We were last in Carter Caves celebrating an anniversary years ago. We really like this lesser-known state park as it has much more than just caves to explore. We had done most of the hikes on our previous travels here, and they are worthwhile exploring. This time, during our visit to Carter Caves State Park, we focused on the cave system.

We were able to stay in a cabin and explore the hiking trails as well as take a few cave tours. It does get dark in the caves. Going with a group is always fun. The rangers were so knowledgeable about the caves and the systems.

Led by the park rangers we did two cave tours:

X-CAVE: a cave with two vertical joint passages that gave us up-close viewings of the cave formations. Each section was different. We did see cave spiders. We saw the highlights in this cave which include the Great Chandelier, cave coral, and formations with descriptive names including Giant Turkey, the Pipe Organ, and Headache Rock.

Cascade Cave is the longest cave tour in the park and is noted for its large chambers and many cave formations. A highlight of the tour is a 30-foot-high underground waterfall as well as the Lake Room’s reflecting pool, the Cathedral in North Cave, and the Dance Hall where a previous owner held weekly dances. It was a nice cool temperature in the caves as it was hot outside.

We explored a little of Laural Cave on our own. It was going to rain and we did not want to get in too far and then back out due to the rising water. It is different exploring on our own as the guided tour is lit up and we only had our flashlights to assist us on this walk. I appreciate the Park System’s work making the guided caves tours so accessible to us.

We enjoyed hiking the area and exploring the creek that runs through the park.

Other fun:

We saw a live snaping turtle up close and personal as one of the rangers caught one and was moving him farther away from the camping area.

The camping area had an axe throwing demonstration and we were able to throw a few. It was good to try. We were not very good.

No bike rides on this trip. See you on the road.