Near The Ohio River Is An Unbelievable Cave System That's One Of Indiana's Best Natural Wonders

Thanks to a high concentration of limestone beneath the ground, Indiana has caves galore.  This is especially true in southern-central Indiana, where there are many clusters of tourist caves ripe for viewing in the summer months. Marengo Cave is one of Indiana's most-visited natural attractions, and it's only an hour from the also popular Bluespring Caverns. But just 20 minutes from Marengo Cave are unique twin caves along the Ohio River: Wyandotte Caves. These spacious and historic caves are renowned for their huge stalagmites, rare helictites, and even an underground mountain. What's more, these caves are part of the O'Bannon Woods State Park and on the edge of Harrison Crawford State Forest, so there is no shortage of outdoor adventures.

Located in southern Indiana, the Wyandotte Caves are easily accessible from Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky, and home to a walkable art scene and tree-lined streets. Driving west out of Louisville along Interstate 64 will take travelers to the O'Bannon Woods State Park. Keep in mind that going through O'Bannon may require drivers to pay the park entry fee: $7 for in-state vehicles and $9 for out-of-state vehicles.

What makes the Wyandotte Caves so interesting (aside from the stunning cave formations) is its role in early human history. Native Americans used to live and mine for aragonite in these caves about 3,000 years ago. Even more incredibly, there are carbon records that suggest that humans have been traversing this cave system as early as 8,000 B.C. European settlers began exploring the Wyandotte Caves in 1798, and they were used to store supplies during the War of 1812. Commercial tours of the caves began in 1850, so the Wyandotte Caves are the fourth-oldest caves to host tours in the United States. Prior to receiving their official name, locals called the cave system "Mammoth Cave of Indiana" in reference to Kentucky's Mammoth Cave, with its unique underground adventures.

The cave encompasses two caverns: Big Wyandotte Cave and Little Wyandotte Cave. For first-time visitors or visitors who do not have the stamina to complete the tour of Big Wyandotte Cave, the Little Wyandotte Cave tour is the perfect place to start. This short and easy tour lasts about 30 minutes with a max group size of 15. Tours are available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with tour groups leaving nearly every hour. The tour costs $8 for visitors aged 12 and up and $4 for ages 6 to 11. Children under the age of 6 get in free. During this tour, visitors will see examples of flowstone and dripstone formations as well as the native wildlife that call the cave home. One of the most common critters cave explorers will find here is cave crickets. There are also bats that occasionally take refuge here, but they prefer the bigger cave.

Cave lovers with a bit more stamina should take a tour of the Big Wyandotte Cave to see the cave system's most impressive formations. Because the tour covers 1.5 miles, it takes about two hours to complete and costs more than the shorter tour. Visitors ages 12 and up have to pay $18 per person, and children ages 6 to 11 cost $9 per person. The tour will require participants to scale lots of stairs, so expect to get a leg workout.

Once inside the Big Wyandotte Cave, there is vastly more to explore than in the smaller cave. For instance, one of the tallest stalagmites in the world is located here, and it's called the Pillar of Constitution. Unfortunately, the 33-foot-tall stalagmite is only accessible during crawling tours. Guaranteed to be on the tour is the famous 135-foot-tall Monument Mountain inside the Rothrock's Grand Cathedral. The cathedral area is a huge chamber with the largest underground mountain in the world. During the tour, participants may encounter some of the cave's diverse wildlife. Nine species of bats take up residence in this cave, including the Indiana bat. There are also species of blind cave fish and salamanders that live here.

Guests to the caves should be advised that there is a decontamination surface at the cave's entrance to prevent the spread of the deadly White-nose syndrome in cave bats. The white spores that infect the bats do not harm humans, but they have caused damage to bat populations in these caves in the past, so protecting these species is critical. The caves are 52 degrees Fahrenheit all year, so visitors may also want to pack a jacket.