Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia Outdoor Adventures Podcast is your local guide to hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure, right here in Virginia. Lets Go!
Virginia Outdoor Adventures: Hiking, Camping, Kayaking, Local Travel and more!
Wild Cave Adventures in Virginia State Parks (Ep 74, Pt 2)
Descend with us into Virginia's spectacular underworld as we explore the hidden realm of wild caves. Unlike commercial show caves, wild caves offer an authentic adventure where nature remains largely untouched.
Virginia State Parks’ ranger-led caving programs provide the perfect gateway into this mysterious environment. Ranger Erin Pitts from New River Trail State Park shares insights about cave ecosystems, rare species, and the delicate formations found in these subterranean environments.
Whether you're seeking adventure, discovery, or simply a cool respite from the outside heat, Virginia's caves offer unforgettable adventures that you must experience for yourself to truly capture their wonder. Let’s Go!
In part 2 of this episode, Ranger Erin describes unique features and formations you can experience in the underground, memorable wild caving adventures, and how to register for an upcoming ranger-led program.
This is part 2 of a two-part episode.
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Mentioned in this Episode:
Connect with Ranger Erin Pitts at New River Trail State Park:
Website I Phone 1-(276)699-6778 I Email: erin.pitts@dcr.virginia.gov
Register for Wild Caving at New River Trail State Park ("Lone Ash Cave Adventures")
Register for Wild Caving at Natural Tunnel State Park ("Wild Cave Tour: Bolling Cave/Pannell Cave")
The Virginia Cave and Karst Trail
Episode 36: Caverns and Caving in Virginia's Karst Regions
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From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is a mecca for outdoor travel and adventure. Virginia outdoor adventures Podcast is your local guide for hiking, camping, kayaking, travel and so much more. Get the information and the inspiration to plan your own adventure right here in Virginia, I'm your host, Jessica Bowser, descend with us into Virginia's spectacular underworld as we explore the hidden realm of wild caves. Unlike commercial show caves, wild caves offer an authentic adventure where nature remains largely untouched Virginia State Parks Ranger led caving programs provide the perfect gateway into this mysterious environment. Ranger Aaron Pitts from New River Trail State Park shares insights about cave ecosystems, rare species and the delicate formations found in these subterranean environments, whether you're seeking adventure discovery or simply a cool respite from the outside heat, Virginia's caves offer unforgettable adventures that you must experience for yourself to truly capture their wonder. Let's go. This is part two of a two part episode with campgrounds open and summer on the horizon, Virginia State Parks is offering visitors of all ages the opportunity to explore the natural and cultural wonders of Virginia. Diverse programming is designed to inspire curiosity, foster environmental stewardship and provide enriching outdoor experiences for families, students and nature enthusiasts alike, join us at Virginia State Parks for exciting, family friendly events that invite you to explore the outdoors. For a full schedule of events, including park locations and program details, click on Virginia State Parks events in your show notes. You mentioned stalagmites and stalactites are there other interesting or unique features and formations a visitor might encounter inside a cave?
Unknown:Absolutely. One of my favorites. I talked about the hydrophobic bacteria. So it's mats of bacteria where the water is repelled by it. So it kind of looks like it's glowing and it looks like almost constellations in the sky. I don't know who comes up with these names, but there are some really fun names that you can of formations that you can find inside of a cave. So cave popcorn is one of them. It's a type of speleothem, and it's just small balls of minerals like calcite and gypsum. But it does look like popcorn, so that's an interesting feature that we can see on cave walls. Cave bacon, it's also known as cave drapes, or curtains or ribbons, because of their shape, but it's called Bacon because sometimes those cave curtains can be so thin that if you were to shine a flashlight or a light through it, it has little stripes or striations, and it does actually kind of look like bacon. Maybe the cavers were just hungry. And then soda straws, those are really unique. They're very fragile looking cave formations, and they're little mineral tubes. They're hollow, and you can see the water dripping through the tubes. And sometimes the tube will get clogged, and it forces that water to flow outside of the straw, and it eventually will form a stalactite. And another fun thing I like to educate people on is that stalactites, they hang tight to the cave ceiling, and stalagmites, they might reach the cave ceiling one day.
Jessica Bowser:That's a good way to remember it, because I always forget the difference between the two, and I'm also really bad at remembering the names of other formations, like I have seen crystal formations in caves that look like flowers blooming. I don't know what those are called, but when I was at natural tunnel, I guess it was bowling cave. There was so much cave popcorn. It was everywhere, like it just seemed like every little passage was covered in it. And you shouldn't really touch anything inside of a cave. You should stay on the trail. You you you wouldn't want to touch something like that with all those jagged, sharp edges.
