Utah Caves

Undisclosed Cave #2

2014-04-17T22:47:00.004-06:00

This is another Utah County Cave that I need to keep nameless to help protect the cave. Enjoy the pics!

I had to crop two pictures together the best I could to fit this giant strip of bacon in one picture.

Undisclosed cave somewhere in Utah

2013-09-25T13:34:00.002-06:00

After 4 years of searching we were finally able to locate this one. Rodney Horrocks and Randy Parker originally discovered and surveyed it back in 1995. Although it is only 140' long it is a well decorated cave. Because of the size of the cave (or lack thereof), we had to be extremely careful not to bump many of the delicate features.

The entry is one of the tightest spots, and very awkward with breakdown and a tall stalagmite in the middle of the floor.

A tight climb up a flowstone wall leads into the largest room of the cave... "Ribbon Room".

This is Shane coming through the squeeze into Ribbon Room.

This bacon is nearly 14' long and is the main feature that gives the room it's name.

The boulder on the right is pretty interesting. It formed stalactites in one direction, fell, then formed more in its new position.

I love the unique yellow tint to many of the features found in this cave.

These were lots of fun helectities throughout the cave.

This is one of the main features of Ribbon Room.

The walls were wet and actively growing more curtains.

A couple of fun columns with the large bacon in the background.

This is looking back down the passage leading out of the Ribbon Room and up towards Silver Room.

This white bacon in Silver Room is one of my favorite features in the cave.

The silver of Silver Room.

Beyond Silver Room there is a small pool that you have to awkwardly navigate around.

A nice long soda straw.

This is looking up past the pool towards the back of the cave.

And this is the very back.

Big Brush Creek Cave

2013-09-21T08:03:00.000-06:00

Big Brush Creek Cave is the second largest cave in Utah at just under 5 miles, with it's deepest point at about 850 feet deep. The cave is often clogged with huge logs and other debris from spring run off running through the middle of it. Generally spring time is not recommended unless there is very little spring run off.

Guano Abyss

2013-09-09T09:21:00.004-06:00

Guano Abyss is a cave that was found back in the 1970's and has been lost to the caving world for the past 40 years. We were able to re-locate it while on a search and rescue for a missing hiker. We didn't get time to fully explore it so we will definitely have to get back there soon.

Looking back into the crevice towards the first drop.

Looking down the first drop to the dirt floor. This is potentially down-climbable, but I would use a handline to be safe.

South Funhouse Cave

2013-09-08T15:04:00.000-06:00

We found this cave and another one similar to it while on a search and rescue operation. Both of them dropped into small rooms about 15' down and then had a branch extending down deeper. We didn't get time to fully explore it, but we will be back soon to push it further.

North Funhouse Cave

2013-09-08T15:01:00.000-06:00

Looking down into the entry

This is where I stopped. There is a ten foot drop into this descending passage. It needed a hand line to safely descend it, so I will come back another day to see how far it really goes.

Teacup Pit

2013-09-08T14:41:00.000-06:00

Teacup pit is another Tony Grove cave that does not go very far. There is a little bit of flowstone near the bottom but not much to see other than that. (Images courtesy Matt Broadhead)

Crystal "Cave"

2013-08-24T23:46:00.001-06:00

Crystal "Cave" is not officially a cave since it is only extends roughly 12' feet back into the hillside, but is is a natural fissure with some interesting features and a small amount of calcite deposit in the very back. While this cave is not one for most cavers, the kids love to hike up to it and it is worth a quick visit if you are ever in Saratoga Springs.

Boomerang Cave

2013-06-18T10:48:00.003-06:00

Boomerang Cave has a nice 150 foot entrance drop that is a free rappel most of the way down. The cave becomes progressively more technical the deeper you go, but from all that have visited, they have said it is one of their favorites.

If you go, make sure you don't miss the side passage at the bottom of the first pit, before you make your way climbing up to the second drop. You'd have to work your way around some logs but it's an extremely short crawl just to visit that one extra room in the cave.

