Beyond the lit walkways, some caves take small groups off-trail: crawling, squeezing and climbing with helmets and headlamps. Expect minimum ages, physical requirements and advance booking.
13 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.
Reserve ahead on Recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777. Under-16s must be with an adult 18+. Cancellations under 24 hours aren't refunded.
Mammoth Cave, KY, 54°F inside, from $15
Historic Lantern Tour and Wild Caving Tour ($45, 16+, 3–4 hours) in summer.
Custer, SD, 49°F inside, from $16
Candlelight tour (10+), Kids & Family tour, and a 3-hour off-trail caving tour ($65, 15+).
Oregon, from $20
Wild caving tour ($80, 13+, 4 hours) and an advanced education tour ($25) on summer weekends.
Minnesota, 48°F inside, from $15
Online booking highly recommended; walk-ins not guaranteed. Expedition Tour ($130, 12+) must be booked 48 hours ahead.
Vallecito, CA, 61°F inside, from $27.56
Black Light Tour ($26), Wild Cave Tour ($100, 12+).
Dubuque, IA, 50°F inside, from $22
Tickets online. Flashlight night tours and the Aquifer spelunking tour ($100, 16+) are for groups of 10+.
Boerne, TX, 63°F inside, from $19.95
Spelunking trips from $65 (2 hours, 12+) to $120 (3–4 hours, 16+), and a Subterranean Cinema.
Grottoes, VA, from $29
Underground lunch and dinner combos ($69.95 / $89.95); Explorer tour ($99, 16+) and Wild tour ($120, 18+).
Peach Springs, AZ, from $25.95
No reservations for the walking tour. The spelunking tour (5 people max) is best booked ahead: 605-255-4384.
Keystone, SD, 58°F inside
Bat Cave walking and crawling tours (2.5 hours, 8+, squeeze test), blacklight and ghost tours in summer.
Kentucky, from $10
No reservations for individuals; tickets only at the cave, not online. Groups of 15+ must book (724-438-3003).
Farmington, PA, 52°F inside, from $18
Lantern tours, adventure crawls and overnight packages.
McMinnville, TN, 56°F inside
