Luray Caverns
A large show cave in the Shenandoah Valley with a self-guided route on 1.25 miles of paved, step-free walkways — one of the few big caves you can visit in a wheelchair.
Luray, VA, 54°F inside, from $36
Self-guided caves
Most caves are guided-tour only. At these you set your own pace, sometimes with an audio headset or a lantern.
9 caves. Each note is taken from the cave's own site or park page, checked 2026-10-22. Rules change, so confirm before you go.
Walk through at your own pace
Lost World Caverns
A self-guided cave near Lewisburg: a half-mile loop 120 feet underground with 350 steps, at a constant 52°F.
Lewisburg, WV, 52°F inside, from $14
Onyx Cave Park
A self-guided cave tour near Eureka Springs with an audio headset, at 57°F; stay as long as you like.
Eureka Springs, AR, 57°F inside, from $15.99
Thurston Lava Tube
Nāhuku, a lava tube in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park you walk through on your own; it's lit from 8am to 8pm and covered by the park entrance fee.
Hawaii
Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano
Two self-guided trails on the Continental Divide: one to an ice cave that never rises above 31°F, one up the rim of Bandera Volcano.
Grants, NM, 31°F inside, from $14
Idaho's Mammoth Cave
A cave about eight miles north of Shoshone that you explore yourself by lantern, about a quarter mile in and out, with two natural history museums on the same ticket.
Shoshone, ID, from $15.00
Sunny Jim Cave
A sea cave on La Jolla Cove reached by a century-old tunnel from inside the Cave Store — about 145 steps down, self-guided.
La Jolla, CA, from $13
Natural Stone Bridge and Caves
A self-guided nature park in Pottersville, New York with a stone-step trail into lighted surface caves.
Pottersville, NY, from $22.00
Spring Mill State Park Caves
Caves in an Indiana state park: a $3 summer boat tour into Twin Caves, and the dry side of Donaldson Cave that you can explore on your own from Trail 4.
Mitchell, IN, from $3