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Caving in Tennessee

Cave & Cavern Locations for Spelunking in Tennessee

Show Caves & Wild Tour Information

 


View Map for caving in Tennessee in a larger map

 


Tennessee has the most caves of any state with more than 9,500. These are just a few:

 

Cave or Cavern:
Appalachian Caverns
Bell Witch Cave
Bristol Caverns
Craighead Caverns
Cumberland Caverns
Dunbar Cave
Forbidden Caverns
Gillespie Cave
Hubbard’s Cave
Johnson Cave
Lookout Mountain Caverns
Lost Creek Cave
Mill Creek Cave
Nickajack Cave
Parachute Cave
Raccoon Mountain Caverns
Ruby Falls
Sequatchie Cave
Tuckaleechee Caverns
Worley’s Cave
Big Bone Cave
Bull Cave
Rumbling Falls Cave
Wonder Cave
Location:
Blountville, Tennessee
Adams, Tennessee
Bristol, Tennessee
Monroe, Tennessee
McMinnville, Tennessee
Clarksville, Tennessee
Sevierville, Tennessee
Antioch, Tennessee
Warren County
DeKalb County
Hamilton County
White County
Antioch, Tennessee
Jasper, Tennessee
Near Pengram, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Marion County
Townsend, Tennessee
Near Elizabethton, Tennessee
Van Buren County, Tennessee
Not Available
Not Available
Between Monteagle & Pelham, Tennessee

 


The list above is far from complete as there are over 9,500 caves and caverns in Tennessee. We will not list every single cave and will focus more toward show caves with additional locations for spelunkers. Caving (spelunking) locations in Tennessee will be added upon request or recommendation. Do you know of a safe cave or cavern that is not listed here? Please recommend a location for caving in Tennessee. Adventurers from around the world will benefit from your submission.

Caving, also known as spelunking, is the extreme sport of exploring caves. The world has a vast number of caves and not even half of them have been explored. Caving is a physical sport which may involve the following: climbing, walking, crawling, hiking, and swimming. Exploring unconquered caves is much more thrilling than exploring a cave where thousands of people have been. Many explorations take months of planning but spur of the moment trips are also possible if you have the necessary gear, knowledge of the cave and caving itself.

 

 

Caving can be very dangerous so adequate planning is required. Rescue attempts are difficult due to the terrain so be prepared in case of an emergency. Never go into a cave alone and without telling someone first. Preparation is extremely important when it comes to caving. That doesn’t just apply to having the correct gear, it also applies to your experience and knowledge of caves. Caving can be extremely dangerous and it’s not recommended you visit any cave without a guide, extensive research on the cave, mapping out your cave route beforehand and having the proper equipment. We are not responsible for your caving experience. We simply provide basic information about caves that is available throughout the internet.

Caves are natural wonders and should not be mistreated. DO NOT damage the natural creations caves have to offer. Unfortunately there are some who will ruin nature’s beautiful creations for future generations. Many caves have been closed to the public to preserve them due to disturbances to the cave and wildlife. This ruins the experience for future explorers so please be respectful of nature. Remember you may be entering into an animal’s home (bats, snakes, spiders, etc) and just like any home you visit all respect should be given. As always, do not leave any trash in the area of the cave; take more trash than you bring.

 

Appalachian Caverns


Website:
www.appacaverns.com

Location:
420 Cave Hill Road
Blountville, Tennessee

Bell Witch Cave


Website:
www.bellwitchcave.com

About:
• Classification: Karst Cave
• Near where Bell Farm once stood
• 490ft long
• Privately owned
• Tours given during summer months and the month of October

Location:
430 Keysburg Road
Adams, Tennessee

Big Bone Cave


About:
• Status: Closed for White Noise Syndrome
• For the most up-to-date information visit: www.caves.org

Website:
Not Found

Location:
• 400 acre naural area
• Van Buren County, Tennessee
• Between Sparta and McMinnville, Tennessee
• Listed on National Register of Historic Places
• 334 acre State Natural Area
• Once operated as a saltpepper mine
• 7th largest mapped cave in Tennessee

Bristol Caverns


Website:
www.bristolcaverns.com

Location:
1157 Bristol Caverns Highway
Bristol, Tennessee 37620

Bull Cave


Website:
Not Found

About:
• This cave has CLOSED
• Difficulty: Experienced
• Extremely Dangerous

“Special thanks to Clinton for informing us of the cave closure.”