The following images are courtesy of Nicholas Ballard.

The entrance

Looking back up at the entrance

Working our way to the side room at the bottom of the entry pit.

A small stalagmite in the second pit.

Some nice formations in the second pit.

Rigging at the top of the third pit.

Some flowstone and draperies in the top of the third pit.

The bottom of the third pit

Signing the cave register at the bottom of the third pit.

Here is a link to a map of the cave: http://www.jonjasper.com/MapGallery/BoomerangCave.pdf

You can also see more pictures from our friends blog here: http://www.family.brandonkowallis.com/?p=15

Little Brush Creek Cave

2012-09-22T08:29:00.000-06:00

Little Brush Creek Cave is Utah's longest known cave at just under 6 miles and a depth of 658 feet. The cave is often clogged with huge logs and other debris from spring run off running through the middle of it.

Gas Can Pit

2012-08-13T17:06:00.001-06:00

Gas Can Pit got its name from the gas cans that the forest service threw into it several years ago. Those cans have since been removed. When we setting up to descend the cave, the first ledge collapsed and all the boulders and logs at the top fell into the pit. If you go, please be careful as this is not the most stable of pits in the area.

Boat Box

2012-08-13T09:52:00.003-06:00

Boat Box is a another Soapstone cave that was discovered and sketched in 1975 by Kevin Allred. The location of this cave was just recently re-discovered and we had the opportunity to go and explore it this past weekend. While we were there we discovered that the cave matched the sketch made of it, but the scale of the sketch was a bit off.

The entry was covered with rotted logs when we visited the cave.

Looking back up the entry pit. The old 1975 sketch of the cave showed the drop to be around 50' deep, but we measured it to be only 35' deep. From the bottom of the first drop the floor slopes steeply down to the next floor which is another 12-15' down.

Shane and Dave looking down into the entrance of the second pit.

This is looking down from near the top of the second pit. You can see the simmer on the water below.

Its hard to see, but the water level is where the little shimmer of light is by the rope.

Money Pit

2012-06-18T10:50:00.001-06:00

Money Pit gets it's name from the legends of lost Spanish gold in the area; although there is no mineralization or any history of Spanish mining in this cave, there have been recent workings of people trying to excavate here and there.

The entrance drops 10-12 feet into a small room.

Shane Coles climbing down into the entry. For inexperienced climbers we recommend using a rope to descend this pit.

From the small room at the bottom of the entry pit there is a small hole that corkscrews down into the fissure before it opens up.

This is looking down the fissure just after the corkscrew passage.

Descending into the main portion of the cave there is an old rope ladder with wood rungs. The walls are very wet and the rope and wood have become very water logged, so I don't know how much longer this set up will be stable enough to use.

From the floor of the pit the cave cuts back under where the ladder is and there is another pit. Since I didn't bring my gear down this one I was not able to explore it any further. Down-climbing this one is probably possible, but since no one else was in there with me I decided not to attempt it. We will have to try it again on another trip.

Hatari Cave

2012-06-18T08:51:00.001-06:00

Hatari is the largest of the caves in the Soapstone Basin area. It has well over 500 feet of passage, with potential for more. The entry pit is roughly 25 feet and then there is a second drop into the main passage which is 50 - 60 feet. The rest of the cave is a large "slot canyon" that intercepts a second canyon. The second channel wraps back around and connects to the original one to make a big loop. Both canyons end in a gravel sump that takes the water down deeper into the limestone.

Looking down the 60' drop.

Looking up the 60' drop.

This is the beginning of the canyon at the bottom of the drop.

This cave has a lot of small pockets that bring water and other minerals into the cave and make these beautiful formations.

This rock type of rock is called Breccia and is fond in many parts of the cave.

This poor animal somehow made it to the bottom of the pit alive and wandered to this point where he laid down and has been ever since. It looks like a small coyote.

