Wyandotte Caves: The Caverns of Many Secrets (Leavenworth, Indiana)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- Imagine a vast cave, with over 9 miles of passages, once mined by ancient people, over 10,000 years ago. Imagine a place where crystals grow along the path, and possesses the largest underground mountain in the world. A place where a secret society had a temple, and conducted rituals. This incredible place is Wyandotte Caves of Southern Indiana, and one of the last great adventures on earth!
Two tours are offered, one of a small cave that takes 45 minutes. The second is 2 hours, and will absolutely amaze even the seasoned adventurer. If you’ve ever wanted an event in your life, that you’ll always remember, this is absolutely the place to go!
Opened seasonally, from about April to October. View the O’Bannon Woods State Park website for further details and times.
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Roger the State should be funding all your video's. Your the best Tourist guide they have ever had!
That is high praise, thank-you! Glad to promote these great places. 🙂
Agree.
My hiking buddy and I went the first weekend they reopened. Cool trip, but tough for a 6'3" guy who needs more cardio.
When I went, two decades ago, my best friend was 6 feet tall and hit his head on every single low spot! Heard a lot of choice words! Certain places are tough for tall people.
Earlier this year, I was really struggling as I’d gained over 50 pounds. I remembered going through the big cave in my 20’s, and getting winded. So I went low carb until I lost over 40 pounds. I walked when I could, nothing crazy. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do, but I did great, maybe even better than my 20’s!
Thank you Roger for the video. I toured this cave when I was 20 years old in 1980. My permanent disability does not allow me to do caves anymore so I'm very grateful for you taking me back for another visit.
My true pleasure! Several years ago, I took my oldest son through Indiana caverns, before he was unable to walk. I was so glad we went and got a picture of us together, inside the cave.
Getting older, I realize I won’t always be able to do these caves, so wanted to document all of them. I’ve had many older people thank me, as it brings back memories that they’d forgotten. Someday, I’ll be one of those people! 🙂
@@AdventureswithRoger I appreciate mentioning the accessibility requirements too.
@woppysue My son has made me aware of challenges handicap people face, and try to always tell people before they make a long trip. I ended up making a video of all the places in southern Indiana, that are handicap, wheelchair and stroller accessible, as a tribute to my son.
EASY ADVENTURES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA
th-cam.com/video/KrPPOSJqZeY/w-d-xo.html
@@AdventureswithRoger two thumbs up Rodger
"Another Great Video" , Produced very well , 3 thumbs up , 👍👍👍
Thank-you, Gerald!
Thank you for making this video!! It reminded me of a Boy Scout overnight trip to Wyandott. We were part of a group of several BoyScout troops so there was quite a few of us, and they had arranged some special spelunking tours for us. I do remember we had to get down and literally crawl through a section of that part. Every body kept checking in with everyone else during that part just to make sure everyone was ok and "not stuck." We spent the light in one of the big rooms in the cave and that was cool and perfect sleeping temperature. Thanks for bringing back a memory for me that happened @ 50-53 years ago. Well done! And thanks to you, Wyandott cave! An amazing place, and that's no lie!
My pleasure John! I always enjoy bringing back good memories. I know Wyandotte is more special to me today, than it was two decades ago, and hopefully I captured the best of what it is. 🙂
Fabulous 👌
When I was there as a kid - 1960s - they used to shut off all the lights at one point. Total darkness is amazing!
They did it at the mountain, and when the lights flipped on, the sight of it lit up was amazing!
Great Video!
Thank-you, Marcus!
Awesome video Roger! Really enjoyed it.
Thank-you, Edward! I’ve enjoyed all the Indiana showcaves, but this one was, by far, the biggest adventure, with so many unexpected things. 🙂
I went there as a kid but later in life it’s neat to see because I know I won’t get to see those places again.
@@edwardh1591 I have many friends and relatives that are getting older, having health issues and the like. It’s my pleasure to bring these places to the small screen, and make it as much like being there as possible. 🙂
Thanks for the great video. It took me back forty years to a time when I worked there as a cave guide. Back then there was also a 5 and an 8 hour tour as well as the 2 hour. We used Coleman lanterns on those.
My pleasure, Bob! Did you ever see the “pillar of the constitution”? I saw it on old brochures, for wild cave tours, but I was never one to crawl for a mile. 😃 Supposedly the largest column in the world, or at least that’s what the brochure said!
