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These descriptions are based upon our experiences. Caves, even those considered easy,
are dangerous places to be. Dont be misled into thinking that just because we call a cave easy, means it cant kick your ass. So do your research (again) and take our opinions for what they are:
biased, off-base, jaded opinions. Click on the Cave Safely button to learn more.
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Surprise Cave - Email us at cavesr4all@yahoo.com for coordinates
It was a chilly Sunday morning when ½ of Cavesr4all (Me, Vader) met a couple of cavers who frequent the site South of Silverton. CaverOne chose to sleep in a little
and chase some brook trout around Paradox Valley instead.
Fortunately his car was able to make it as my truck had busted an alternator belt when we were at Nucla the day before. Thanks for the use
of your car Steve; you were there in spirit.
I met Chris and Pokey (two cavers from the Western slope) where Hwy 550 crosses Lime Creek at the big hairpin curve. Our plan was to search for
Surprise cave. After meeting and greeting for a few minutes we headed off towards the cliff band on the north side of 550 and just east of Lime Creek. After about an hour of wandering around and
finding nothing but one very interesting resurgence, we decided to split up and meet back at the cars about noon. There were a few different areas nearby that we wanted to check out, but we were
running short on time. I made it back to the cars first, so I decided to get in the car and drive North on 550 towards the top of Molas pass to a little pullout where I could get a better view of
the cliffs near Deer Creek. Little did I know at the time I was less than a 10-minute walk from the cave.
After getting back to Lime Creek to meet up with Chris and Pokey, we started talking
about what we were going to do with the four hours we had left. Chris and Pokey were leaning towards going up to the pullout were I had just been. I was thinking the cliffs near Deer Creek would be
a good area to ridge-walk. The area near the pullout was for the most part fairly level and the cliffs around Deer Creek looked like a challenge to climb. Fortunately, because I was feeling lazy
that day, it didn’t take much to convince me to check the pullout first and then head up to the cliffs if there was still time.
After regrouping at the pullout we all headed off in different
directions to search for Surprise cave. After just a short 10 minutes, Pokey came over the radio, and in a ho-hum sort of voice, that still had a hint of excitement in it, he announced he had found
Surprise cave. Chris and I quickly closed in on his position.
After we had all poked around the entrance and we were satisfied this was really the cave we were looking for we all headed back
to the vehicles to put on the wet suits. I had brought an extra wet suit for Pokey, but could not find a second pair of wet suit booties. This made for a chilly trip through the cave for him. The trip
through the cave was fairly straightforward. There was no crawling or any vertical to mention. One thing worth noting is that about 75% of the trip we were walking in water that was at least ankle deep
and in places it became as much as chest-deep. We all had 3 mil wet suits on. These were pretty comfortable in the cold and wet environment. If we had had to stop and sit for any reason
we probably would have wished we had the thicker and warmer wet suits on.
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Spring Cave - GPS Coordinates N39 51.596 W107 32.299
Spring Cave is the fifth largest cave in Colorado and
Vader’s personal favorite. It contains the largest underground waterway in Colorado, called Thunder Road, several underground lakes, and at least five sumps, requiring SCUBA gear to explore. During
some high runoff seasons, the cave will flood out completely. The high technical difficutly rating is based on our trip to the first sump, which required wetsuits, and a little swimming. However, if you
only want to explore the upper level, it’s a great beginner’s cave. Spring Cave is located along the south fork of the White River in Rio Blanco County. From Meeker, drive east to Buford, then south
to the South Fork campground. From here, a good hiking trail leads about .7 miles to the impressive entrance. Get map
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Anvil Points is formed in claystone (mud, basically) rather than limestone. The walls are dry, crumbly mud and there are no formations to be seen.
There are over 2000 feet of known passage, and the air was really moving when Vader was there. According to published reports, the cave lies on the border between BLM land and the former Naval Oil Shale
Reserve. To get there, drive west on I-70 from Rifle about 14 miles and take exit 81. Follow the frontage road south of the Interstate back to the east to road 246 which crosses back under I-70 and goes
to Anvil Points. Travel NW about 2 miles to Anvil Points, turn right and go about 1/2 mile and you’ll see an arch across the valley. This arch is directly above and east of the entrance to the
cave.
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Fulton Cave -
E-mail us at cavesr4all@yahoo.com for coordinates
Fulton is located in the Flat Tops Wilderness and is over a four mile hike away from the parking area. The cave is full of running water, so be prepared to get wet. (Actually, CaverOne
went quite a ways in and kept dry. You just have to work at it.) Vader and CaverOne found the cave amid a vicious thunderstorm, lightning strikes, the works. A solid hour of rain caused
the water level to increase considerably right before our eyes. To get there, take the Ute Trail west from Heart Lake, then turn north toward Jet Lake. Park at the end of the road and hike
north 4.5 miles. The cave entrance (photo, right) is situated on a north face,
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and it is approached from above, the way down being on the west side. Note the insurgence along the way, where the water just disappears into the
ground, headed for the cave. Be sure to check out the resurgence cave located 150 feet below the entrance to Fulton. This is where the water exits the cave system, and it is also worth the
trip.
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Cave Creek Cavern - GPS Coordinates N39 07.894 W106 07.725
This monster cave is located about 9.3 miles SW
of Fairplay, Colorado. More specifically, the cave is about 2.7 miles almost directly east of the summit of Weston pass. It’s about 100 yards up the hill from Cave creek and located near a few
collapsed mine shafts. The entrance has collapsed and been dug out several times over the years, and the last time we were there it was covered with plywood and about 3 inches of soil and rocks. The
latest information we have is that now there is a corrugated sewer pipe leading into the entrance to make getting into the cave a little safer.
