13 Spooky Caves To Visit In The US And Canada This Fall

Fall is one of the best times to crawl deep beneath the Earth's surface, and not just if you're preparing for hibernation. The cave is without a doubt one of the creepiest ecosystems on the planet, and the ideal destination for anyone who wants to embark on a spooky ghost tour.

Caves are home to creatures that thrive in darkness. One such creature has been at the heart of centuries of lore: the mighty bat. There are more than 150 species of bats in North America (though none of them are blood-sucking vampire bats — those are found in Central and South America). While you might occasionally see bats in your backyard, that pales in comparison to the experience of seeing swarms of thousands of them emerging from the mouth of a massive cave. Caves are also the home of nearly translucent salamanders and eyeless fish that add to the spookiness.

Don't worry, though, cave visitors are generally welcomed to view cave creatures from a safe distance. We've peered into the abyss for you to find some of the creepiest caves in the U.S. and Canada to add to your fall travel plans.

So, those eyeless fish we just mentioned? The Donaldson Cave system inside Spring Mill State Park, Southern Indiana's lush state park, is one of the few places where you're likely to spot them in the U.S. You'll have to take the Twin Caves boat tour to do so. This tour is offered for only $3 through mid-October, and reservations are only accepted in person for the same day. Check the website in advance to confirm availability.

As creepy as they sound, the cavefish are actually kind of cute. They're quite small, growing only up to about 3 or 4 inches in length. For such small creatures, they can live an impressively long time, sometimes between 30 and 40 years. Because there is no light in the cave streams they call home, they have no pigment and non-visual ways of navigating around their environment. Instead of eyes, they have "sensory papillae" on their skin – a fancy word for the same kinds of bumpy structures that make up human taste buds. Seeing these little guys in their shadowy underground world is a rare and unforgettable experience for any cave explorer.

Just outside of San Antonio, about 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats call this wildly unique Devil's Sinkhole cave home, for at least part of the year. They're a migratory species of bat that travels farther south in the winter. They tend to start leaving in the fall. Visitors aren't allowed to enter the cave to protect the bats. Instead, in the morning and evenings, visitors are invited to watch from a viewing platform as the bats emerge in droves at dawn and dusk to find food — mostly insects. This is an experience that's sure to send a chill down your spine.

The park offers evening bat tours through the end of October, but of course, it can't guarantee the bats will still be home since migratory factors are out of their control. Best to try and plan a visit earlier in the season if possible. The evening tour is $14 for adults, and the morning tour is $20. Visitors note that there's limited seating on the platform, so for a more comfortable viewing (you'll be craning your neck at the sky, a bit like stargazing), you might want to bring your own folding chair.

Carlsbad Caverns contain a network of 120 caves, the largest accessible cave chamber in North America. Its bat population was once so immense, bat dung piled up to 50 feet high. The park was once a site for guano (bat poop) mining in the early 1900s for use in fertilizers.

Today, mining has given way to tourism and education, and there are still an impressive 400,000 bats roosting inside the cavern. You can watch them surging out into the sky with the park's free Bat Flight Program, from April through October, in their open-air Bat Flight Amphitheater. Every night, a park ranger offers educational information just before the bats emerge.

If you're ready to plunge into darkness, cramped crevices, and belly crawl your way through the underworld, reviewers rave about the park's ranger-guided tours of off-trail areas in Carlsbad Cavern, Slaughter Canyon Cave, and Spider Cave. Spider Cave is rumored to have derived its name from early explorers finding it to be covered in spiders like a carpet. If that's too much for your nerves, there are two well-lit and relatively flat paved paths for self-guided tours: the Big Room Trail and the Natural Entrance Trail.

Bell Witch Cave is one of the most haunted in America. It's so famous, in fact, it's been taught in Tennessee schools and even drew President Andrew Jackson in to investigate. An entire book was published containing a first-hand account, and the publisher is said to have encountered supernatural disturbances in the printing process.

The story goes that in 1817, a family living in a frontier farmhouse and their enslaved workers began to experience unnerving events around the home. For years, scratching noises, loud thumps in the walls, and the appearance of strange creatures in the night tormented the Bell family and their workers. The property owner, John Bell himself, allegedly died at the hands of this evil spirit that was dubbed the Bell Witch.

Today, visitors can tour the grounds, which include a replica of the original farmhouse and a cave where the witch was rumored to rest when not causing mayhem. Whether the cave is substantially connected to the original myth of the Bell Witch is the subject of hot debate. Nevertheless, the tours promise guests a haunting experience, and an annual fall festival celebrates the legend with three different theatrical productions.

