Georgia Natural Wonder #145 - Caves of Crockford Pigeon Mountain. 6.680

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #145 - Caves of Crockford Pigeon Mountain

We have covered the Beaches, the Whitewater, the Waterfalls. We covered the Canyons, Gorges, and Mountains. Georgia's Swamps, Rivers, Islands all covered but here we are at Georgia Natural Wonder #145 and it is time we covered the top Caves and Caverns of Georgia. Georgia’s cavern system is one of the most exciting caving locations in the United States, with more than 600 known caves.

Now we touched on some caves with our GNW #11 - Pigeon Mountain and GNW #93 - Cave Spring.


TRD images of Cave Spring

I am attempting to list the Internet top ten caverns in Georgia. This includes some surprisingly in deep south Georgia.  Entering a Cave is a psychological experience. After all, you go from being above ground, out in the open, illuminated by bright sunshine, to deep underneath it, after only a few strategic moves. If not for our headlamps, we’d be in total darkness almost immediately. There are so many dangers and I have only been in two of these caves so you are On Your Own really going to any of these caves.


TRD trip with son's football teammates decade ago Pettyjohn Cave.

For more information about Georgia's caves, contact Dogwood City Grotto, a caving club in Atlanta, or it looks like there are nine listed Grotto's in Georgia (Scroll Down).

Southeastern Cave Conservancy

The Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to acquiring, conserving and managing caves in the Southeastern U.S. that are threatened with destruction or closure, or which provide habitats for rare species.



Privately-owned Caves

Many of Georgia’s caves are on private land, and either closed to the public or available only with the owner’s permission.



State-owned Caves

Some of Georgia's caves are within state-owned parks and reserves.



Protected Caves

These caves are closed, and protected under the Endangered Species act. Unauthorized entry could lead to heavy fines or imprisonment. White Nose Fungus has been killing bats since 2005. They predict 95% of our bat population in Georgia has or will perish. They are trying to use findings from European and Asian bat populations to help North American bats as they seem to have a better resistance. Latest March 2020.


A cluster of greater horseshoe bats in China

On my Natural Wonder Forum I am going to cover just some of the caves in Georgia. There are a lot of wild caves and caves that are closed to the public in this state. These post give you the most popular caves that are open to the public. Some even have guided cave tours. Most wild caves are not in this Forum unless we keep this thing going for years and swing back around to caves again. You can check with your local grotto to find smaller and more obscure caves.



When you see the above bumper sticker on a car, it means they are members of the National Speleological Society. Originally headquartered in Washington D.C., its current offices are in Huntsville, Alabama.


Another Bumper Sticker

But it’s up to you to find the gems and jewels. The reason they are not on this list is because US cavers have to keep the locations secret, in order to preserve and protect the caves and the life they contain.



Georgia truly is a great state for caving. Especially Walker County (in the Northwest region, at the junction of the Tennessee and Alabama border) that contains many beautiful caves and canyons. The Cumberland Plateau has way more bigger developed caves than the Appalachians. It’s a very karst-heavy region, resulting in some very long and deep systems.Many of the biggest caves were formed by acidic groundwater dissolving the soft limestone rock. The caves are not commercialized, and many are closed to the public, but experienced spelunkers can still find plenty of spectacular caves to explore.



Crockford Pigeon Mountain (Walker County)

Well Pigeon Mountain to me has always been about Rocktown, the 400 acre boulder field on top of the plateau. Rock Climbers come from Europe to challenge these Internationally known rock formations. I threw in the caves in my initial post for the overall experience of Pigeon Mountain, justifying a top 20 ranking. But I am now letting them stand as a separate wonder to lead off my Georgia Natural Wonder Forum cavern theme. The state-owned Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area is in Walker County, Northwest Georgia. It has several caves within the boundaries, some only suitable for experienced cavers with proper equipment.  The biggest three are Ellison's Cave, Pettyjohn Cave, and Anderson Spring Cave.. These caves contribute to the reputation of the area where Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia meet (known to the caving community as the "TAG" region) as one of the world's most exciting regions for caving. I have only explored the Pettyjohn Cave.