Cave Creek Cavern has about 2000 feet of passage, and a trip to the
cave makes for an exhausting day. One must drive on jeep trails and hike for many miles to get there. Most of the passage in the cave is cramped, and there is a stream inside the cave that can make for a
cold, wet trip. It is all worthwhile, as CCC contains the largest underground room in the state. The Big Room, now known as The Colorado Room, is 250 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 100 feet tall!
CAUTION: At the bottom of the entrance passage is a deep vertical shaft that is partially covered with rotted timbers and debris. Avoid this shaft! When we were there
it was marked with flagging tape, but it may not be at any given time. Hug the wall to your left and you will get safely around it.
To get there, drive south out of Fairplay and at about 3.7 miles
look for a road that goes off to the west. Drive this road for about 2 miles, then look for a trail that goes off to your right. Travel this trail for another 3.2 miles to the top of Break Neck
Pass. Drop down the pass and into Sheep Park. Take the road that crosses the stream and continues up to the trailhead for Twelvemile Lake. From the lake hike south to a saddle on Weston peak that
is .85 miles away. Here you should see some sinkholes that let you know you are on the right track. From the saddle hke .8 miles south and down to a point just above Cave Creek. Make sure you are
travelling south and don’t get drawn into the any of the ravines you cross. You will find the cave at this point if you just search around a bit. Get map
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Cement Creek Caves - GPS Coordinates N38 49.655 W106 52.054
The Cement Creek Caves are located on
the southern flank of Point Lookout and are clearly visible from Hwy 135 northbound, about half way between Gunnison and Crested Butte, Colorado. The coords given are a best guess, but Vader’s guesses are
usually pretty good.
There are three caves here with a total of about 500 feet of passagae among them. The two western-most caves are small and will take just a few minutes to fully explore. The
eastern cave is more complex, but still has less than 300 feet of passage inside. Even though these caves are small, they are still worth a visit because of the unusual rock formations, the unique view from
the cave entrances, and the possibility of finding more caves in the area.
Drive north out of Gunnison on Hwy 135. At 20.5 miles turn NE on FR740, Cement Creek Road. Follow 740 for 1.8 miles to a
small parking area at the Cement Creek Guard Station. On the north side of the road, follow foot trail 409 up a small ravine toward the caves. They are at an altitude of about 9400 feet. Get map
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Whispering Cave - GPS Coordinates N40 30.943 W108 59.651
In northwestern Colorado, within the boundaries
of Dinosaur National Monument, lies Whispering Cave. This cave is formed in sandstone and therefore has a severe lack of formations. There is less than 500 feet of passage inside the cave. The cave
does have one claim to fame: it contains the longest single surveyed shot of any cave in Colorado. It has a straight taped shot of 200 feet.
To get to Whispering Cave, drive 2 miles east of
Dinosaur, Colorado on Hwy 40. Turn north, following the road toward Echo Park. Just about a half mile before coming to Echo Park you will find a pullout for the cave on your right. Be sure to stop
in and see the Park. It is definitely worth going a half mile out of your way. Get map
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Grand Meeander Cave - GPS Coordinates N39 05.873 W108 52.431 (difficult to get a good reading due to the deep canyons)
Grand Meeander is hidden in a large canyon that’s just about 5 miles south of Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction, CO. There are several smaller shelter caves located inside
the Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness Area. On some maps this cave is called MeeCanyon Alcove.
This cave is a huge undercut cave that was formed by a small stream in Mee Canyon. It contains nearly 700
feet of passage and in places the ceiling is over 75 feet above your head.
To get there, drive north from Glade Park. Just before this road turns east and enters Colorado National Monument, turn left onto
Black Ridge Road. This road is closed and gated from February 16 through April 14. A high clearance 4x4 will be needed from this point on. Travel up some switchbacks and in about a mile the road
spills into Upper Bench Road and will begin to travel southwest. In just less than a mile you will need to turn right on a steep road that takes you up on top of Black Ridge. This road opens April 15 and
closes August 15. (These dates are in question, but travel within them just to be sure.) Go 5.4 miles on this road and you will arrive at the trailhead that will take you down into Mee Canyon. The coords
for the trailhead are near N39 05.752 W108 50.385. Once in the bottom of the canyon, hike up canyon (south) and you will arrive at the cave in less than one third of a mile. The hike is about 3
miles each way and the elevation change is about 1200 feet.
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Stateline Cave - GPS Coordinates N40 33.646 W109 02.980
The entrance to Stateline Cave is
located at an elevation of about 5800 feet near Jones Hole in Utah. The cave is only about 250 feet in length, however it travels under the state line and into Colorado. This cave is well decorated and has a
few of almost every formation, however a trip into the area can be more like an expedition than just a short trip to see a cave.
To get to State Line Cave from
Dinosaur Colorado, go 21 miles West on Hwy 40 to Jensen Utah. Turn right onto 149 and go North for 2.6 miles until you get to Brush Creek Road. Turn right onto Brush Creek Road and go 9 miles. Yet
again, turn right onto Jones Hole Road. Stay on Jones Hole Road for about 35 miles and you will end up at the trail head for Jones Hole and Ely Creek. From here hike south until you each the first
drainage just south of the Jones Hole Ranger Station. The drainage comes in on the east side on Jones Creek. Hike the steep trail going east up the ravine for about 1/3 mile and 700 feet of elevation gain to
get to the cave.
There are other caves in Jones Hole. On the other side of Jones Creek can be found the longest cave in the area, Cave of the Logs.
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View the Master List of Colorado Caves here.
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