Unknown:Yeah, absolutely. I mean, some of the cape formations, they are quite delicate too. So there's that on one spectrum, right where it's kind of rough, and it's like, you don't really want to touch that surface, as you mentioned. You probably shouldn't anyway. But then there's also really delicate features called rimstone pools. And so there's, it's a very delicate lip where that weak carbonic acid water tends to pool up along flow stone, and it creates little pools. And if you were to step on it, you would break the rim of that pool, especially in when it comes to natural tunnel, they have some really amazing rimstone features. We also do in our lonash cave as well. We have two rimstone pools, and so you have to be really careful about where you're stepping and walking around that. And then another cave formation is the flow stone, and it looks like it's just a slick surface. And I don't know if you remember when we were in the cave, I always tell people if it looks flippery. It is slippery. But for some reason, also flowstone can be quite grippy too. There's a little bit more traction than you think it has.
Jessica Bowser:There were a couple flow stones that you pointed out. And also, I think, a natural tunnel where I felt like it looked like soft serve chocolate ice cream flowing from the ceiling. And I don't know what it is about the food, but like all of these cave formations, tend to look like food. And the pools that you mentioned, there were so many of them in bowling cave, I've never seen anything like it. It's like something out of a fantasy movie. And that's where all of the orange cave salamanders were hanging out, too. So here are all these pools that are like cascading down, and then all of these pools have these orange, bright orange salamanders in them. And it was so, so cool. And the other thing about caving is that you really cannot describe the experience of it to anybody like you have to do it to understand what it's like, no matter how, how many pictures you take or videos, or how you try to describe it to somebody, if they're not there experiencing it for themselves, then it's just not the same. Yeah,
Unknown:I have to completely agree with that, because part of the experience is also feeling, maybe the dampness of the environment, the way that sound carries throughout the cave, how you walk and move through the cave, and like you said, all of the interconnectedness of those ecosystems, you just have to experience it for yourself.
Jessica Bowser:It's amazing. It's truly amazing. I think that's what I love about wild caving so much, is it's just so cool, and it's so different from commercial caves, where things have been altered, and you don't get that same sense. It doesn't have the same feel to it, I guess. So that's what I love about wild caving. It's just really cool. Adventure seekers will find endless opportunities in Grayson County, where many of Virginia's iconic trails and landmarks excite hikers, cyclists, paddlers and happy campers alike. Imagine this. You're hiking on one of the most scenic sections of the entire Appalachian Trail through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, summiting mount Rogers or white top mountain, the two highest peaks in Virginia, or strolling through the valley of elk garden, where the now extinct Eastern elk once roamed, or maybe your perfect day is on the water. Grayson County is home to the New River, one of the oldest and most scenic rivers in the world. Enjoy a leisurely class one float with the family or adrenaline packed class three rapids. Navigate the waters using the New River float calculator to plan your trip. The app factors, flow rate, water levels, weather conditions, vessel type and more to calculate flow times from point A to point B. Prefer two wheels. You won't want to miss the grace and gravel traverse a 72 mile mixed surface gravel bike route that connects the Virginia Creeper trail and new river trail over well maintained and remote roads featuring a variety of challenging climbs in the foothills of Virginia's highest peaks, this overlooked gem of Virginia presents some of the best gravel cycling in the state, mostly unwritten and undiscovered after a day of adventure, there's nothing like gathering around a campfire under a sky filled with stars. Grayson County offers plenty of spots to pitch a tent like the New River campground, or cozy up in a rustic cabin at the buck wild reserve. Discover why Virginia is for outdoor lovers. Start your Grayson County adventure at the historic 1908 courthouse and visitor center, or access the visitors guide online by clicking on visit Grayson County in the show notes of your podcast listening app. How are caves connected to water sources?
Unknown:We're talking about the rim stone pools, and how the water pools up and fills on these flow stone features in the cave well that water comes from somewhere. So that same water that once formed the cave that came from the ground, water that formed car structures, it just continues flowing underground. So that surface water, it goes through those fissures and fractures in the Earth's surface. It flows underground, and often it connects to various above ground, rivers and streams and that will eventually drain into our watersheds. Caves are really important because they're aquifer rechargers and groundwater filtration systems. But on the opposite side of that, it can also provide a pathway for pollutants from the surface to contaminate the groundwater, and so once again, like fertilizers and runoff, they can make their way into these delicate cave ecosystems. And some car scientists and biologists, they'll actually put dye in the water to see where the water is flowing, where the headwater is and where it emerges and exits from the cave. And that can also help them with a lot of different type of ecological restoration efforts or even studies. About just where the water movement is occurring in these caves. But once again, karst structures and caves are really closely connected to water quality.