The bacon in this cave is very white in most places.

This is called a Soda Straw

More soda straws and serrated bacon.

Some parts of the channel are tighter than others, but this is about the worst of it.

Here are a couple of little rim rock pools.

This is the only column we found in the cave.

Shane Coles and David Herron working their way through the loop canyon.

This looks like it is flowing muddy water; but it is actually a solid formation. We stepped on the rocks and edges to avoid any damage.

Looking up and out.

Muddy Bones Fissure

2012-04-22T15:47:00.003-06:00

This cave is simply an open fissure. It drops 125' to the first floor and then reaches 146' deep through a side passage. There was really only one small part of this cave that had any formations and they were minimal at best. Most of the walls are covered with mud that flows in during rain storms and spring thaw. We took the time to survey the cave while we were there, so a map will be coming shortly.

Looking down into the entry.

Looking back up at the entry from about 40' down.

Someone attempted to do some mining in here a long time ago. In a well hidden side passage we found these old spikes. They are very rusted and brittle. There were also several cut boards that were almost completely corroded. They broke very easily when stepped on.

This is looking down the fissure where some mining was done.

Judd ascending past the log pile at 125' down.

The floor was covered in small rodent bones, as were many of the mud coated walls.

The very bottom of the cave is just a few feet below the bottom of the picture. The deepest point was 146', at which point the fissure is filled with mud.

12 Mile Cave

2012-03-13T15:36:00.004-06:00

While exploring the west desert we stumbled upon this cave entrance. From below it looked like it had a good possibility of going, but unfortunately it was not as promising as it looked. Just inside the cave splits into two passages. Both of which dead end only 6 - 8 ft. back and are filled with pack rat nests.

The center passage.

The left passage.

Perfect Arch

2012-03-13T15:21:00.005-06:00

The entrance to Perfect Arch is actually an old mine. The mine itself is fairly extensive and there is a dangerous drop near the back that should be avoided. A few hundred feet back from the entrance is where the natural cave was encountered.

This is the main room. Not very big, but beautifully decorated with gypsum crystals.

This is the largest stalagmite and the only column we found in this cave.

One portion of the cave is covered in these yellowish mamalaries.

Many of the stalagmites have been broken off and are missing in this cave.

After the main room an arched tunnel system begins that is covered with white gypsum crystals. Great care should be taken when crawling through these passages. You can see that a lot of dirt is ending up on the walls from previous visitors.

This is looking down one of the passages. While climbing down it my brother suddenly yells "skunk!" I don't think I have seen everyone freeze that fast in a long time. And I didn't know that skunks lived inside of caves until now. So be careful if you visit this one!

These gypsum hairs are extremely delicate formations. Please do not touch or even breathe on these.

Johnson Canyon Caves

2012-02-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

These sandstone caves drew a lot of attention in the early 1900's as local Kanab residents believed the lost Montezuma's treasure could be found within the canyon. All of the caves ended up with some extensive mining done inside in the effort to recover the treasure. After several months with nothing found, the residents gave up their search. All that the explorers had found in the cliffs was a sandstone chamber housing a few Native-American artifacts and human remains. You can read more about the lost treasure and the exploration done in this canyon here.

Image courtesy of wildernessutah.com

Image courtesy of ajroadtrips.com

You can barely see the outline of Jeff Baird descending into another shaft below the old boards.

Bat Cave

2012-02-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

While this cave has been on our list for some time it is not actually a cave as it's only approximately 20' in length and does not achieve total darkenss. If you ask me it's not a very creative name either. It could have been called packrat cave, fly cave, guano cave or just plain Nasty Cave. This hole is filled with bat guano, flies, bees, mosquitos, rodent droppings and lots of other things that the rat dragged in; obviously storing up supplies for the coming winter. Despite the name, and all the guano in the ceiling, I did not see any bats.