The Lost River Cave, a.k.a. "Dead Man's Cave" and "Purgatory Cave," has a layered history. Over the years, it's been used as a site for water and shelter by Indigenous people, a grist mill, a campsite for troops on both sides of the Civil War, a hideout for infamous bank robbers, a nightclub, and one of the largest illegal dumps of toxic waste in Kentucky. As the CEO, Justin Jennings points out in a YouTube video: "Anytime you have a property that is this old and has been used for this long a time, scary stories just kinda naturally, organically develop."

The cave has recently launched a new boat tour for the Halloween season called "Lost Tales of the Underground" that invites guests to "explore the eerie dark side" of the cave. Jennings says, "It is a boat tour but it highlights some of the darker scarier stories we have here at the park." Some of the haunting stories you may hear during the 45-minute tour that begins at dusk include tales of fallen Civil War soldiers and mysterious fires during the milling operations. The tour is appropriate for ages 16 and up.

If venturing into the depths of the underworld for a few hours isn't enough of a thrill, there is another option: spending the night inside a cave. Imagine curling up on the cool stone ground at 333 feet below sea level, beneath ancient stalactites dangling from the ceiling, with the echo of water dripping down the walls in the distance. For those brave souls seeking a truly unsettling experience, add an overnight stay in Cumberland Caverns to your fall trip list. Visitors to the caves report seeing bats, animal bones, and salamanders.

There are four overnight packages to choose from. One is accessible for children as young as six, and another for 11 and up. The two others are only for ages 16 and up, and are rated 5/5 difficulty. For example, the "Into the Dark" tour is described as "a daredevil's holy grail." It involves scaling underground canyons and crossing an area known as Devil's Quarry.

Cumberland Caverns also offers short tours focused on giving visitors a taste of true darkness — as early explorers would have experienced it. Lanterns & Legends is a guided ghost tour with an easy 90-minute hike while listening to chilling tales of past explorers.

Literally "The Devil's Hole" in French, its name and legends make it an especially frightening destination. It earned its name from farmers in the region who encountered the cave under terrifying circumstances — and who believed it was the lair of the Devil himself. I actually learned this directly from a local guide during my recent visit. Legend has it that bizarre sounds were heard coming from the cave entrance, which is what first led farmers to it. Terrified by what they heard, they believed it was the sound of souls lingering in purgatory or the sound of the Devil himself.

The second-longest cave in the Province of Quebec is now protected and operated by the provincial speleology society, which offers two types of tours — both of which require getting at least knee-deep in frigid waters. The adventure package requires squeezing your body through nearly a full mile of narrow tunnels carved by thousands of years of erosion. Some areas are filled with so much water that visitors are submerged up to the chin and need to turn their heads sideways to draw breath. Temperatures in the cave can drop to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and the water is even colder. Be sure to pack a warm change of clothes.

Step into a world where spirits and stones meet. Among these deep Blue Mountain crevasses and chasms are markers of the spiritual beliefs and practices of the Petun First Nations people. Along one of many self-guided hiking trails, visitors can observe a towering limestone spire that the Petun called Ekarenniondi, or "Village of the Dead." As Petun souls passed from the land of the living to the dead in this area, they were believed to encounter a ghastly yet benevolent spirit named Oscotarach (or "head piercer") who helped them with the transition by sucking out their brains to remove their memories of life.

Archaeologist Charles Garrad says (via Scenic Caves Nature Adventures): "From one minute to another the rock may be perceived to be the petrified figure of a sleepy bear or a tired old man. A 'death's-head' effigy sometimes appears. From below it may be a bear rearing up, or a watchful owl. Any of these interpretations would make an acceptable Oscotarach, with claws, teeth, beak, talons."

Other spirits are said to haunt the grounds. Wandering through these ancient formations invites visitors to see million-year-old formations as living stories marked in stone.

Bizarre rock formations and bloody history converge at Lava Beds National Monument to create an atmosphere that some visitors describe as desolate. This monstrosity of a park contains more than 800 ancient lava caves, with only 24 of them open to the public for exploration. The public caves vary in difficulty — from beginner to expert. Lava Beds National Monument also contains one of the largest panels of ancient rock carvings in the U.S., made by the Modoc Native Americans.

This is the site of a major, bloody war between settlers and the Modoc Native Americans that took place in the late 19th century, violently forcing the Modoc people from their homeland to reservations. Visitors can explore the spiritual home of the Modoc people with the plants and animals that were there when they lived in the area. Today, Modoc descendants live in Oklahoma and Oregon and make annual visits to the monument in Northern California to celebrate their traditional ceremonies.

