Explore Laurel Caverns

Visit the Catacombs of Laurel Caverns

Tommy Hayfield
Laurel Caverns
Neighborhood: Southwestern Pennsylvania
Farmington, PA 15437
United States of America
Laurel Caverns is Pennsylvania's largest commercial cave. The 430 acre site is also listed as the 16th largest developed cave in the United States. Laurel Caverns offers two different tours through the cave. The first one called the Upper Spelunking Tour (spelunking is another word for caving) is a one hour tour (as opposed to 3 hours for the Lower Spelunking Tour) through the developed parts of the cave You will travel through unlit parts of the cave where you will need a flashlight. Even on this the easier of the two tours there is climbing over rocks and there is a chance of injury. Visitors who choose this tour must sign a release form. No one under nine years old is allowed to go on this tour. They instead can go on the family tour. Laurel Caverns supplies hard hats for the tours but participants are required to bring at least two flashlights or a carbide lamp headset on your own hard hat and another source as well. Participants must also wear long pants, long sleeved shirt, and shoes with ankle support. Hiking boots are a good choice for shoe wear.

The Lower Spelunking Tour is more strenuous and lasts three hours during which time you'll see the developed and undeveloped parts of the cave where you'll see by flashlight. Laurel Caverns staff suggests that children under 12-years old take the family tour. On the Lower Spelunking tour there is climbing over tall obstacles; participants on this tour also need to sign a release form to go on the tour.

All the tours at Laurel Caverns are guided.

Laurel Caverns offers schools discounted rates for groups of 20 or more people. Reservations for all group visits are required. Payment is due upon your arrival. Laurel Caverns offers a geology seminar for kids from grades 6 to 12; this is a three hour program which includes a tour of the cave. For children from grades 4 and up there is a fossil hunt; the 45 minute hike takes place in the grounds and through the woods above the cave. Everyone is sure to take home a real fossil at the exposed fossils outcrop on the trip. There is a gift shop at Laurel Caverns and there is also a very unusual miniature golf course where you play golf in a simulated 10,000 square foot cave. Kids can also pan for gemstones like they're panning for gold as pioneers did back in the 1800s.

Contact Information
Phone...724-438-3003

Reservations...1-800-515-4150

Website...www.laurelcaverns.com

Address:
Laurel Caverns
2 Skyline Drive
Farmington, Pa. 15437

Admission Prices
Lower Spelunking Tour...
Lower Group Rate... $19 per person

Upper Spelunking Tour...
Group Rate...$16 per person

Family Tour...
Adults...$11
Seniors (over 65)...$10
Youth...$9
Kids uner 5...Free

Rappelling
For ages 11 and up only...$33

School Field Trips...
Grade K-5...$6 per person
Grade 6 to 12...$7 per person
Adults...$9 per person

Geology Seminar...
Students...$17
Adults...$9...One free adult chaperone for every 15 students

Fossil Hunt
Children...$4
Adults...Free

Operating Hours
Open 7 days a week from May 1 to October 31

Bring a change of clothing if you plan to explore the cave because you'll get dirty.

Resources:
www.laurelcaverns.com

Related articles:
Go Through Penn's Cave by Boat

Published by Tommy Hayfield

Entertainment is my focus now with me churning out a lot of funny material in the form of poems and poems with prosaic content fully integrated...I have recently begun to explore the viability of YouTube as...  View profile

1 Comments

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  • Kathy10/29/2010

    I remember touring this Cave as a kid with the Hallorans. Great place!

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