Pettyjohn Cave

Pettyjohn Cave is a karst cave on the east side Pigeon Mountain in the Appalachian Plateau of Northwest Georgia. It’s a horizontal system, making it suitable for students and novice cavers. It’s not a commercial cave, which means entrance is free of charge, but you’re also responsible for proper preparation and equipment.


It looks like the secret to a good cave photo is a lot of lighting. Echo Room.

Pettyjohn Cave is a well-known wild cave with a lot of traffic. It is what is called a sacrifice cave, a cave which is more or less officially open to spelunkers and thus protecting other caves around by drawing the whole traffic to this spot.


By God I was in that cave, found this picture from the archives.

Pettyjohn Cave was named after John Pettyjohn, who originally owned the land. For some reason the cave is spelled wrong on various internet pages, mostly as Petty John's Cave, but we also discovered Pettjohn's Cave and even the semi-French Petit Jean. Probably a result of non-cavers hearing the name on a spelunking trip and later writing some social media comment without knowing how to spell the name. Even the Wikipedia page is using the wrong spelling.


Last TRD image, view from west side of Pigeon Mountain.

Pettyjohn Cave has a surveyed length of 31,490 ft (6 Freaking Miles) and reaches a depth of 235 ft. The cave is accessible via a path from a gravel parking area on the side of Rocky Lane. Out of the 242 listed, it is 119th longest cave in the United States as declared by the Georgia Speleological Survey.



This is a cave that you can take a tour of, as long as you are prepared to crawl through certain low-lying portions of it. There’s one portion called the Worm Hole that is a very tight squeeze. A few of the large rooms are fun to explore in this cave system also.



So that is what you will find in this rather large (3rd largest cave in Georgia) and varied cave: crawling, stooping, mud, some rather easy climbs, narrow parts and some speleological themes. And of course many other spelunkers. The most frequented parts show rocks which are polished shiny and slick by too many visitors crawling across. Because of its size the cave is rather interesting and despite the high number of visitors well worth a visit. The entrance chamber, which is quite spacey, is heavily vandalized.



From here only narrow crawl passages follow and the number of visitors is dramatically reduced.



Pettyjohn Cave is a very popular cave for local students and spelunkers. It is a horizontal cave, but a 50 ft hand-line is the recommended kit when visiting the cave. Pettyjohn Cave is a wild cave, not a commercial cave, and one should only enter with the proper equipment and training, e.g. three sources of light, water, a helmet, boots, and appropriate clothing. Many would-be explorers are injured here each year. Those interested in exploring this cave and others should contact a local caving club, or grotto. Some of the best grottoes in the country are located very near Pettyjohn Cave. Grotto members are involved in conservation, cave rescue, and exploration.



Pettyjohn Cave contains no known unusual geologic or biologic features, which is probably the reason why both the WMA and the local cavers tolerated the use as a sacrifice cave. Also the other caves have technical difficulties which make them dangerous for non-cavers. If you go on your own you must sign in with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, there are several card boxes located in the area close to the cave entrance. The positive side effect is that someone will look for you if you get lost. The boxes are checked daily. Numerous groups in the area offer guided trips into the cave. There is even the possibility to attend a cave tour through meetup. It is obviously a good idea to visit the cave with such a tour. Such tours should offer additional equipment for rent, information on safe caving, and of course more fun being in a group sharing the experience.



It starts with an easy climb down into a large breakdown passage. The entrance is only 1.5m in diameter and leads down an easy climb for 3m into the main chamber of the cave, approximately 180m long, 10m wide, and 4 to 7m high. The main part of the cave is narrow and low, reached through various crawl ways in the floor of the entrance chamber. As those crawl ways are only known to the organized cavers who have a survey printout, they are normally not visited or vandalized.



A hand-line is recommended for the climb down to the stream level. One of the most popular and most challenging of passages in the cave is the Worm Tube. The Worm Tube is a long 150 ft crawl. It is a very tight passageway and unavoidable if venturing to the Echo Room and beyond. Other intriguing passageways include the Mason-Dixon Passage and the Pancake squeeze. When going to the waterfall or Raccoon Room, the stream canyon passages and the Z bends can be an alternate route to the Pancake Squeeze.



