Lehman Caves Tours

Ticket Sales | Ticket Prices | Winter Schedule | Summer Schedule | Things to Know | Group/Accessible Tours

 

Bowersox

"The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time."

-Henry David Thoreau

Lehman Caves is a beautiful marble cave ornately decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone, popcorn, and over 300 rare shield formations.

 

A Fragile Environment
The Lehman Cave ecosystem is easily affected by our presence and actions. Please help us in our effort to maintain its integrity by following these important rules: You may bring a jacket, a hand-held camera, and a flashlight into the cave. All other items, including food, water, other beverages, purses, backpacks, camera cases, and tripods are not allowed. Touching or collecting of cave formations is strictly prohibited.

White Nose Syndrome Screening

All visitors to Lehman Cave will be screened through a simple question and answer process. Visitors who have not been in any cave or mine in the past year, or who are not wearing any clothing, shoes, or other items that were in another cave or mine can go straight to their tour. If visitors do have on clothing, shoes, cameras or other items that were in another cave or mine, they will be required to either change or clean items before being allowed on the tour. Cameras or other hard items can be wiped down with decontaminate wipes (provided by the park) and shoe soles can be decontaminated by immersion in a solution bath for 10 minutes (also provided by the park). As this process can take some time, visitors are encouraged to show up early or only wear and bring items that have not been in other caves or mines.

If you would like to learn about White Nose Syndrome click here.

Watch the series Bats in Crisis.

For a preview and to prepare for your Lehman Cave tour please watch our video below.

 

• Lehman Cave Orientation Video

  

  For a preview and to prepare for your Lehman Cave tour please watch the video.

  Credit/ Author:

  NPS

  Date created:

  2011-02-18

 

Tour Basics
Lehman Caves may only be entered with a guided tour. Cave tours are offered daily, year round, except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Park rangers lead all tours, explaining the history, ecology, and geology of the caves.

Three different guided tours of Lehman Caves are offered, The Lodge Room Tour, The Grand Palace Tour, and a special Candlelight Tour. Reservations are strongly recommended in the summer months, as well as over holiday weekends.

Lodge Room Tour:
Lodge Room Tours are approximately 60 minutes long. The Lodge Room Tour travels 0.4 miles, and is ideal for families with young children. The Lodge Room Tour highlights the Gothic Palace, Music Room, and Lodge Room sections of Lehman Caves. Tour is limited to 20 visitors. White Nose Syndrome screening is mandatory.

Grand Palace Tour:
Grand Palace Tours are approximately 90 minutes long. The Grand Palace Tour travels 0.6 miles, and children must be at least 5 years old to join the Grand Palace Tour. This tour visits the Gothic Palace, the Music Room, the Lodge Room, Inscription Room, and the Grand Palace sections of Lehman Caves, including a chance to view the famous "Parachute Shield" formation. Tour is limited to 20 visitors. White Nose Syndrome screening is mandatory.

Candlelight Tour:
Historic candlelight tours of Lehman Caves are not available at this time. Please refer back to the website for updates.

Ticket Sales
Tickets are required for cave tours, and may be purchased two ways:

• In person at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center on arrival.
• In advance (strongly recommended) by phone at [phone] between the hours of 9:00am to 4:00pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday
• If you get a voicemail box, please leave a message and we will call you back as soon as possible.
• Callers from certain long distance area codes are experiencing difficulty calling into the park. If you are unable to make contact, please email us with a phone number and we will call you back. Please be advised, the issue is not with the park's phones.

Visitors may purchase tickets in person or by phone up to 30 days in advance. Tickets cannot be purchased by phone on the the day of the tour - they may be purchased in person only. All tickets must be paid for at the time of purchase. Major credit cards are accepted for phone orders. All advance sales are final, so please plan carefully.

Advance tickets must be picked up at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center at least 15 minutes prior to tour time, at which time unclaimed tickets will go on sale to walk-in customers. Golden Age/Senior Pass/Golden Access cards must be presented to be eligible for a discount. Unclaimed tickets will not be refunded.

 

Ticket Prices
Because cave tour fees are not entrance fees, they are not covered by the Annual Pass. However, Golden Age/Senior Pass and Golden Access cardholders are entitled to a discount. Please note that discounts are for the cardholder only, and will not cover additional family members.

	Lodge Room Tour (60 Minutes)	Grand Palace Tour (90 Minutes)
Adults (16 & older)	$8.00	$10.00
Youth (5-15 years old)	$4.00	$5.00
Infants & Toddlers	Free	N/A
Golden Age/Senior Pass (cardholder only)	$4.00	$5.00
Golden Access (cardholder only)	50% off	50% off

 

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Summer Tour Schedule (May 24, 2013 - September 2, 2013)
Grand Palace Tour (90 Minutes)
9:00am - 11:00am - 1:00pm - 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Lodge Room Tour (60 minutes)
8:30am - 10:30am - 12:30pm - 2:30pm - 4:00pm

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Winter Tour Schedule (September 2012 - May 23, 2013)
Grand Palace Tour (90 minutes)
9:00am - 1:00pm

Lodge Room Tour (60 minutes)
11:00am - 3:00pm

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Things To Know Before You Go
The elevation at the cave entrance is 6,825ft (2080m). The temperature in the cave is a constant 50° F (10° C) year round so a light jacket is recommended. Please wear shoes with good traction as trails may be wet and slippery. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

The only items visitors may bring in the cave with them is a (hand-held) camera, jacket and flashlight. All other items, including purses, backpacks, strollers, tripods, camera bags, food, water, tobacco, gum, and pets are not allowed.

Cave Photography
Hand-held cameras are allowed on regular cave tours. The guide may dictate when and where photographs are allowed.

For amateurs and professionals interested in cave photo opportunities, an After Hours Cave Photography tour can be arranged. Advance reservations and a special use permit, with associated fees, is required.

 

Group Tours
To arrange tours for school groups, please contact the park Education Coordinator via e-mail, or call [phone].

Bus tours must call at least two weeks in advance.

Accessible Tours
Brief tours of the first room of the cave, the Gothic Palace, are available for those unable to negotiate the stairs and narrow passageways of the tour route. Participants join the first 30 minutes of a regular tour, and are escorted out of the cave by a ranger. Another friend or family member must be available to assist visitors in non-motorized wheelchairs.

Please be advised that wheelchairs are not available at the park. First room tours may not be available on every tour, depending on staffing levels.