Georgia Natural Wonder #148 - Caves of Cloudland Canyon. 1,750

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Georgia Natural Wonder #148 - Caves of Cloudland Canyon

Here we are on post four of our Caverns of Georgia theme in our Natural Wonders of Georgia Forum. We covered the three big caves on GNW #145 Caves of Crockford Pigeon Mountain and lots of little caves in GNW #146 More Caves of Crockford Pigeon Mountain . We covered the commercial caves and Frick's Cave on GNW #147 Lookout Mountain. Caves of any significant size are known to exist only in 32 of Georgia's 159 counties, and most of those caves are in northwest Georgia. Georgia's two north western most counties, Dade and Walker, host 164 and 149 caves respectively.



Caves Of Cloudland Canyon State Park (Walker County)

Now we already made Cloudland Canyon State Park a top 10 Georgia Natural Wonder GNW #10 . You can see my wife and dog in the above signature image. That post was all about the Canyon and the two waterfalls at the bottom with the boulders and rock formations all along both rims.



All TRD images so far.



I mentioned briefly about the concave shape of the top of Lookout Mountain drains rainwater through fissures into the underlying limestone, forming miles of subterranean caves in the area. Now we return to Cloudland Canyon to focus on the two main caves. If your in these two caves, you are probably on a tour or you know what your doing and have permission from the State Park. But let me link these super important things about spelunking in Georgia even though I went in to detail on GNW #145 - Caves of Crockford Pigeon Mountain. I want these post to stand alone so as a disclaimer I again list .....

Safety Rules of Caving
Nine listed Grotto's in Georgia (Scroll Down)
The Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc.
White Nose Fungus
National Speleological Society.

Let's also include link for Cloudland Canyon State Park, as you will have to coordinate any visit through them since they control all access. There was an open house weekend at the State Park one weekend 15 years ago and I did manage to get on a ranger tour of Case Cave. So with all that said, there is very little Internet information on these caves because US cavers like to keep the locations secret, in order to preserve and protect the caves and the life they contain.The sport remains tight-lipped about cave entrances and maps. Still pretty exciting what I did find.       
       
Case Cave

If you enjoy some rappelling at times, definitely consider visiting Case Cave.


All Internet images from here on.

The parking for this hike is back down Georgia Highway 136 off the plateau back down in the city of Trenton. That is seven miles from Cloudland Canyon State Park to the cave entrance parking lot. The State park says this parking may be closed due to recent tornado damage. And then when you do find the parking, go through all the planning, find the cave entrance, you find this.



Entrance to cave all blocked unless you unlock the padlock to a rung of the steel barricade. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to secure this key and permission to explore further.



You start out by descending 30 feet into a sinkhole.



Another site says a cave worth visiting in this state park is Case Cave. This cave is exciting to explore because it involves rappelling, and you’ll need to descend about 30 feet down into the cave to get started.



Local tour companies offer tours of the Cloudland Canyon State Park caves.



Once you’re done rappelling, there are about three miles of cave to explore, as well as a cave lake.


At the bottom of the pit, looking back up.

After entering the cave, Case offers you an underground lake and about three miles of exploring.



Case Cave (GA): Caving reservations can be made for Sittons and Case Cave up to 11 months in advance by calling Cloudland Canyon Park at 706-657-4050. Caving permit requirements are subject to change at any time, so contact the Park well before your trip.


A mock rescue among the rock formations.

Moon Room

There's a room in Case Cave in Cloudland Canyon State Park which takes a little bit of maneuvering to get into.



However, when you do, it'll feel like you're on the moon.



With rock formations that cover the floor, it almost looks like a plethora of craters scattered about.



Some Reviewers on a Cave Blog

I recall a significant drop just inside this cave, a fascinating explore.



Yes, it used to have a steel ladder down the 40 foot pit but it is gone now. A rope has to be used.



It is a fantastic cave.



It was closed to visitation for many years but now the Park will allow permitted visitation to qualified people.



The best photos of this cave require a bright light.



There is a huge room we called the head room where there were clay heads all around in a circle. Some said they had witches and all from Rome (Georgia) doing stuff in there.



If you hike far enough, you end up stumbling upon a hidden lake that most people never get to see.



It does require a bit of rappelling before entering the cave.



You will descend about 30 ft. into the cave, and then travel through roughly three miles of stunning passages underground,


       
Sitton’s Cave

Sitton's Cave is a state-owned cave in Cloudland Canyon State Park.


Cloudland Canyon State Park

It's a river cave with numerous interesting rock formations and a huge entrance portal



that narrows down to a two-foot high crawl,



before opening up into a large room.



It's also been known to be extremely wet and cold on the inside.



This stunning river cave has a giant entryway, which then takes a narrow turn down a two-foot-high crawlspace.



Once you make it through, however, you’ll be in a huge cave room with incredible rock formations all around.



Sittons Cave  (GA):  Caving reservations can be made for Sittons and Case Cave up to 11 months in advance by calling Cloudland Canyon Park
at 706 - 657 - 4050.



Caving permit requirements are subject to change, so contact the Park well before your trip.



One of the absolute best places to visit if you enjoy caves is Cloudland Canyon State Park.



Located in the Rising Fawn area of Georgia, Sitton’s Cave is located in this state park and has some fascinating features.



Here you can see other-worldly rock formations, a large open room, and narrow passages that require crawling.



Be prepared for this adventure with warm, waterproof layers of clothing. But this is an accessible cave that runs horizontally and doesn’t require ropes or rappelling.


An interesting formation on the roof of Sitton's Cave.

Expect to see skinny stalactites and an underground river when you visit.



Sitton’s Cave, in Cloudland Canyon State Park, is a river cave with numerous interesting rock formations.