The Bridge Room is a good place to take a rest. You can hang your legs over the edge and listen to the stream that is 80 ft below.



The Worm Tube leads to the Echo Room, which is the biggest room of the cave.


Cavers Tyler Jones, left, and Pierre-Julien Crovisier pose for a long-exposure photograph inside Pettyjohn Cave at Pigeon Mountain in Floyd County.

The Volcano Room is shaped like a large funnel and it leads to the stream passage and the sump. The Over-Under Room and the Signature room are also other popular destinations of the cave.



A small chamber with a waterfall is the destination of most of the remaining spelunkers, after that its like any other cave only frequented by serious cavers.


Caver Rachel Hansen prepares to climb a boulder formation.


A ‘hallway’ is seen inside Pettyjohn Cave. Caves are frequently wet and cavers should wear wool socks when exploring, because they dry faster than polyester.


Tyler Jones removes flagging tape marking the way back out. Cavers sometimes use flagging tape to find their way back to the surface through the maze-like formations.

Formations in Pettyjohn Cave include: Stalagmites that are a type of speleological formation that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions creating a buildup and the deposition of calcium carbonate.



Stalactites are also found in the cave. These formations hang from the ceiling or wall of the cave also form years of dripping down.



There are also pillars, soda straws, cave pearls, flow stones, and cave popcorn that are other formations in the cave. In addition, waterfalls can be found in the stream passage section.



This cave hosts tri-colored bats during their winter hibernation because temperatures are low but remain above freezing. Their food consists entirely of insects such as small beetles, moths, and gnats. Do not use or trust any ropes or lines left in the cave. Please also help this much abused cave by not damaging formations and packing out trash.


Tiny entrance to big cave.



Most popular wild cave in Georgia. Again, it has more than six miles of passages to explore.



You definitely will get dirty exploring Pettyjohn Cave! The passages in this cave go from being large enough to stand up to being only a few feet high.



It's truly a different world inside of Pettyjohn Cave.



Although this cave is considered an easy cave, also called a non-technical cave, as no climbing gear is required, it is not harmless to visit this cave. Every year numerous people get hurt in the cave, partly a result of the high numbers of visitors, but most accidents are simply a result of insufficient gear and could have been easily avoided. Please do not enter this cave without helmet, gloves, sturdy boots or wellingtons, knee protectors and if possible some kind of overall. Headlamps are recommended, take spare batteries and a second lamp. And the most important: never cave alone and tell somebody where you are going and when you will be back, so he may call the rescue if you get lost or have an accident. This are the most basic rules of caving and may prevent you from many uncomfortable hours in the cave or even worse.

Ellison’s Cave

Ellison’s Cave in Walker County features the deepest pit in the US. Pretty radical, be sure to bring a good headlamp. Now it is hard to find a central Internet site on this cave so there may be some overlap as I cut and paste from different sources.



Ellison's Cave (GA):  On Crockford - Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management area. No camping at trail head parking lot. Designated camp area located 1/3 mile away on Blue Hole Road. No ropes are to be left stashed or rigged in the cave. Cave Use cards are to be filled out at the Blue Hole Kiosk for use of any of the Ellison's entrances.



This huge cave has a depth or vertical extent of 1,063 feet and a length of 64,030 feet. It is the 12th deepest cave in the U.S. It's also one of the more popular caves in Georgia.  The deepest cave drops in the U.S. are actually in Ellison's Cave are are named "Incredible" and "Fantastic."


Ellison's Cave truly looks otherworldly in this shot!

Like several other caves in this forum, Ellison’s Cave is located in Walker County. This is an enormous cave that has very deep vertical drops. It’s actually among the deepest caves in the U.S. and a popular one to visit. The cave drops are appropriately named “Fantastic” and “Incredible,” which they most certainly are! While this cave’s features are undoubtedly impressive, they are very challenging and should only be attempted by expert cavers.


