Minnesota's 'Must-Visit' Cave Is A Subterranean Sanctuary With Secret Chambers And Underground Waterfalls

If you're looking for a day trip from Minneapolis, there's tons of places to explore around Southern Minnesota that are an easy drive from the city. Just 30 minutes away, for example, is the picturesque, artsy city of Stillwater, called "the Birthplace of Minnesota." The state is also known for its lakes — about an hour outside of Minneapolis lies the Caribbean-colored Sugar Lake, where water activities are endless. Though the lakes are gorgeous, they're far from rare sights. If you want something a bit more special that's a natural escape from the city, drive a little over two hours from the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport to near Minnesota's southern border, where you'll find the unique Niagara Cave.

With swaths of Martian-like rock formations and an underground waterfall, CBS News referred to Niagara Cave as Minnesota's "must-visit" cave. It's the Midwest's largest limestone cave — with pathways that extend over 1,700 feet and ceilings that reach up to 150 feet high — formed millions of years ago from water slowly eroding chambers into the limestone. The cave's brave discoverers were in fact three pigs, who, having wandered off from a nearby farm, fell into a sinkhole connected to the chasm. The farmer, in search of his missing livestock, found them in the massive, otherworldly caverns of the yet-uncharted Niagara Cave.

Aside from its winding, triangular passageways, the cave's interior also has a gorge called the Grand Canyon and a limestone outgrowth known as the Battleship. Another room has a sprawling, rounded ceiling called the Cathedral Dome. The cave is particularly known for its ancient stalactites — one large stalactite, referred to as the Grandfather, dates back 400,000 years. Encrusted in the limestone, there are also fossils that go back 450 million years, including those of aquatic life forms like cephalopods and trilobites.

To see Niagara Cave, you have to book a guided tour. The tours are an hour long and involve a roughly 1-mile hike underground. As the tour begins, you'll descend around 100 steps down into the cave. The sound of rushing water will come into focus as you approach the cave's first attraction, the rare sight of an underground waterfall that's 60 feet high. Past the waterfall, there's a chapel with benches and an altar, where weddings are hosted. You'll have to squeeze through some narrow passageways before reaching the Battleship and Grand Canyon, where the cave ceiling towers at its highest.

Bring a jacket or sweater with you for the tour, since the cave's temperature hovers around 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to have good walking shoes, too. Because of the amount of climbing, strollers and wheelchairs aren't allowed on the tour. The cave has lights, powered entirely by solar power. Occasionally, the Niagara Cave offers black light and lantern tours, with the lights turned off. The cave is open daily from May through November. Outside, the Niagara Cave site has a miniature golf course, a gemstone panning station, and a gift shop with fossils and crystals you can take home. While you're in southern Minnesota territory, consider checking out Wabasha, Minnesota's oldest city, with a local ski resort and endearing downtown, about one and a half hours from the cave.