I don't hesitate posting entrance pictures of this hole as it is plainly visable from the road with a steep hike up a loose rock slide and bushwacking thru thick oak brush to the entrance which is on the edge of a cliff face. At the back of the cave there is a very small opening that comes out on the cliff face to the right (referring to the entrance pic). I didn't get any decent pics at the back of the cave because, first of all there was nothing to see but guano, and second I just wanted to get out of that filthy fissure! I was 'in the area' so I figured that I should check this one off the list. Even if you happen to be up at Causey and have absoutely nothing to do I'd still pass on this one.
As you can see, the entrance passage pinches down to about 2' high but then it opens up to a small standing height room at the back.

The entrance and view from inside are pretty cool though.

Green Eyed Monster

2012-01-18T14:51:00.001-07:00

Green Eyed Monster is another cave that never would have been seen if some miners didn't happen to dig right into it. After a tight squeeze at the bottom of this corrugated tube, the mine drift continues for quite a ways until it broke into the cave. The features inside are very interesting and most have a strange green tint to them.

You can find plan and profile maps here:
http://www.jonjasper.com/MapGallery/GreenEyedMonster.jpg ,
http://www.jonjasper.com/MapGallery/GreenEyedMonsterProfile.jpg

The entrance. Permission must be obtained by the land owner before entering the mine.

Jeff and John in "The Big Room"

Cameron & Jeff in "The Big Room"

Cameron climbing into the "Hump Room".

Looking up into the "Attic".

A small rimstone pool in "The Loop".

Cameron in "The Phosphorescent Crack".

Spencer in "The Phosphorescent Crack".

The entire group in "The Column Room" (From left to right: John, Cameron, Sam, Scott, Jeff, Spencer, Shane [behind the camera])

Our guides Scott and Sam ( S & S Adventures) in "The Column Room".

Shane standing between two columns in the "Hump Room".

Spencer squeezing through the tight spot on "The Loop".

This cave easily makes our top 10 list because of the quantity and size of the formations, the large rooms and beautiful colors.

The following pictures were taken in the Medusa Room on the original discovery trip made back in 1973. Images are courtesy of Stephen Kendorski.

White Nose Syndrome

2011-10-04T11:12:00.008-06:00

What is white-nose syndrome?

Hibernating bats in the northeastern United States are dying in record numbers, and we do not know the cause of the deaths. This wildlife health crisis, white-nose syndrome, is named for the white fungus evident on the muzzles and wings of affected bats.

How is WNS transmitted?
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service believes that WNS is transmitted primarily from bat to bat. There is a strong possibility that it may also be transmitted by humans inadvertently carrying the causative agent from cave to cave on their clothing and gear.

What should cavers know and do?
The Service and the states request that cavers observe all cave closures and advisories and avoid caves, mines or passages containing hibernating bats to minimize disturbance to the bats. The Service asks that cavers and cave visitors stay out of all caves in the affected states and adjoining states to help slow the potential spread of WNS.

It is also advise that you decontaminate previously used gear immediately, store them away, and thoroughly wash and decontaminate any surfaces with which these items may have come into contact (e.g., car trunk, duffle bag, etc.). Currently, 10% bleach solution, Lysol® All-purpose Professional Cleaner, and the antibacterial form of Formula 409® have been demonstrated to be effective at killing Geomyces sp., the fungus associated with WNS, on nonporous surfaces.

For a complete list of decontamination procedures for cavers click here.

For more information, see http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html.
Federal Relay Service for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
1 800/877 8339
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
1 800/344 WILD
www.fws.gov
WhiteNoseBats@fws.gov

(The above information is taken from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service White-nose syndrome in bats Frequently Asked Questions publication available here)

Bowl Cave

2011-09-12T00:33:00.005-06:00

This cave is located in a small bowl directly behind an old mill. It is very small as we were only able to measured 11' of length. The only formations found inside were a couple of very small pieces of bacon on the ceiling.