I was happy to make the big cave tour, at least one more time in this life. 🙂
@@AdventureswithRoger I led many tours back to it. It was the highlight of the 5 hour tour. I worked there as a guide in the late 70’s, first as summer help and then full time for a couple of years.
@@bobbreeden9561 How long of a crawl was it, to reach the pillar? I’d heard it described as a mile crawl, and that sounded like a nightmare
Really not a lot of crawling on the way to the pillar. It would take about two hours of scrambling over breakdown (fallen ceiling) to get back to it. There was one spot that required a descent through the breakdown of about twenty feet that was difficult. The majority of crawling was done on the eight hour tour. One spot was so narrow that the Coleman lantern would not stand up. It was a great job for a young energetic outdoorsman. Thanks again for all your videos.
Wow! Now that would be an adventure indeed! Thank-you for sharing all of this, Bob. I always enjoy the backstories about these places, and learning the details known to only a few. 🙂
Thanks again for sharing ❤
This was an awesome tour I’d wanted to film for years! I’d done it over 25 years previous, wasn’t sure I had it in me: it’s tough in some areas. But I’d lost weight, had been walking, and it really wasn’t bad. Now I have a memory and something people can watch anytime they want! 🙂
Thank you Roger love you're videos on Indiana always something new to learn
Huge amount of interesting things here! 🙂
@@AdventureswithRoger Have you done any adventuring in the North western part of the state?
@@jhsams1977 Parts of “Curse of Tecumseh”, “Monster Story’s of Indiana”, and “Footsteps of the Ancestors” were filmed up there, along with “The Secret Place”.
Not much ro say except Wow! What an amazing place. Just beautiful. Rodger thank you for taking us on the adventure.
This is a true adventure, and I wanted to get it in, while my body could still do it! After I dropped 40 pounds, I did really well. I think the only place that winded me, was the climb up to monument mountain. But, there are benches to then sit, as they dramatically light-up the summit.
Woohoo another cave video !! Always my favorites. Hard to belive that there is still more to passage to find in that cave. 10 miles is very possible.
I’ve now been to all the Indiana show caves. While they all shine in different areas, Big Wyandottes greatest offering, is a sense of discovery. You go down and down, and then up stairs, and down again. You go through low and often narrow passages, and then they open-up in big spaces. It always keeps you guessing, and it seems to have no end. Just a complete delight from beginning to end!
That was so cool. Thanks for sharing. I used to go caving when I was younger and was ok with small spaces
My pleasure, Brinda! The regular 2 hour tour isn’t too bad, but isn’t kind to tall people. I’m 5’8” and had to lower my head in several sections. 🙂
Thank you for your amazing videos on these extraordinary places! I enjoyed the videos so much I'm so excited to see how amazing it is in person. Also, the videos are informative, interesting and tastefully curated! ❤
My pleasure, Emmy!
Haven’t been in Wyandotte since I was a kid. It’s on our list to go back and see it now that it’s open again.
If I can do it, I know you two could do it! I will say it’s a challenge for tall people, with many low areas. Only open to about Labor Day weekend, as they shut down for bat hibernation season.
The closeup view of Monument Mountain and its surroundings is surreal.
Just beyond the mountain there appears to be a swirling time portal.
It’s even more epic in person!
Never been in caves yet..but been there hiking alot..even found a white spear point made from that chert clise by..thanx..cant wait to check it out
Marengo Cave’s “Crystal Palace Tour” is a great starter cave. Beautiful and very easy to navigate, the 45 minute tour will tell you if caves are something you like. Wyandotte’s 2 hour “big cave tour” is very rugged, has some low spots, but absolutely an adventure.
Amazing ty 🏆🏆👴🙏
Excellent virtual tour of Wyandotte Roger 👍🏼 👍🏼It’s been many years since I’ve been in Wyandotte cave. So nice to see it open again! Just this past weekend we finally got around to a tour of Harrison Counties “newest” cave-Indiana caverns with our five year old grandson. We really enjoyed the boat ride experience of this one. I’d have to say though for me personally, Squire Boone is the most beautiful cavern and Wyandotte’s mountain is just incredible! We’re very fortunate in Southern Indiana to have so many amazing places to explore!
Thanks for the reminders of this and the great travel information!
Safe travels to you!
