The antidote to winter cabin fever.
Luray Caverns.
If you’ve got the outdoor jones, spelunking offers a quick (and surprisingly warm) fix for the mania that threatens from being cooped up by Old Man Winter. With the Commonwealth’s cave temperatures hovering at a comparatively balmy 54 degrees, there could be a foot of snow on the ground and, meanwhile, you’re strolling through a cathedral-sized palace of limestone wearing little more than a windbreaker.
Shenandoah Valley caves, including Luray, Grand, Skyline, Natural Bridge and Endless Caverns, promise subterranean adventure but, unknown to most, the area—and locations further west—is home to one of the densest concentrations of wild caves on the east coast. This abundance has given rise to a community of tight-knit spelunking enthusiast clubs that offer small-scale guided tours.
Imagine the echo-laden drip-plink-pitter-pat of falling water; the raw musk potency of wet earth and stone; the silence of oceanic darkness. Turn your head and—holy Dr. Livingstone!—formations erupt from the abyss like monuments to some primeval titanic religion.
Featuring some degree of crawling or squeezing through narrow passages, navigating into or over pits, and climbing or descending via ropes into new rooms, a guided foray into a speleothem (that is, a cave system) can be simultaneously thrilling, frightening, challenging and a heck of a lot of fun. Ranging from $15 to $79 per person (and free for children under 6), tours typically provide basic gear, including knee pads, headlamps, helmet and gloves. And while family-friendliness ranges according to difficulty, all are open to kids aged 10 and older. For a stellar introductory adventure, head just across the West Virginia border to Lewisburg and take a guided tour of Lost World Caverns. LostWorldCaverns.com
Please note limited hours until Mar. 1: 10-4 Saturday and Sunday only.
More Spots to Spelunk
Check out these National Speleological Society clubs for a guided weekend tour:
Blue Ridge Grotto, Roanoke, BlueRidgeGrotto.org
Walker Mountain Grotto, Marion, WalkerGrotto.WordPress.com
Front Royal Grotto, Front Royal, FRG.Caves.org