Exploring these caves and lava fields is a haunting journey through one of the darkest chapters of American history. As a park brochure puts it: "The cultural identity of an entire people was lost here ... so settlers could graze a few cows."

Deep beneath Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga lies Ruby Falls. At its heart, an 85-foot underground waterfall shimmers with an eerie glow, casting shifting shadows on the ancient rock walls. The effect is both breathtaking and otherworldly, making Ruby Falls a destination that blends natural wonder with a touch of the supernatural.

For nearly a century, the cavern has drawn explorers and thrill-seekers alike. On the park's Haunted Lantern Tours, guides recount the uncanny events and mysterious tales that have unfolded in the cave, which was once a campsite for Native Americans, a Civil War hospital, and a moonshiner's escape during Prohibition. Tickets for this tour sell out quickly.

Ruby Falls is so legendary for its hauntings that until 2017, it was also home to a major Halloween attraction called Haunted Cavern. The experience was so chilling that it grew too popular for the size of the cave and has since relocated and rebranded. Made by the same award-winning creators, Dread Hollow Haunted House & Escape Rooms is just a 10-minute drive from Ruby Falls.

Many people have heard of Luray Caverns thanks to its popularity, but few know its natural marvel, the Stalacpipe Organ. This one-of-a-kind instrument uses the cavern's own natural formations to produce music. In fact, it is considered by some to be the largest instrument in the world, with notes resonating on stalactites that've taken millions of years to form.

The first artist to compose original music for this natural instrument was Paul Malmström. It was recorded and featured on the track "In the Cave" from Pepe Deluxe's 2012 album "Queen of the Wave," which captures the organ's otherworldly resonance. The sound is bone-chillingly haunting, echoing through the darkness in tones that feel both ancient and spectral. "In the Cave" expresses the mysterious beauty of this underground cavern.

Today, the organ's keys still move up and down even though there is no one there to play them — it's brought to life by an automated system, like a giant music box set in motion by an invisible hand. Whether you visit for the geological wonder or the haunting music, this cave promises a sonic experience that still reverberates long after you've left.

The Cave of the Winds is perched high on the stunning Blue Mountains of Manitou Springs, an artsy city with a quirky charm. This cave is more than just a geological wonder — it's a destination that practically drips with a ghostly atmosphere. When two boys went exploring in the mountains in 1880, they entered a dark tunnel with only a dim candle to guide them. When a strong wind blew through the canyon, a groaning sound erupted, causing them to believe the place was haunted.

Today, the park's Haunted Lantern Tour plunges guests into near-total darkness, with only a dim flame to light the way as guides divulge stories of restless spirits of the many people who are rumored to have met their end within the stone walls of the canyon — including a former owner of the cave who met financial ruin and an inconsolable bride who was left standing at the altar.

During October, the park offers an extended two-hour "Director's Cut" version of the same tour, bringing guests closer than ever to the haunting legends that make up the folklore and history of the Manitou Grands Caverns — only for ages 13 and up.

Sometimes, a cave is terrifying not because anything horrible happened inside it, but because of its sheer immensity and capacity to make you feel claustrophobic. Horne Lake Caves on Vancouver Island are numerous and extensive, numbering more than 1,000.

In 2025, researchers officially confirmed connections between three caves that were previously assumed to be separate. The network, called Argo, is officially the longest (though not deepest) cave in Canada. It stretches over 15.5 miles. The sheer length of the cave can make it feel like a terrifying labyrinth, full of dead ends and disorienting loops. Knowing that miles of stone stretch in every direction adds to the claustrophobic tension.

There are a variety of tour packages to choose from, and without a doubt, the scariest among them are a subset in the category of "Vertical Cave Tours." For example, the Max Depth Adventure Tour involves belly crawls, strenuous climbs, and rappelling 65 feet into total darkness — which has earned it 5 out of 5 stars from almost 1,000 reviewers on Tripadvisor.

Information for this guide was gathered from a variety of sources, including travel blogs, news reports, and review websites. This combination allowed for a comprehensive view of the spookiest cave destinations across the U.S. and Canada. By consulting multiple types of resources, the list ensures that travelers receive both practical information — like accessibility, tour options, and tips — and the stories and legends that give each cave its mysterious charm.

Caves included in this list were selected for their ability to immerse visitors in experiences that are as spooky as they are unforgettable in different ways. Sites were chosen based on opportunities to encounter creepy cave life, explore local legends of hauntings or unexplained phenomena, or engage with unusual geological features that lend a site a seriously spooky energy. Together, these destinations provide a curated collection of the most thrilling caves for travelers seeking adventure, history, and the uncanny in equal measure this fall.