The National Park Service is celebrating their 8th annual Cave Week and encouraging visitors to join in events at over 20 National Parks.
While surface level landscapes are the mainstay draws of most National Parks, there are plenty of parks with world class subterranean features to explore including “The Granddaddy of them all” Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave in Mammoth Cave National Park which is the longest cave on earth measuring well over 400 miles in length. Interestingly 4 of the 10 longest caves on our planet are managed by the US National Park Service.
- Jewel Cave, at Jewel Cave National Monument, South Dakota (the third longest cave on Earth) 200+ miles long
- Wind Cave at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota is now documented to be over 150 miles (7th longest in the world);
- Lechuguilla Cave at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico also now exceeds 150 miles in known length (8th longest)
The inaugural Cave Week was held back in 2018 and has since grown to include several Parks Canada sites. If you are interested in learning more about Cave Week events, find more information below.
National Park Service Cave Week:
Cave Week is an awesome opportunity to enjoy, celebrate, and learn about caves in parks. Celebrate these fascinating underground worlds that are home to unique wildlife and provide exciting recreational opportunties.
Many U.S. parks, Parks Canada sites, and even NASA participate in Cave Week via social media posts, cave tours, exhibits, school events, web pages and much more. To be involved in Cave Week check out your nearby park’s website or social media to see what they have going on.
Cave Week started in 2018 as a grassroots effort the celebrate caves in a handful of parks. It has since grown, expanding even beyond the National Park Service. The focus of the week is on caves and karst. It celebrates their importance, geology, history, biology, current research, exploration, and restoration. Cave Week is also the perfect opportunity to promote other, lesser known sites across the US, Canada, and the world.