Jessica Bowser:Why do Virginia's caves need to be protected? We talked earlier about
Unknown:some of the rare beetles and isopod species that are found from a single cave and nowhere else, and there are about 200 animal species found in Virginia caves, and they're really restricted to very small geographic areas, and they also occur in really small populations, and some of them have even been placed on the endangered species list. And so it kind of goes back to leaving no trace, and how we want to have these environments remain pristine for future generations. So it's really important for us to protect these environments, and part of how we can do that is through educating yourself and making sure that you're recreating responsibly. And even some caves, they contain valuable archeological and paleontological resources. I think you had mentioned you went into a cave and natural tunnel that also had some pretty unique early history, right?
Jessica Bowser:Yes, at natural tunnel, Rangers Lillian and Stacy took me into a section of bowling cave that is off limits to the rest of the public because of how sensitive the area is, but it's a very narrow passage. That's the other reason they don't take people back there, because it's a very tight squeeze. But you have to go through a narrow passage that sort of drops down, and as you're going through this passage, the walls of the passage are clay, and in the clay, there are scratch marks from species of bears that my understanding is are not black bears. They're not the bears that we have today, but they're like a prehistoric cave bear. I think I could be wrong. The way I understood it is that this is a prehistoric cave bear, that it had used the cave for a den. And so there are both adult claw marks, and then baby bear claw marks in the walls. And like once you get through this really tight, narrow passage, it opens up into a larger area. And in the back of the area, there is a hole that almost looks like it could be a den for a bear. And there's just claw marks all over the wall around there too. And so Ranger Lillian and I were looking at that. Just absolutely fascinated. I just bring this up, even though it's off limits to the public because of the sensitivity of the area. But I had no idea that we had these bears in Virginia, like I've been in caves in Europe, and I know that there are cave bears there. So I'm familiar with the fact that there are cave bears that are no longer around anymore, that are now extinct, but I didn't realize we had them in Virginia. So that was a huge, like, Aha moment to me. I was like, No way. I had no idea. It was really, really neat. Yeah,
Unknown:I'm so happy that you were able to have that experience, just so you can share that with the listeners as well, because it's very clear that there's a lot of valuable resources that caves have that we that are worth protecting. So
Jessica Bowser:how can listeners support cave conservation efforts? Well, I
Unknown:guess I'm going to drill this one home Leave No Trace, so just making sure that you're not taking anything out of the cave, that you're not harming any of the cave formations or structures, and that you're not leaving any debris or waste or graffiti inside the cave. But also educating yourself. Joining programs. You can join a local cave grotto group, which is an outdoor group that will take you into caves, especially if you're new. It's a great way to meet people who are also interested in doing that type of activity, and you can also support the Virginia cave board effort. I know that there's an initiative to get a license plate going, but there's a certain amount of people that have to place an order for the license plate, a minimum order, in order for them to move forward with it. But of course, the proceeds for the license plate will go towards the Virginia cave board's conservation efforts. So you can go to their website and look at the license plate there. But those are just a couple of ideas on how you can support local conservation efforts for our caves.
Jessica Bowser:I love that, and I think visiting the caves is also a key piece of it, because if you've never been inside of a cave, a wild cave and you haven't experienced it, then you're not going to feel that sense of awe or that connection, and people really need to have that in order to be motivated to conserve it and just to also be aware and to be educated and to share that awareness with other people. Yeah,
Unknown:that's definitely an education and interpretation principle, right? You introduce people to the subject. And how do you make people care about it? Well, you introduce them in a way that's meaningful, and you connect them to the resource. And oftentimes, if someone feels connected to that environment, then they're going to want to turn around and protect it as well. And so like you said, you know, introducing yourself to those. Environments is probably the first step. Aaron,
Jessica Bowser:this has been an awesome introduction to wild caving in our state parks. I have a few more questions. I want to ask some logistical things so that people know how to prepare for a visit. But before I dive into that, I'm curious, what's your favorite cave experience or story from a ranger led program?
Unknown:I would have to say that one of the really unique programs that we offer, and this is a bit of a plug for one of our programs that is in the last week of July, is our naturalist week. And so the entire week, I bring in a naturalist that I would consider to be an expert in their respective field, and then they impart that wisdom, doing a park program for us. And so last year, and also this year, we have Penelope Bowser, and she is a karst field technician with natural heritage with the Department of Conservation and recreation in Virginia. And one of the really cool things that she did was educate us on how they do cave mapping. If you think about caves, they're super complex, right? They wind and they weave. They have different depths. Sometimes caves are underwater. So she was showing us all the different equipment and lasers that she uses, and the way that they map the interior of a cave and then translate that into a paper map. And so if you're really curious about learning more about that, I highly recommend you joining our ranger led program, naturalist week in July. One last thing about that program that's really cool is that we don't want our programs to be cost prohibitive for anyone, and so in order to make our programs more accessible for naturalist week, the entrance fee or the program fee is waived, and so that program will be free, but it will sell out, and you do have to make sure that you register in advance, so you can call our office, or you can go online and get our number to register once again, that's going to be our free caving program for the year.