My pleasure as always, Michelle! When I was a kid, Dad took us to every showcave, then open in Indiana. I thought they were all awesome! Now that I’ve done all of them, as an adult, I can say they all have something a little bit different. I hope to soon make a compilation video that describes each!
Indiana Caverns: The best introduction to caves, with even a movie. Waterfall, ice age bones, formations, boat ride underground. If a person doesn’t like this tour, they probably won’t like the others!
Squire Boone: Very historic, and since they opened up more of the cave, and added dramatic lighting, an incredibly beautiful, amazing cave! Truly one of the best!
Marengo Cave: Extremely Beautiful and a low impact cave that doesn’t require much physical exertion. Like walking through an exotic, air conditioned mall! If you only have time for one cave, or don’t have a lot of physical endurance, this is your cave.
Wyandotte: A very dramatic, historical cave that is a true adventure. While there is no crawling or incredibly tight spaces on the 2 hour tour, the tunnels will likely trigger anyone with claustrophobia. But they aren’t more than 5 minutes each. It does require a little endurance as steep stairs are involved in several places. When the big tour completes, you walk out with a real sense that you’ve had an unforgettable, great time.
Twin Cave boat tour: If you’re already going to Spring Mill, this provides a nice peek into a wet cave. If a person can do the stairs down to the dock, it’s the easiest cave experience: get in the boat and enjoy!
Bluespring Caverns: The ramp to the cave is steep, and can take the wind out of you, coming back up. But beyond that: the longest, most relaxing underground boat ride in the United States! The motorized boats, with onboard lighting, provides one of the most elegant cave experiences I’ve ever had!
@@AdventureswithRoger I have been to all except Blue Spring. It’s on my list!
Thank you for the overview of each of them:)
The travel tips and information you share in your presentations are very helpful and enjoyable !
Thanks again!
@@indianamichelle7216 Always glad to help, Michelle! 🙂
I live not even 20 min from Wyandott. I travel 62 on a daily basis, and there’s many pull offs between my house and the cave. One day I decided to pull over at one for a more interesting hike, as I’m always looking for adventure. I walked straight up hill for a little while, and then aimlessly hiked for a while after that. I came across maybe 30+ giant craters in the ground that were all small cave entrances. It was nothing like I’ve ever seen before and still the coolest hiking spot I know of today. I was scared to even get close to most of them because they were so huge, and I was worried about something collapsing under me.
Crawford and Harrison County are absolutely loaded with caves. Harrison has over 600, I can’t remember the count for Crawford. All fascinating!
Fantastic video man thanks !
My pleasure! One of the coolest showcaves I’ve ever toured!
You yourself are a treasure for bringing all of these treasures to light.
Very very cool cave, a small version of Mammoth Cave, with many similar features.
I'm so thankful this is back open! My daughter in love and I was just talking about this cave yesterday. My 7 yr old granddaughter is fascinated with caves! This is one of the few in our area she hasn't been in. Thank you for this video! I'll show this to her today.
It was a true adventure of a cave! I’d tried to get in for several years, to make this one, but keep missing the window. They are only open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. It was a dream accomplished, to finally wrap up the last showcave, I’d yet to cover.
Amazing . Perfect destination for our outdoor, adventurous friends ☺️🤗. Sharing 👍. We have Meramec Caverns but I think this beats it .
Have been to Meramec several times. I can’t remember seeing a bigger dome than that one, a “wine table” formation, and the history / gift shop are both great! Wyandotte excels in continually surprising you. Huge rooms to tunnels, you go down, you go up, it truly keeps you guessing and makes you feel like you’ve had an adventure.
@@AdventureswithRoger and at times a bit creepy ☺️
We took the 4th grade class to Onondaga Cave . It was not for me too cave like and couldn’t wait for it to be over 😂☺️
@@ginamaria2579 I had a rare opportunity to get into big Wyandotte early, and traveled halfway back with 6 DNR employees. They then split-off to train in another part of the cave. From there, it was just 2 and I, and both were very knowledgeable and fun. But if it was just me and another person, exploring that huge, big cave: probably very creepy! 😄
@@AdventureswithRoger that’s awesome ☺️
I visited the cave today. The 2hr trip was very nice. There's a lot of history tied to this cave. Not many people in the parking lot. Having been closed due to WNS and COVID, I think it's dropped off people's awareness. Great Pics. Definitely would recommend you visiting if you're hitting Indiana Caverns, Squire Boone Caverns or Marengo.
