Texas Adventure: The Caverns of Sonora

Underneath Texas, there lies a little known secret. Hidden more than 150 feet below the earth, the Caverns of Sonora are a beautiful and unique system of caves. The Caverns of Sonora is a wonderful place for people of all ages to take a look and ponder a different side of nature.

Differing from the famous Carlsbad Caverns, the Caverns of Sonora are still "living" and growing. National Speleological Society co-founder, Bill Stephenson said, after seeing the Caverns of Sonora for the first time, "Its beauty cannot be exaggerated, even by Texans." Offering many types of tours including photography tours, discovery tours and the basic, crystal palace tour, the caverns offer something for all levels of adventurer.

The Caverns of Sonora offer a basic tour that leave every 45 minutes or so. Named the "Crystal Palace" tour, you will see almost two miles of beautiful growing features including stalagmites, cave popcorn and applesauce. They only take groups of 12 or less into the caverns at a time and the tour takes a little over two hours, covering about two miles of underground trail. The reason for the small tour groups is because of a very sad vandalism incident the caverns experienced in 2006 when the famous "butterfly" formation was destroyed. There is a page on their website for updates and information on this case.

For the more adventurous, the caverns also offer the "Discovery Challenge" tour. On this tour, an experienced caver will lead you through passages and into "rooms" far away from the beaten trail of the basic tour including a fifty foot rappel into the "Devil's Pit". All of your caving/climbing gear is provided for this ultimate caving experience.

All of the tours take place in the caverns that maintain a temperature around 70 degrees with 98 percent humidity, which makes it feel around 85 degrees F. The tours cover a lot of ground (the basic tour is 1.7 miles) on sometimes very steep and slippery/wet terrain. There are approximately 360 stair steps throughout the basic tour. If you are concerned about your physical condition and completing the tour, you are encouraged to discuss your situation with the tour guides before you embark on your adventure.

The Caverns of Sonora also have an underground "classroom" that is a fully operational classroom with desks, nicknamed the "Hilton Room". Interactive classes are offered that include fossil digs, paleontology digs, caving adventure and a more technical single rope techniques and cave safety class. Other workshops that are offered include cave biology, geology, paleontology and speleology. These classes can be set up and reserved for groups of 12 or more people.

The Caverns of Sonora is more than the cavern and their tours. There is a beautiful campground for both RV and tent campers. There are 48 RV sites that have electric and water hook-ups. The campground also has restrooms with showers for all campers. Because of the sensitivity of the caverns underneath the campground, there is no dump station on site. The nearest dump station is a mile or so west on I-10 (rest area) or in the town of Sonora.

The visitor's center and rock shop is a virtual museum with many opportunities to learn, see and feel specimens. This is also where you sign up for the tour of the caverns or register for camping, pick up a bag of "dirt" to pan in the sluice box or grab an ice cream on a hot summer afternoon.

For the younger crowd, the Caverns of Sonora also offer a birthday party caving experience and gem stone panning right outside the visitor's center. Purchase your gem stone or fossil bag in the gift shop and pan for your fossils and gem stones right outside in the moving water running through the sluice box.

If you are a geocacher, there is one cache hidden on the property. More importantly, there is an "earth cache" that can be completed here. It is a pretty detailed "earth cache" that you will learn a lot from. It will take a bit of research to complete, but taking the tour is not required to complete it.

Open everyday of the year, the Caverns of Sonora is a wonderful place to take a "local vacation" camping or even spend the day as you travel through the area. The visitor's center is closed on Christmas Day every year. The hours of operation for the visitor's center and tours is 8am-6pm in the summer and 9am to 5pm during the winter months. If you plan on camping or enjoying any tour except the basic, Crystal Palace tour, be sure to call ahead and make reservations.

The Caverns of Sonora are an integral part of Texas' geological diversity and a wonderful place to explore and enjoy. It is recognized as the most beautiful show caves in the world. This cave system is covered with many different types of formations that are still growing. For an adventure that is close to home, or an overnight stop as you pass through this beautiful part of Texas, the Caverns of Sonora are a must see family destination for all ages.