The entry is pretty well hidden behind some trees, but it is not hard to find if you are looking for it.

This tiny piece of bacon is the only formation we found.

This is a picture of the old mill/smelter. The cave is located just behind it in the bowl.

Ireko Cave

2011-09-11T15:39:00.025-06:00

Ireko Cave follows a limestone fissure straight back into the mountain and has a very strong breeze coming out of it. We measured 110' from the entrance to the squeeze that was too tight for me to comfortably try on my own. When I tossed a rock through the pinch point I could hear it roll for a good 6 seconds. With how much air movement there is in this cave I would expect it to continue on much further.

You can see an old PVC canister with aluminum lids on it laying on the floor in the photo above. The only reason I think that it could be there was that it was used to haul dirt out of the cave.

This cave has a lot of small stalagmites and soda staws.

This is the tightest squeeze in the cave. As you can see, it was not much bigger than my helmet. I was able to fit through it with some wiggling, but I don't think Shane would have made it. He waited for me on the other side of this squeeze.

Just past the tight squeeze there is an open fissure headed up into the ceiling. We did not get a chance to explore it on this trip however.

I was a little weary about squeezing through this one. It did not look much bigger than my boot, but once I got down in it I slipped through pretty easily.

A little past the third squeeze we found a off shoot. It was tight and made two 90 degree bends fairly close to each other, so I did not attempt it this trip either.

I stuck my camera around the corner of the turn off and you can clearly see it opens up to another passageway. We will have to go back up for another mapping trip.

These two small stalagmites remind me of the "salt and pepper shaker" in Timpanogos Cave.

At the end of this tunnel is where the tightest squeeze was encountered, and with no one there that could pull me out if I were to get stuck.... I decided not to push it. When I tossed a rock through it I was surprised to hear it bounce and fall for a good 6 seconds before coming to a rest. The airflow through this squeeze was very strong and cold, just as it had been through the entire cave. This is a great indicator that there is a lot more passage to explore.

Right before the last squeeze we found this old anchor bolted into the wall. I was very surprised to think that anyone else could fit through that hole if I couldn't.

Hiking up to the cave I discovered this small solution tube that day lighted at the top through a crack in the cliff. This was a very encouraging sign that Ireko may be close since we did not know of it's exact location.

We also found this interesting caterpillar. I believe it is a spotted tussock moth caterpillar.

And a Tarantula crossing the road.

GMZ Cave

2011-09-09T13:35:00.009-06:00

GMZ is a 198' deep pit. It may have some possibilities of continuing at the bottom, but some digging in the snow pile at the bottom would be required to push this cave further.

Matt Broadhead dropping into the entrance.

Looking up at the snowpile at the bottom.

A little bit of flowstone decoration.

Looking up toward the entry from the bottom.

Pole Creek Cave

2011-08-25T17:05:00.001-06:00

Pole Creek Cave is a large horizontal cave that is great for beginners to explore. It is only accessible in the fall since the Pole Creek river comes out of the entrance at high flow levels. The dry portion of the cave is roughly 900' long and ends at a pool of water that remains year round. The pool is diveable and is roughly 200' long and then continues 500' in another dry portion of the cave until another pool is encountered. Currently Underwater Dynamics is exploring the second pool in hopes of pushing it further. The end goal is to connect the entrance with the upper sink that is 1.5 miles away.

When I visited the cave in the spring (see image below) a heavy flow of water was coming from the entry. Warning! No attempt should be made to enter this cave when water is flowing out of the entry!

The Pole Creek Sink (see image below) located about 1.5 miles upstream from the cave entrance is where the river disappears into the cave system. With the high runoff this spring (2011) the sink filled up to where you could barely see the top of the right mine entrance.

The two large black holes in the photo are an attempt by Gale Rhoades to open an old Spanish mine he located in the sink. You can read more about the venture here.

Cameron Coles standing in front of the sink.