Wyandotte is truly one of the last great adventures in Indiana. Many people don’t know about it, and others think it’s been closed ever since the white nose syndrome cases. Wyandotte is in fact, open all summer long!
@@AdventureswithRoger I'm just starting to play around with Drones is a cave. I thought this might be a good cave to try since it has some larger passages and rooms, but your video and pics are so good...I don't think a drone perspective would add much more interest.
If you could somehow keep line of sight, I don’t think anyone has ever flown around monument mountain: that would be some seriously impressive footage! An eagle eye wide, of the bigger rooms, would also be very cool, but you’d have to have some pretty great lighting from the drone.
@@AdventureswithRoger I asked about flying a drone in this cave. They declined because of the large bat population, which makes sense. Don't want to risk hurting them.
I was surprised how deep the bats went in the cave. We were all the way back where the miners dug the tunnel, and one flew passed us.
Thank you Roger. That was beautiful. I'm so hot i wish i was in there right now!
52 degrees will cool you right off! 😎
Why only now im hearing about the y n dot cave !❤
Very very cool cave.
Was shut here Labor Day weekend. Great tour guide. She talked about the big earthquake in the early 1800s that “fractured” the columns. Many people don’t even know about that earthquake and she did a fantastic job explaining it
The guide that appears in the video was excellent! Extremely well-versed and informative.
Another great production Roger! I remember going to Wyandotte cave as a 13 yr-old Boy Scout but hadn’t remembered what a treasure it truly is. Thank you again for bringing to life such wonderful history‼️
Thank-you! It’s simply one of best Indiana caves, that not everyone knows about, and a true treasure! Lots of memories.
@@AdventureswithRoger I read one of the comments from a former tour guide saying there were 5- and 8-hour versions of the tour! What a treat those folks were in for! Would be absolutely wonderful to spend a whole day under there roaming around. Even though my pubescent brain was wondering elsewhere for most of our time there, I have often reflected on what kinda nerve the earlier peoples possessed to wander so far into the Earth with only bark torches; just amazing! Thank you again for such great content and keeping it so accessible to a variety of ages and interests.
❤
Looks like this stuff grows
So those benches are made of Ash? Just kidding, awesome video!
Cannot remember what the tour guide said, but a friend of mine has a dresser, from the 1800’s, made of the same stuff.
@@AdventureswithRoger I could be the Emerarl Ash, I have heard it had died out, but also the Tulip Poplar has too, both due to migrating insect hostile takeovers.
Maybe chestnut
@@AdventureswithRogerpossibly Chestnut. They all went extent years ago. Probably something similar to Ash borer
@@bodayshus1437that's what I thought
Keith actually went on an 8 hour tour at Wyandotte where he had to crawl and go through tight spaces when he was younger. That’s not for me I am too claustrophobic
I’m definitely not a cave crawler, not my cup of tea! The tunnels aren’t too bad, I don’t think any of them lasted more than 5 minutes, and weren’t too low. I’m 5’8” and did have to lower my head in places. When a friend and I visited, over 20 years ago, his head hit every low spot, as he’s 6 foot tall!
great video! what kind of lumber are those benches made from (extinct tree)?
R these closed? Is the price included in the park
Both caves are currently open! O’Bannon State Park is separate from Wyandotte Caves, but manages the caves: separate fee to get into O’Bannon State Park ($7 for Indiana residents).
🙂
Is this better then mammoth caves? Im in ohio and its about even drive time.
Mammoth cave is huge and has many different tours to chose from. It’s nearly always VERY crowded, especially during the tourist season. Without a doubt, it’s the longest known cave in the world, if you have a box to check!
Wyandotte feels very similar, particularly at the historic opening and grand avenue. It has many twists and turns like Mammoth, with several awe-inspiring rooms. A two hour tour is usually plenty for most people, and there is plenty to see. The massive amount of helictites and monument mountain are true highlights. But the biggest benefit: almost never busy. Just know it closes for bat hibernation season, starting Labor Day weekend.
Go to Mammoth caves in Kentucky
Been to Mammoth Cave twice. Mammoth is huge, but does not equal Marengo or Squire Boone Caves in beauty. If you haven’t visited those, you should take a look.
That 52 degrees🧊 sounds good about now.🌡🔥
💯 %!