Ellison's Cave dug entrance

Ellison's Cave is a pit cave. It is the 12th deepest cave in the United States and features the deepest, unobstructed underground pit in the continental US named Fantastic Pit. How do you climb back up? Most folks struggle to climb the rope in high school gym class.


Jesus! Is this really in Georgia? First time I ever really looked at pictures of this cave was back when I did Pigeon Mountain as GNW #11.

Ellison's features a number of underground vertical pitches including the two deepest pits in the continental United States: Fantastic (586 feet) and Incredible (440 feet). These two pits lie on opposite sides of the cave. Nearby and parallel to Fantastic are Smokey I (500 feet), Smokey II (262 feet), and other extremely deep pitches. There are over 7 routes to reach the bottom level of the cave from the Fantastic side. Fantastic and Smokey I both extend to TAG Hall, a passage at the bottom of the cave. To reach Fantastic, or the large pits on the Fantastic side, cavers must also descend the Warm Up pit (125 feet).


Alas, most of us will never see this, even the Warm Up pit is deadly.Pit One.

Ellison's is a solution cave in the Ridge and Valley geologic region of northwest Georgia and lies within a bedrock fault in Pigeon Mountain. During the Ordovician Period, tectonic subduction responsible for forming the Appalachians left a number of seismically active fault lines stretching from northern Alabama to eastern Tennessee. Continued orogeny created a large fault zone in the bedrock throughout the southern Appalachians and northern Georgia. This fracturing along with the proliferation of gypsum and limestone contributes to the exceptional depth of Ellison's.



Again, it features the deepest, unobstructed pit in the entire continental United States named Fantastic Pit.



Deep,long, great place to hang out.


A beautiful view of the descent in Ellison's Cave.

The Fantastic Pit is around 586-feet deep, which is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and almost as tall as the Space Needle in Seattle.



There are other deep pits and pitches within Ellison’s Cave that can be explored too, including Incredible Pit at 440 feet, Smokey I at 500 feet, and Smokey II at 262 feet.



For those who are brave enough to attempt, Ellison’s Cave features a variety of systems worth exploring, which are stunning in their own right.



Once you get down to the horizontal area and start getting around. 12 freaking miles?



Yet, this cave is not for beginners or those just looking to snag an Instagram photo—it is purely for experienced cavers who have a guide or professional with them.



The cave and surrounding area are managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and are open year-round. Due to the technical and dangerous nature of Ellison's Cave, it is generally explored by only the most experienced and capable cavers. Beginning cavers and spelunkers are severely discouraged from entering and negotiating the cave. The vertical sections of the cave require extensive knowledge and practice of single rope technique climbing, including practice on heavy ropes and in wet environments. The horizontal portions of the cave also feature technical and somewhat dangerous free climbing and bouldering environments. Careful preparation, including bringing the proper gear and clothing, is essential.



• March 10, 1999 - A caver climbing the Incredible pit became tangled in multiple ropes and was stranded 140 feet off the cave floor underneath water falling into the pit. The incident resulted in fatality due to hypothermia.

• February 12, 2011 - Two University of Florida students died of hypothermia after becoming stuck on rope near a waterfall close to the bottom of 125 ft Warm-up pit. It was reported that the students were underexperienced and underprepared for the cave.

• May 26, 2013 - A caver was rescued and hospitalized after falling 40 feet in the cave. It took 21 hours to evacuate the caver, including hauling up Fantastic Pit.

• March 26, 2016 - A 22-year-old man suffering from exhaustion and cold was rescued from the bottom of Fantastic Pit after emerging from the lower part of the cave. After being hauled up both Fantastic and the Warm Up Pit, he was able to walk down the mountain on his own.

• August 14, 2018 - If any of you son's of bitches ever die in this cave, don't get associated with the University of Georgia in your internet recount of your spelunking mishap. Date of my GNW #11 post.



Marker for man who mapped Ellison's Cave.



Anderson Spring Cave

Anderson Spring Cave is yet another cavern in this Pigeon Mountain Natural Wonder. There is practically no Internet information or images but I photographed some Flicker images on my computer and cropped them in Imgur. I found Cavechat.org where posters described their trips to this cave, so lets cyber explore this last cave of today's post.