Most of the time you must walk through water.



The Travel Through My Lens Web Site and April Carlson did a wonderful blog about a Sitton's Cave trip with G3 Adventures.

Caving at Cloudland Canyon:

I am so excited to share the adventure that my son and I had caving at Cloudland Canyon!  This experience is not for the faint of heart or those who don’t want to get muddy and wet.  When you are done, you will feel a little closer to nature and like you’ve finished an undertaking that is invigorating and unique.



Cloudland Canyon State Park is about a 2.5 hour drive northwest of the center of Atlanta.  I have wanted to visit ever since I saw a photo of the picturesque canyon years ago in an advertisement about visiting Georgia.  G3 Adventures -Wild Cave Tours was listed on the state park website, and I thought it would be an amazing way for my boys and I to have an adventure.  My 50th birthday was coming up, and I was going to milk it for all it was worth.  Two of my boys and my husband could not make it, but my 14 year old agreed that it would be an exciting way to celebrate my 50th birthday together.  So I booked the two hour tour.



It is a fairly long drive from Atlanta for a day trip, but the cave combined with a short hike with views of the canyon and a waterfall after our caving adventure made the long day worth it.  If we had time, staying overnight in the park would have been ideal.  That way we could have enjoyed this exceptional park more.  I did notice that the cabin and yurt rentals are popular so you will have to plan ahead to rent one.  Below is a photo of the magnificent Cloudland Canyon



and lovely Cherokee Falls.



We arrived at the G3 check in at Cloudland Canyon State Park, and met our two adorable young guides.  While registering online we were told to wear warm old clothes and closed toe shoes and were outfitted with knee pads, helmets with headlamps and gloves once we got there.



We followed the guides in our own cars for seven miles from Cloudland Canyon State Park to the cave entrance site.  The drive was pretty spectacular winding along a cliff with the city of Trenton at the bottom.  Once there, we took a short hike to the cave through lush woods with wildflowers in bloom along the trail.


Path to Cave

As we approached it was truly amazing how much colder the air was near the cave which I did not expect.  Once we got closer, we saw the jagged rocks at the opening that fell into total darkness inside the cave.  Our guide explained that this is where we would be coming out of the cave. The alluring beauty of the cave was calling me to explore, and I got more excited about going in.


Where We Will Exit the Cave

Our guide told us some interesting facts about cave geology before we started up a fairly steep hill along the bluff to the cave entrance.


Getting Instructions from the Guide


Hiking to Cave Entrance

When we reached the entrance I got a bit nervous since it was a very steep drop off which would require repelling to enter.  Luckily, there was an easier way to get in around the corner.


Cave Entrance

The guides explained that we needed three or four points of contact with the ground and/or rocks for balance at all times.  This was very good advice since it was very muddy and slippery right from the start.  We had to scoot on our bottoms to get in.


Entering the Cave


Entering the Cave

Once in the cave we continued to scoot on our bottoms for awhile until we reached a more flat area at the bottom of the entrance.


Entering the Cave


Entering the Cave


Entering the Cave

The next part of exploring the cave was wading through the frigid water of an underground river.  At times the water was up to the top of my thighs.  Our guides explained the water level constantly changes, but in general is deeper in the spring.  The cave has a temperature of around 50 degrees year round so the water is cold.  I was fine with the temperature of the cave, but wading through the water was intense.  I was glad that the entire tour was not in the river.


Going Further into the Cave


In the water in cave

Our guides pointed out stalactites and stalagmites and other cave formations to us.


Cave Formations

Our group was challenged to go through two tight spaces.  One was called the rabbit hole.  Maneuvering your body through the small openings was not easy.  You had to twist and turn to squeeze through. On one of the challenges a caver lost the sole of his shoe and then later the other one.  Apparently this is common since people wear their old shoes in the cave.  We joked that he lost his soul in the cave.


Squeeze Challenge in Cave

We saw a few fuzzy bats, baby salamanders and crawfish in the cave.


Bat in Cave


Salamander

Once we were deep into the darkness of the cave, we did “lights out” which I guess no cave tour would be complete without.  Sitting in total darkness is always a bit eerie.  The only noise was the dripping of water.  Getting trapped in a cave would be a horrifying experience.  Our guide said it would be almost impossible to find your way out without a light.  That is why you should never go alone in a cave, always have back up lights, and go with someone familiar with the cave and conditions.  I would never want to go without a guide, and I’m pretty sure permits are required to enter most caves.  There was some graffiti in the cave from the early 1900’s when they would have only had lanterns to light the way.  I can see Tom Sawyer and Becky in the cave now with only the light of a torch, very spooky idea.



To get out of the cave we had to go through some fairly deep parts of the river and then crawl on our hands and knees for awhile.  Then to my surprise we actually had to do a belly crawl through the thick mud since the opening got that tight.  It was harder than I expected, but we all made it out with no problems.  “Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel” was a great feeling.


Opening to Cave

Here are my son and I at the end.  We got super muddy, but it was a blast and something I will never forget!


A Muddy Mess After the Tour

Cole and one of the guides were all smiles back at the parking lot.  Don’t forget a total extra set of clothes and shoes to change into and a towel.


Tour Guide

Conclusion:

If you are an adventurous person and have never been caving, I highly recommend the Wild Cave Tours with G3 Adventures at Cloudland Canyon State Park.  Expect to get muddy, wet, be a little cold and have an amazing adventure while exploring the cave.  We did the two hour tour which I thought was perfect.  However, they do offer a one hour tour and a four hour tour.



I am really digging these Caves of Georgia. I could kick myself though missing a clear theme for Cave Women as our Georgia Natural Wonder Gals.


Raquel Welch and Barbara Bach Starr along with two cave Women ready for a night of clubbin.