Jessica Bowser:How can listeners sign up for a ranger led program in a Virginia State Park? Well,
Unknown:they can call our office. So if you go to our website, New River Trail State Park website, and you scroll down to the bottom of the page where it says programs and events, you can get a listing of all of our current program offerings. If you click on our cave tour program, you'll get all of the details of our lonash Cave adventures. And then you can call the office at 276-699-6778, to register. And this space is limited to 12 people. It's $15 per person, or it's $12 a person for groups of four or more. And you do need to be at least 10 years old for our wild cave tours for safety reasons, excellent.
Jessica Bowser:And if somebody is planning a visit around one of these cave programs and they want to stay longer, where is a good place for them to stay?
Unknown:Well, we have two Park experiences that are on opposite spectrums. We have primitive camping. So we have three primitive campsites. One is along new river trail, which is bike in only. And we also have two primitive campsites, one at foster falls and one at Cliff view, so one on the north end and one on the south end. But if you're looking for something a little bit more comfortable, we do have our boutique inn, the Inn at foster falls, and if you go to their website, you can book a hotel room. They also have afternoon tea and desserts, and they also provide meals and food. So it's two opposite stays, lodging days from
Jessica Bowser:from pit toilets to high tea. That's definitely two opposite ends of the spectrum,
Unknown:like that. Yeah. And
Jessica Bowser:if you're going to natural tunnel, I stayed in the cabins at natural tunnel, they have campgrounds too, and there's quite a few cabins and campsites at natural tunnel. So there's a wide variety there. I know that they're very popular. So if you want to plan a trip like this, I would say, do it with as much advanced notice as you can, like, don't wait till the last minute to try to make your reservation for a campsite or a cabin. Do it weeks or months ahead of time. Erin, are there any upcoming events that you'd like to promote? The
Unknown:second week of July, we have our Junior Ranger camp, and so one of the days for our Junior Rangers, we offer caving, and one of the days we'll also do snorkeling and fishing. We'll do animals and plant identification, primitive skills, and then we'll do bike riding and historic tour. So if you want your kids to enjoy the Junior Ranger camp, go to our website. Once again. We were completely filled up with our camp last year, so I imagine this year we will also fill up. So make sure that you register your campers well in advance to July. That's
Jessica Bowser:cool that there's so much variety in that I love the snorkeling program that you've added. You do snorkeling for adults too, right? We do. We
Unknown:have a handful of snorkeling programs that we're offering throughout this summer, and we have a nice spot behind our Discovery Center in the historic village, where there's a nice ledge and it's calm waters. And it's great for turning over rocks looking for macro invertebrates. If putting a snorkel on your head is not your thing, we also have water viewfinder, so you can stand in the water and look through the viewfinder and still see all of the amazing underwater wildlife that way as well. And I also believe that natural tunnel State Park also offers snorkeling programs as well. I'm gonna
Jessica Bowser:have to check that out. I forgot to ask them when I was there. They did mention a paddling program there, so I need to come back when it's warmer, because the water was just a little bit too chilly. But for wandering waters, paddle quest, I'd love to get on the water at both of your parks.
Unknown:We would love to have you.
Jessica Bowser:Thanks. Aaron, how can listeners connect with you? And New River Trail State Park listeners
Unknown:can connect with me by reaching me at my email address, which is linked in the show notes. But they can also call the office at 276-699-6778, which will also be linked in the notes as well, to register for any of our caving programs. And yeah, I hope that you reach out, and I do hope to see some of you in our caving programs. Excellent
Jessica Bowser:Ranger, Aaron, thank you so much for introducing us to wild caving in Virginia state parks. I had an incredible experience with you and with the team and natural tunnel. I think this is such a wonderful and unique opportunity for our listeners and visitors to get to experience. I am very grateful to you for the experience, and I hope to see you soon at new river trail. Stay Park. Yeah. Thank you
Unknown:so much for having me. And it was great showing you around the cave. And once again, it was nice having you know your experience on the unique ecosystem, so you can share that with your listeners as well. I highly encourage everybody to check out one of our cave systems in Virginia, because, once again, they are so unique and they're worth protecting. And if you want to try a recreation opportunity that's, you know, a little off the beaten path, then I highly recommend trying one of our caving programs. Thanks for having me.
Jessica Bowser:Thank you. Aaron adventure on Virginia. Outdoor Adventures is inspired by and supported by listeners like you, which is why your messages and feedback mean so much to me. You can text me directly by clicking on Send Jessica a text message in your show notes. I answer questions, respond to comments and share your feedback on the show. Never miss a new episode. Sign up for my email newsletter and receive my listener resource guide with the top podcast episodes, a Virginia outdoor bucket list and exclusive brand discounts for my listeners. Click on newsletter, sign up in your show notes or visit Virginia outdoor adventures.com thanks for listening until next time. Adventure on you.