Brian Frank from Dogwood Grotto

I took two teens to Anderson Spring cave Sunday (Lafayette Ga). We had a great time! The water was low enough that we only got wet up to our knees.



Saw some 6" red salamanders with black spots, a dozen (very healthy looking) bats, and a large bull frog that we caught in the cave and released at the entrance.



The different levels with formations is quite amazing and in excellent condition.



I guess since the cave is difficult to get to, very few people have had the opportunity to destroy the pretties.



We only made it back halfway to the PVC container and look forward to seeing all of it in the future.



The hike back up to the car at the top of the mountain is brutal in 95 degree weather, especially if you are soaked.



Too bad some agreement can't be worked out with the landowner to park near the cave.


What in the world is this? Giraffe rock.

I would have paid a healthy parking fee to not have to walk up the mountain.



If I had a mobile phone on me I would have called a taxi to drive me up to my car.

Dat5un

I have been to the end of the cave. There is a 4 foot waterfall which we thought was the end.



Luckily one of us decided to climb over the top of it and explore further. Sure enough there was the 25ft waterfall right around the corner.



There is a rope hanging from it, tied up so as not to be in the water! I had no idea I would find that there so I wasn't prepared with vertical gear, but I guarantee I will be back to climb up and explore beyond.



Anderson Springs is a great cave, Really enjoyed it!!

ON_ROPE

The reason Anderson Spring is nice like it is because it has been protected by access issues for many years.



The state owns the cave and allows access via a long walk. They have specifically asked the adjacent landowner NOT to allow access to help protect the cave. He has agreed.



If you make the trip back to the waterfall you will get wet, very wet.



There is an ear dip in one place.



Also remember this cave can flood and cut off your route to the entrance. It happened in 1979 it will happen again.



BrianFrank

I don't have the exact GPS to tell you. But, as was just stated, if you look at a Topo map it's above the cave at the top of a ravine.



There is a well-worn path. It's a healthy walk back up the mountain when you are tired, be prepared. You will get soaked, plan on it.



As far as if Anderson has been fully explored? Most will say yes, but a couple people well know in the TAG community have told me that there is a crumbled rock area near the end that is very treacherous to try and climb over (or maybe through?), so people have given up pushing this lead because it's not worth the danger.



Getting there

Anderson Spring Cave (GA):  Access is available from the top of the mountain only, to stay on WMA land.  See the new Pigeon Mountain WMA requirements below. If you are on the correct dirt road you'll see the gravely parking area. Its actually pretty big. Big enough to turn a horse trailer around in.Parking is 34.645215 -85.404241



Entrance to Anderson Springs Cave image is not as clear as i wanted because there was water on my lens and i had nothing that wasn't covered in mud so i could not clean my lens off!


Entrance to Anderson Spring Cave in Walker County Georgia


Entrance looking out of Anderson Springs Cave



Making your way through this remote cavern.



Underground Georgia!




Clear pools.



As of July 2017, all visitors to Pigeon Mountain and other Georgia WMAs must have a personal hunting or fishing license (yes, even if you are
just caving and not hunting or fishing).  All previous GORP passes and other licenses may not be renewed.  Each visitor must have his or her own license.  Single - day ($5) and Annual licenses ($30) are available.  Non - Georgia residents cost twice as much.  Permits may be online at: https://www.gooutdoorsgeorgia.com



This includes ALL caves on Pigeon Mountain, including these popular destinations:

Pettyjohns Cave
Ellisons Cave
Anderson Spring Cave
Richards Cave
Mountain Cove Farm Caves
Ulla Cave
Drag Fold Cave
Nash Waterfall Cave
Flowing Stone Cave

My goodness, I saw that list and I started looking for some of those caves. Images kept popping up in my searches for other caves in our Forum. I found so much information and images for some of these smaller visited caves. So much so, that I am creating a whole separate Wonder for the rest of these Caves of Pigeon Mountain (Part 2).

Wow that was fun. Not for me, but that looked interesting. Got a lot a Wonders cued up for this theme. Today's Georgia Natural Wonder Gals are spelunkers.