Lehman Caves Tours

 

Cave Tours are available for reservation up to 30 days in advance. Do not anticipate getting a tour without a reservation, especially during the summer.

Experience Lehman Caves via the free Virtual Cave Tour

Tour Basics

Lehman Caves may only be entered with a ranger-led tour. Cave tours are offered daily, year-round, except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Park rangers lead all tours and explain the history, ecology, and geology of the caves. In 2022, two tours are offered during the summer: The Lodge Room tour and Grand Palace tour. During the winter, only Lodge Room tours are offered. Gothic Palace tours are given on high-volume weekends or when staff is available. Cave tours regularly sell out, sometimes weeks in advance. Reservations through Recreation.gov are highly recommended.

Cave Rules

• Masks may be required inside the cave for all ages, regardless of vaccination status if local community transmission levels return to high. Please check the Park Alerts for the most recent information.
• Please arrive fifteen (15) minutes before your tour time to check in with the front desk and get screened for White-Nose syndrome.
• White-Nose syndrome screening is mandatory. Do not wear clothes or shoes that have entered another cave into Lehman caves for the health of our bats.
• No touching of the cave is allowed.
• No bags of any kind are allowed inside the cave, including backpacks, camera bags, purses, fanny packs, phone hip holsters, or back mounted baby carriers. Only front mounted baby carriers are allowed inside the cave. The Lehman Caves Visitor Center has limited front carriers to lend for the tour.
• No food, liquids, water, chewing gum, or chewing tobacco are allowed inside.
• No tripods, large lenses, pets, or stollers are allowed inside the cave.
• Claustrophobia and unease can be experienced on this cave tour due to the tight spaces inherent in cave environments. You have the option of being escorted out if these feelings are overwhelming for you or any group members.

Grand Palace Tour (Not offered in winter)

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 (except on tours November through February). 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.

Lodge Room Tour

Lodge Room tours last about 60 minutes and explore about .5 miles of the cave. When Gothic Palace tours are not available, children of any age may join. This tour visits the Gothic Palace, Music Room, and Lodge Room as it winds its way through cave passages. Tours are limited to 20 visitors. White Nose Syndrome screening is mandatory

Gothic Palace Tour (Not offered in winter)

Gothic Palace Tours are about 30 minutes long. This is perfect for families with young children. The tour travels less than .25 miles into the cave to the Gothic Palace. This tour will show off the many cave formations and unique history in this heavily decorated room of the cave. Tour is limited to 20 visitors. White Nose Syndrome screening is mandatory.

Parachute Shield Tour (Not offered in winter)

Parachute Shield Tours are approximately 60 minutes long. The Parachute Shield Tour travels 0.5 miles through mostly large rooms with steep ramps and smaller passages that connect them. This tour visits the Lodge Room, Inscription Room, and the Grand palace. Tour is limited to 20 visitors. White Nose Syndrome screening is mandatory.

Ticket Sales

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

• In advance via Recreation.gov

  Same day reservations through the website are not accepted. Please plan ahead, as tours sell out regularly.
  Cancellations, reservation changes, and refunds are handled through recreation.gov.

• In person at the Lehman Caves Visitor Center upon arrival (same day only).
  We strongly recommend that you make a reservation instead as your chances of getting in the cave drop dramatically without reservations. Tours often sell out in advance, meaning no same-day tickets are available.

• If you book a Grand Palace tour you do not need to book a Parachute Shield or Lodge Room Tour. The Parachute Shield and Lodge Room Tours duplicate half the rooms on the Grand Palace Tour.

• Attention Interagency Senior and Access Passes Holders:
  Holders of the Interagency Senior and Access Passes (and the Golden Age and Access Passes) may receive a 50% discount on the purchase price of a ticket.

  The ticket reservation must be in the name of the pass holder to receive a discount and the discount only applies to the pass holder's ticket.
  
  The pass, a photo ID, and the reservation number must be presented when you pick up your tickets at the facility.

 

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. You can learn more about park passes and their benefits on the America the Beautiful Interagency Pass page.

	Parachute Shield and Lodge Room Tours (60 Minutes)	Gothic Palace Tour (30 Minutes)	Grand Palace Tour (90 Minutes)
Adults (16 & older)	$12.00	$8.00	$15.00
Youth (5-15 years old)	$6.00	$4.00	$8.00
Infants & Toddlers	Free	Free	N/A
Golden Age/Senior Pass (cardholder only)	$6.00	$4.00	$7.50
Access Pass (cardholder only)	$6.00	$4.00	$7.50

 

2022/2023
Winter Tour Schedule: November 1, 2022 through March 10, 2022
CLOSED JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2023 - Reopens March 1, 2023.

Lodge Room Tour (60 minutes)
9:00am weekends only | 1:00pm every day

Spring/Summer/Fall tours to be determined.

2021/2022
Spring Tour Schedule: March 11, 2022 - May 26, 2022
Parachute Shield Tour (60 minutes)
9:00am | 10:30am | 1:30pm | 3:00pm

Summer Tour Schedule: May 27, 2022 - September 5, 2022
Grand Palace Tour (90 minutes, must be over 5 years old)
8:30am | 12:00pm | 12:30pm |1:30pm
Gothic Palace Tour (30 minutes)
9:30am | 10:30am | 2:30pm | 3:30pm | 4:30pm


Fall Tour Schedule: September 6, 2022 - October 31, 2022
Grand Palace Tour (90 minutes, must be over 5 years old)
9:00am | 1:00pm
Lodge Room Tour (60 minutes)
11:00am | 3:00pm

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Group Tours

To arrange tours for school groups, please contact the park via email, 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.

For those in wheelchairs, there is no guarantee you will be able to visit the cave. The entrance tunnel is historic and not ADA-approved. A friend or family member must be available to assist those in non-motorized wheelchairs, and be comfortable navigating the wheelchair down a steep grade. 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.

 

Backlit cave draperies are often called cave bacon

NPS / Gretchen Baker

Find out more about Cave/Karst Systems!