Tumbling Rock Cave

I visited this cave with my friend Scott during the high traffic weekend of the SERA Summer Cave Carnival in June, 1999. The Cave is located on private property and the owner is caver-friendly...for a price. He charges $5.00 per person to enter the cave and he pushes t-shirts and maps pretty hard, too. The weekend that I went to the cave there were several groups already inside. Scott and I suited up and headed for the entrance. When we topped the little hill that heads down into the entrance, the temperature dropped about 25 degrees and the wind was literally blowing out of the cave. Really blowing. At the narrow point in the entrance the wind actually howls as it passes by. It makes for a chilly passage as well.

The cave itself is mostly a stream cave. The stream is way down at the bottom of the passage sometimes and other times you have to cross it or walk in it. The average height of the main passage is probably about 25-30 feet and the width varies greatly. There are places where breakdown and flowstone virtually block the passage. As you head into the main passage there are several large shelves on the left hand side that contain many numerous beautiful formations. Many formations are broken and the cave shows evidence of heavy, heavy traffic and general cave-partying in the past. Great care has been taken to clean up the cave and ther is very little spray paint.

Conditions did not permit us to go very far into the cave the day we visited, mainly because we did not get in the cave into after 3:30 pm. We made it almost to the King's Shower Head. It is dissapointing to have not made it any further into the cave but it does give a good reason to go back. There is supposed to be a climb up at the rear of the main passage that leads to a very nice part of the cave. I guess I'll see that on the return trip. And maybe I'll buy a map ftom the ol' guy who owns the place. He's just trying to make a buck, and he could close the cave at his discretion.

Hundreds of soda straws hanging from the ceiling in Tumbling Rock Cave. Note how many of them are broken. That is the way it works inside a cave. Increased traffic leads to increased damage.

Scott checking for a lead inside the main passage.

Jay standing in the midst.

An intersting spot inside Tumbling Rock.

This is up on one of the shelves that I mentioned in the narrative above.

Jay inspecting more formations.

Scott standind by a huge column.