, students from St. Mary’s University were granted permission to explore the area and were convinced that underground passages would be found underneath a 60 foot limestone slab bridge. Sure enough, one of the students felt a draft from a rubble-filled crawlway – meaning there were additional passages. Today, you can explore the caverns through different tours.
Photo via Instagram / naturalbridgecaverns

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Airmen's Cave
Barton Creek (30°14′30″N 97°47′30″W), Austin, austintexas.gov
Not too from Barton Creek in Austin you’ll find Airmen’s Cave. Measuring up at 3,444 meters long, you can expect long crawls and tight passages. There’s even one section nicknamed the “Birth Canal.” Seriously, this cave is challenging and true adventurers and thrill-seekers should definitely put this cave at the top of their list.
Photo via Instagram / jordantaylorjolly

Bracken Cave
26101 FM 3009, tpwd.texas.gov
In the summer, you can find the largest colony of bats in the world right here in San Antonio. About 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats chill at Bracken Cave from March to October, making it the largest concentration of mammals. Here’s why there’s so many: the cave is a maternity site for the species, so females gather here to give birth and rear their young.
Photo via Instagram / u1tralord

Honey Creek Cave
Spring Branch, (830) 438-2656, tpwd.texas.gov
Make sure to plan ahead so you can gain access – which you can only get through a guided tour. It’s considered the longest known cave in Texas, and is a whopping 20 miles underground. Insane, right? This natural work of art is dark and cold, some points requiring special equipment and underwater treks, but the unbeatable wonder of this place will truly amaze you.
Photo via YouTube / Peter Glanvill

Westcave Preserve
24814 Hamilton Pool Road, (830) 825-3442, westcave.org
There’s lots of nature waiting to be discovered at Westcave, including a beautiful grotto. Though open to the public, you’ll need to be part of the weekend-only tour to spend some time in this majestic cave. The tour goes from an arid savanna through a limestone crevice to a sheltered canyon – where there’s a 40-foot waterfall that falls into an emerald pool.
Photo via Instagram / chomyluv

Crystal Cave at Garner State Park
234 RR 1050, Concan, tpwd.texas.gov
Most San Antonians don’t need any introduction to Garner, but have you ever swung by Crystal Cave? (The entrance is pictured here.) Grab a map and take the Crystal Cave Trail, which is .64 miles and considered challenging. It’ll be worth it though, since you’ll be able to spend some time away from the crowds to enjoy this natural wonder.
Photo via Yelp / Brent L.

Fern Cave
850 Caprock Canyon Park Road, Quitaque, (806) 455-1492, tpwd.texas.gov
Away from North Prong Canyon at Caprock Canyons State Park is the tempting Fern Cave. This grotto has lightly-seeping water and lush vegetation that will take your breath away. Truly, few avid hikers have tempted to descend the depths of this treacherous canyon. You’ve been warned (but also encouraged, because this is so worth it).
Photo via Instagram / jrod_66

Bullet Cave
Barton Creek Greenbelt, utgrotto.org
Head to Austin and explore Bullet Cave on your own terms. Even though the cave is a short (comparatively) 100 feet in length, you’ll still be able to be in complete darkness once you crawl through a 40-foot narrow passageway. Once you do, you’ll find yourself in the Ritual Room that still pretty tight.
Photo via Instagram / mrzwiggy

Backdoor Cave
Barton Creek, Austin, sosalliance.org
Downstream from the Sculpture Falls on the Barton Creek Greenbelt you’ll find the super cool Backdoor Dave. The cave is settled along the Backdoor Spring of the Edwards Aquifer and thought to be an old spring. Though small at only 60 feet in length, this intimate cave makes for a great start to your explorations.
Photo via YouTube / daredab

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