A “wild area” at Natural Bridge Caverns is now available for guest tours for the first time.
The St. Mary’s Adventure Tour is the newest expedition in Discovery Cavern, and it shows sections of the cave that have never been seen by guests before.
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A news release states that formations seen in the St. Mary’s Adventure Tour are not available in other tours.
Natural Bridge Caverns believes cavers explored the areas as far back as the 1950s.
“Several areas of flowstone and delicate crystals along with stalagmites and stalactites decorate this area,” the release states. “Beautiful lace-like calcite formations exposed by ancient waterflows at the end of the passage is known as ‘box work’ and has been long considered the finest example of this type of formation in the state according to famous caver James Reddell.”
No caving experience is needed to take the expedition.
However, tour guides will provide some rope training to guests because they will need to traverse, ascend and descend.
“This wild area in our cavern has always been one of our favorites,” Brad Wuest, president of Natural Bridge Caverns, said in a news release. “The challenge has been that experiencing it also requires some specialized equipment and training. Now, thanks to the work of our Expedition Team we have the equipment and rigging in place to make the experience accessible to guests who are ready for adventure.”
Natural Bridge Caverns now has two Adventure Tours: the St. Mary’s Adventure Tour and the Discovery Adventure Tour.
The Discover Adventure Tour is “more physically demanding” because participants have to navigate through muddy and tight crawlways, the release states. This tour takes 3.5-4 hours to complete.
The St. Mary’s Adventure Tour is “more technical” because, while it doesn’t require crawling, it does have more climbing. This new tour takes 2.5-3 hours.
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