Craighead Caverns


About:
• Contains the largest non-subglacial underground lake in the United States; 2nd largest in the world
• Abundance of anthodites, stalactites, stalagmites
• Contains a waterfall
• Named after the former owner, Chief Craighead

Website:
www.thelostsea.com

Location:
• Monroe, Tennessee
• Foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains

Cumberland Caverns


Website:
www.cumberlandcaverns.com

Location:
1437 Cumberland Caverns Road
McMinnville, Tennessee

• Approximately 7 miles southeast of McMinnville
• The caverns are off State Highway 8

Dunbar Cave


About:
• Cave is closed indefinitely due to a bat testing positive for White Noise Syndrome
• Largest cave in Montgomery County

Website:
www.tn.gov

Location:
401 Old Dunbar Cave Road
Clarksville, Tennessee

Forbidden Caverns


Website:
www.forbiddencavern.com

Location:
455 Blowing Cave Road
Sevierville, Tennessee 37876

• Approximately 1 mile southeast of U.S. 441
• The caverns are between Sevierville & Newport

Gillespie Cave


Website:
Not Found

Location:

East of Nashville in Antioch, Tennessee

Hubbard’s Cave


About:
• 50-acre natural area
• Owned by The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee
• 3 entrances; all gated and locked
• Mined for saltpepper during the Civil War

Website:
www.state.tn.us

Location:
• Warren County
• 10 miles southeast of McMinnville, Tennessee

Access:
• Closed indefinitely after a bat tested positive for White Noise Syndrome
• Normal closure is from September 1st – May 15th every year; Access is restricted during May 16th – August 31st

Lost Creek Cave


About:
• Private Property but owners have allowed access in the past
• As always, keep cave area clean; pick up all trash
• As tall as 80+ feet in some areas
• 40 foot waterfall inside the cave; 60 foot waterfall ouside the cave

Website:
Not Found

Location:
White County

Mill Creek Cave


About:
• Small cave
• Mouth is 25ft by 10ft high

Website:
Not Found

Location:
Approximately one mile northwest of Antioch, Tennessee

Nickajack Cave


About:
• Partially flooded
• Home to 100,000 bats
• 25-30 feet of water at the entrance
• Entrance 140 feet wide (above water)
• Entrance 20-25 feet high
• Cave once mined for saltpepper
• Once a commercial cave
• Operation: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
• Maternity roost for gray bats

Website:
www.en.wikipedia.org

Location:
Marion County

Parachute Cave


Website:
Not Found

Location:
2.5 miles east of Pegram, Tennessee

Access:
• Private
• Not open to the general public

Raccoon Mountain Caverns


Website:
www.raccoonmountain.com

Location:
319 West Hills Road
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37419

• Exit I-24 at Tiftonia-Lookout Mountain
• Approximately 1 mile off I-24

Ruby Falls


Website:
www.rubyfalls.com

About:
• World’s tallest underground waterfall
• Waterfall: 145ft tall nearly 1,120ft underground
• Numerous cave passages

Location:
1720 Lookout Mountain Scenic Highway
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37409

Rumbling Falls Cave


Website:
Not Found

About:
• This cave has CLOSED
• Difficulty: Experienced
• Extremely dangerous

“Special thanks to Clinton for informing us of the cave closure.”

Tuckaleechee Caverns


Website:
www.tuckaleecheecaverns.com

Location:
825 Cavern Road
Townsend, Tennessee 37882

• The caverns are off of U.S. 321 midway between Maryville & Gatlinburg, Tennessee

Wonder Cave


About:
• Status: CLOSED
• Classification: Karst cave
• Electric lights were never installed for tours

Website:
Not Found

Location:
• Foot of the Cumberland Plateau
• Between Monteagle and Pelham off Hwy 41

Worley’s Cave


About:
• a.k.a. Morril’s Cave
• 7 miles of large rooms and narrow passages
• 550 million year old limestone

Website:
Not Found

Location:
Near Elizabethton, Tennessee

 

 

Equipment for Caving

 
Light Sources: While caving, it's important to bring three sources of light. LED lighting has superseded previous forms of light sources and offers superior duration, brightness and much lighter. Be sure to bring in back up lights and batteries. You wouldn't want to run out of light in the complete darkness. It's best to bring 3X as much light as you think you will need during your exploration of the cave.
                           

 

 

 

 

Choose a State for Caving:

 
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